Diamonds

Our Grading Philosophy - STRICT

In recent years, grading standards in the diamond industry, even at the world's most renowned grading labs, have loosened. This is not the case at C.W. Smith Jewelers.

We adhere to the old-school strictness of grading. If a diamond is between 2 grades, we will grade it at the lower grade. We do not believe in being lenient to the diamond. A one-grade change in color or clarity can result in a 25% difference in price, so grading strictness is extremely important.

We have a reputation within the diamond industry, and more importantly among our customers, for being extremely tough graders. We reject hundreds of diamonds each month that have inaccurate lab certificates and are vastly overgraded. Click here to see just 2 examples of the many diamonds we reject.

Even harder to grade, but the most important of all, is a diamond's cut. Diamonds that are improperly cut can sell for 40% to 70% less than a well-cut diamond of identical color and clarity. This is why it is so important to be extremely strict when grading cut.

We are rigid in the diamond cuts we select. Only the finest make it into our store. We see hundreds of diamonds that have dimensions that look like great cuts, but have little fire and scintillation when we examine them. This is where our grading experience and trained eye are invaluable.

We will NEVER grade the beauty, fire and scintillation of a diamond by analyzing percentages, angles and millimeters. While it is true that you can eliminate some diamonds if these factors are way out of line, you cannot determine the true beauty of a diamond’s cut without viewing it yourself. Each diamond has its own personality. Our strict, hands-on cut grading screens out the poorly cut diamonds.

What does all of this mean to you? When you view a selection of diamonds at C.W. Smith Jewelers, you know that we are presenting only accurately, conservatively graded diamonds of the finest cuts. This allows you to confidently evaluate and compare our diamonds and select the one that is right for you.

Diamond prices are dramatically dependant on color, clarity and cut. Our strict, old-school grading will protect you against over-paying for an over-graded or off-cut diamond.