Education

Buy a diamond like you mean it.

A short, honest guide to the 4 Cs, what lab-grown actually means, and how to read a diamond certificate. No jargon, no upselling.

Whether it's your first diamond or your fifth, the rules are the same: a great stone is one you understand. Here's what every page on this site is really pricing.

The 4 Cs

Carat

Weight, not size. One carat is 0.2 grams. The same carat weight can look bigger or smaller depending on the shape and how the stone was cut. Round-brilliant 1.00 ct ≈ 6.4 mm across the top.

Color

D is the rarest (totally colorless), then E and F (still colorless to the eye), then G–J (near-colorless). Once you set a diamond in a ring, most people can't tell D from G. Our inventory leans heavily into D–F because the cost difference is small at lab-grown prices.

Clarity

The number, size, and position of internal inclusions and surface blemishes. The scale runs FL → IF → VVS1 → VVS2 → VS1 → VS2 → SI1 → SI2 → I1 → I2. VS1 and above are "eye-clean" — you can't see any inclusion without a loupe. We don't sell anything below VS1.

Cut

The most under-rated C and the one that actually controls how a diamond sparkles. Cut grade is Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor. We list "EX" (Excellent) by default — anything less and we wouldn't ship it.

Lab-grown vs mined

A lab-grown diamond is the same crystal structure, the same hardness, the same chemistry as a mined diamond. The difference is the address where it grew. Lab-grown stones are graded by the International Gemological Institute (IGI) — the standard certification body for lab-grown — on the same 4 Cs scale used everywhere else in the industry.

What changed is the price. Lab-grown wholesale prices have come down dramatically — which is the entire reason DiamondDealz exists.

Reading a certificate

Every stone in our catalog ships with an IGI lab report. The report includes:

Match the report number on the certificate to the laser-inscribed number on the diamond. If they line up, you have what you paid for.

FAQs

Why are your prices so much lower than retail jewelers?
We buy direct and ship direct — no middlemen. There's no downtown showroom lease, no salaried sales floor, no inflated insurance on rotating display inventory. Every dollar we don't spend on those layers is a dollar that doesn't get added to the price you pay. Same certified stones, same lab reports, far less in between.
Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?
Yes — chemically, physically, and optically identical to mined diamonds. IGI grades them on the same 4 Cs scale as mined stones, and the FTC classifies them as diamonds. The only difference is origin.
How does the Deal of the Moment work?
Every day at midnight a stone from our inventory is selected and priced at 60% off retail — a deeper discount than the rest of the catalog. The stone changes every 24 hours. Once it's sold, it's gone, and tomorrow's stone takes its place.
Can I see the stone before I buy?
Every stone comes with a 7-day inspection window. If it's not right for you, ship it back insured and we refund in full.
Do you sell settings or rings, or just loose stones?
Today we focus on loose, certified stones. We're happy to recommend setters in your city — or, for a custom design, reach out via our contact page.
What does IGI certification mean?
The International Gemological Institute is the standard grading lab for lab-grown diamonds. Every stone we sell ships with its IGI report — the same independent, lab-issued document that lists the 4 Cs, the report number, and the laser inscription on the diamond's girdle. Match the inscription on the stone to the number on the report and you have what you paid for.