{"id":140,"date":"2015-07-01T16:00:25","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T20:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/?p=140"},"modified":"2015-08-13T15:13:41","modified_gmt":"2015-08-13T19:13:41","slug":"ndr-diamond-grading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/","title":{"rendered":"NDR Diamond Grading"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

NDR Diamond Grading Chart<\/h3>\n

\"NDR<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

Investment Grade<\/span><\/h3>\n

Investment Grade\u00a0consists of those diamonds typically purchased for long term investment. Diamonds within this category are typically colorless (DEF color) and Flawless or near flawless (IF to VVS). \u00a0As with most things in life, the “BEST” and “RAREST” of anything is thought to be of “investment grade” because of\u00a0their future potential for appreciation. \u00a0Diamonds that fall within the DEF\/IF-VVS parameters are very rare are are sought after for this reason. \u00a0And, yes, a diamond that falls with these parameters will usually be exceptionally beautiful – \u00a0(assuming it has a good cut! – See Blog posts dealing with Cut)<\/span><\/p>\n

Fine Grade<\/span><\/h3>\n

Fine Grade\u00a0consists of diamonds that are exceptionally beautiful. Typically diamonds that are within the color range of DEFGH and clarity range of VS2 and better are considered fine. \u00a0 I often use Tiffany & Company as a standard when speaking of Fine Grade diamonds as Tiffany adheres to a quality level that deserves respect throughout the diamond industry. \u00a0 Tiffany & Co. \u00a0sells engagement diamonds that are of color grades ranging from “D” to “I” and clarity grades ranging from “VVS” to “SI1” clarity. \u00a0A “top” SI1 clarity will often be a “Fine” grade diamond. \u00a0There are also some SI2 clarity diamonds that may be considered fine, depending on the size, type and location of the inclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nice Grade<\/span><\/h3>\n

Nice Grade\u00a0is characterized as a diamond that will appear to be white and brilliant and lively when used in a diamond engagement ring. Though considerably less expensive than diamonds in either the “Investment” or “Fine” grades, to the normal human observer in “real life” conditions (as opposed to laboratory environments) there is often very little difference in the overall appearance of a “Nice” diamond when compared to\u00a0one of the top categories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike the top two grade levels, this grade level may be a sliding scale within itself. For instance, an “I\/SI1” diamond is still in many cases an exceptionally beautiful diamond. \u00a0On the other hand, a “K\/SI2”, which is positioned near the end on the linear chart within this grade, is going to be somewhat less beautiful – but, in many cases, may still be a “Nice” diamond.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, with respect to all categories, it should be noted that any combination of a “higher” color grade or clarity grade is more desirable and more valuable – (Read: Nicer and More Expensive!). \u00a0For instance, an “E” color and “SI1” clarity is often exceptionally beautiful and is considered a “Fine” diamond!<\/span><\/p>\n

Commercial Grade<\/span><\/h3>\n

Commercial Grade\u00a0diamonds are primarily sold in chain stores and Mall jewelry stores. \u00a0These are usually diamonds that are sold to “unknowing” mass-market consumers who know or care little about the beauty of the diamond they are buying. \u00a0Often times it is the “store credit” or other financing terms that motivates this buyer instead of the diamond.<\/span><\/p>\n

It should be noted that a lower color\/high clarity diamond such as a M\/VS2 or a high color\/lower clarity such as a F\/I1 may be nice and pretty diamonds. \u00a0However, for the most part, diamonds within the color and clarity ranges noted within the Commercial grade section of the chart above will, in most cases, be significantly less beautiful than those in the top three categories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ironically, these diamonds are often not “cheap” with regard to pricing and represent “bad value” to the consumer. \u00a0Although sold at an “attractive retail price point” by mall retailers and chain jewelry stores, these diamonds are usually not cheap for what \u00a0they are. \u00a0More importantly, regardless of price, diamonds within the Commercial grade are usually not\u00a0beautiful\u00a0diamonds!<\/span><\/p>\n

Garbage Grade<\/span><\/h3>\n

Garbage Grade \u00a0– The name says it all! There is no reason to purchase on of these diamonds except a “Price Point”. \u00a0 And even then, the price may be low but you are getting nothing in return for the price. \u00a0A diamond is supposed to be something that is beautiful and something that will be worn and enjoyed. This is not that!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  NDR Diamond Grading Chart Investment Grade Investment Grade\u00a0consists of those diamonds typically purchased for long term investment. Diamonds within this category are typically colorless (DEF color) and Flawless or near flawless (IF to VVS). \u00a0As with most things in life, the “BEST” and “RAREST” of anything is thought to be of “investment grade” because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nNDR Diamond Grading – N D Reiff Company - Blog<\/title>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NDR Diamond Grading – N D Reiff Company - Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  NDR Diamond Grading Chart Investment Grade Investment Grade\u00a0consists of those diamonds typically purchased for long term investment. Diamonds within this category are typically colorless (DEF color) and Flawless or near flawless (IF to VVS). \u00a0As with most things in life, the “BEST” and “RAREST” of anything is thought to be of “investment grade” because […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"N D Reiff Company - Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NDReiffCompany\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-01T20:00:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-08-13T19:13:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/NDR-DiamondGrading-Chart-REV2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"N D Reiff Company - Blog\",\"description\":\"A Place for Serious Diamond Discussion\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/NDR-DiamondGrading-Chart-REV2.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/\",\"name\":\"NDR Diamond Grading – N D Reiff Company - Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-01T20:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-08-13T19:13:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1930bf609d766acf629ae47cbb1f25d5\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/ndr-diamond-grading\/\",\"name\":\"NDR Diamond Grading\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1930bf609d766acf629ae47cbb1f25d5\",\"name\":\"NDR\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e5f456146f319f2c86d99c9f272debd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"NDR\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5WQK3-2g","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24,"url":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/diamond-fluorescence-good-or-bad\/","url_meta":{"origin":140,"position":0},"title":"Diamond Fluorescence: Good or Bad?","date":"March 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"There is perhaps no characteristic of a diamond on which you will find more disagreement among diamond professionals than diamond Fluorescence. \u00a0For this reason, it is also a subject that causes much confusion among diamond professionals as well as consumers. Diamond florescence refers to the effects of ultraviolet light on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Diamond"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":80,"url":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/gia-diamond-grading-simplified\/","url_meta":{"origin":140,"position":1},"title":"GIA Diamond Grading - SIMPLIFIED","date":"June 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"GIA Diamond Grading - SIMPLIFIED. As I have stated in my previous posts, it is my opinion that the GIA grading system is ridiculous. This opinion is based on the fact that there are nearly 200 possible grade combinations of color and clarity. \u00a0To the human eye, under \"normal life\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"4Cs\"","img":{"alt_text":"NDR DiamondGrading Chart REV2","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/NDR-DiamondGrading-Chart-REV2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32,"url":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/gia-vs-egl-what-is-the-difference-between-grading-labs\/","url_meta":{"origin":140,"position":2},"title":"GIA vs EGL. What is the difference between grading labs?","date":"March 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"When buying a diamond a diamond grading report is essential. The grading report or \u201cCertificate\u201d represents an independent analysis of the quality of a diamond. Without such a grading report, one is at the mercy of the seller and assumes that the seller is accurately describing the quality. In many\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28,"url":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/what-diamond-quality-do-i-really-need-to-buy\/","url_meta":{"origin":140,"position":3},"title":"What diamond quality do I really need to buy?","date":"September 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What quality of diamond do I really need to buy? If you expected an easy answer to this question I am sorry to have to disappoint you. In everything in life, whether it is the purchase of an automobile or a house, we all start out with wanting our \u201cdream\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Diamond"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":752,"url":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/si1-or-si2-graded-diamonds-the-right-choice-or-a-bad-choice-when-buying-a-diamond\/","url_meta":{"origin":140,"position":4},"title":"SI1 or SI2 Graded Diamonds - The RIGHT choice or a BAD choice when buying a Diamond?","date":"February 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"For as long as I can remember in my 45+ years in the diamond and jewelry business, the most sought after diamonds in terms of GIA color and clarity grading has been \"SI\" (Slightly Included) quality diamonds. The reason for this is simply that a \"nice\" \u201cSI1\u201d or \u201cSI2\u201d clarity\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Diamond"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/2.00-ISI2-16014.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":187,"url":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/diamonds-quality-vs-price-the-50-question\/","url_meta":{"origin":140,"position":5},"title":"Diamonds: Quality vs. Price - The 50% question??","date":"September 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, more than ever before, there is a significant difference in diamond pricing between GIA graded diamonds of similar GIA grades. Within the diamond trade, this is often referred to as the difference between a \"good\" GIA report and a \"bad\" GIA report. Though two diamonds may be graded as\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"LettingYourCustomersQuote","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/LettingYourCustomersQuote.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":170,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140\/revisions\/170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndrdiamond.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}