One thing has remained consistent over the past 100 years at Dodson's Jewelers. Our diamonds are hand selected by our owners: first George R. Dodson, then his son-in-law John Penn Fix, followed by his son John Penn Jr., and now Penn and Barney Fix. This tradition means a consistent diamond product known as the Dodson Diamond.

The Dodson Diamond is a very well cut diamond, most being ideal or near ideal. In addition, the vast majority of our diamonds are colorless to near colorless. Of the acknowledged four "C's", cut and color account for the brilliance of a diamond. Clarity, while a factor in the valuation of a diamond, is not as important as the other two. And finally, there is carat, or the weight of the stone. Two other C's are also worthy of consideration: certification and confidence. Most of our diamonds are certified for cut, color, and clarity by independent labs. We also have the confidence to recommend the very best diamond for your purpose. We currently rely on two major diamond sources, a South African siteholder and estate jewelry.

 
Carat Weight

Carat is the measurement used for weighing gemstones. (This should not be confused with karat, the measure of the purity of gold.) One carat is equal to 1/5 of a gram. The carat weight of the diamond is the one C that you, as a consumer, can control. It is also a factor which is reliable in our region; to my knowledge, diamond sellers in Spokane accurately present the diamond weights that they sell.

Carat weights are quoted in points. There are 100 points in a one carat diamond - thus a half carat diamond is .50 ct. In actuality, a light half carat begins at .46 ct. and a heavy half finishes at .59 ct. Light carats start at .90 ct. and heavy ones finish at 1.19 ct.

 
Cut

The least understood of the C's, the cut of the diamond, is also the most important. Without good cutting, a diamond will not have the brilliance so strongly associated with these stones. Unlike colored gems which absorb light, diamonds reject light. Cut to correct proportions, diamonds will throw light back at you. Cut poorly, they will appear dark, even though they might be very white stones.

At the turn of the century, a Russian mathematician, Marcel Tolkowsky, figured out the proportions that would elicit the best scintillation or brilliance in a diamond. This cut has often been referred to as an Ideal Cut and is found only in round diamonds. Fancy cut diamonds will always have light leakage resulting in dark splotches (actually shadowing) in the stone. An ideal cut diamond, on the other hand, will disperse the light evenly, thus avoiding the dark splotches found in poorly cut diamonds.

How do you know about the cut of a round diamond? The diameter of the stone can offer a clue. For instance, the diameter of a well cut 1 ct. diamond is 6.5 mm. If the diamond measures 6.3 mm or under, then it is cut heavily, with the weight located up and down the stone rather than across. This results not only in light leakage, but the stone does not have the "face-up" value of a well cut stone - it looks smaller. If the 1 ct. diamond measures 6.7 mm or larger, then it is referred to as a spread stone - it is not as deep as it should be. Once again, this stone has severe light leakage, but it is also very thin and thus subject to chipping around the girdle or sides of the diamond.

Mr. Tolkowsky's proportions remain the benchmark for diamond cutting. They feature table percentages of 53 - 57% and depth percentages of 60 - 62%. Yet, too much emphasis has been placed on these numbers. As a result, some consumers have purchased stones they thought were ideal cut that were not. For example, I saw one diamond that had a table of 56% and depth of 62%. But was it an ideal stone? No. The diameter of the stone measured 6.3 - 6.4 mm. Something was off: the crown and girdle were too thick for an ideal stone, but the cutter skimped on the pavilion angle in order to get the total depth of 62%.

In addition to the cut, two other factors are often overlooked: polish and symmetry. The 58 facets of a round diamond should line up correctly next to each other. Most stones do not, but when the symmetry is excellent or very good, you have a better chance for a brilliant diamond. The polish of a stone is often compared to the paint job of a car. You can have an excellent car like a Mercedes, but if the paint job is terrible, the car loses some of its appeal. The same is true of the polish of a diamond - the finishing touches in the cutting are terribly important.

 
Color

	D	H	L	P	Z
GIA	D - F	G - J	K - M	N - R	S - Z
	Colorless	Near Colorless	Faint Yellow	Very Light Yellow	Light Yellow

Diamonds can be off color in yellow, brown, grey, or silver. The Gemological Institute of American attempted to standardize the description of diamonds by recommending a nomenclature for diamond grading. The GIA uses an alphabetical scale, with color grading at D to designate the very best or colorless diamond. D to F is recognized as colorless and G to J as near colorless. To be honest, it is much more difficult to see the color difference between a D and an F than it is between a G and a J. We believe that the combination of an ideal or near ideal cut with colorless range makes for a diamond of true beauty. We regularly feature diamonds that are D to H in color.

 
Clarity

	No inclusions visible under 10X magnification.	Inclusions are minute and extremely difficult to locate under 10X magnification.	Inclusions are minor and difficult to locate under 10X magnification.	Inclusions are noticeable and relatively easy to locate under 10X magnification.	Inclusions are obvious under 10X magnification and are visible to the naked eye.
GIA	Flawless	VVS1 | VVS2	VS1 | VS2	SI1 | SI2	I1 | I2 | I3
	Internally Flawless	Very Very Slight Inclusions	Very Slight Inclusions	Slight Inclusions	Imperfect

Most diamonds contain tiny natural marks called inclusions. As a diamond is formed in nature, it undergoes an incredible amount of pressure and heat. As a result, diamonds generally contain inclusions - the feathers, cracks, pinpoints, and included crystals which become part of the stone when it is formed. These inclusions serve as fingerprints to help identify your diamond. The number of inclusions, their size and location all affect the diamond's clarity grade.

As with color grading, the GIA created nomenclature to standardize the description of diamond clarity (see clarity chart above). We feel that most lay people will not see the inclusions found in diamonds ranging from Flawless to some Imperfect ("I1") stones with the naked eye. Why pay for a stone with a "VVS" or "VS" grade when an "SI" or even "Imperfect" stone will look the same - if it means giving up some color or cut for it? We do not recommend diamonds that are almost opaque (which my father refers to as "crushed ice"), but we suggest you consider a more included stone of very high color and cut. We think that these stones are the best value.

 
Certification

The majority of our diamonds are certified by independent labs for cut, clarity, and color. We have three certified gemologists on staff, but we want our customers to have the standard assurance of certification from the top labs. Too often we hear about top diamonds at fabulous prices that are not certified, but when they are subsequently sent to labs, come back much lower valued than how they were presented. You, as the consumer, need to be assured that the stone you are buying is of true value. We recommend three labs: Gemological Institute of America, American Gem Society, and European Gem Lab - LA (not New York or Israel).

 
Confidence

My grandfather once said that if you don't know jewelry, know your jeweler. While we emphasize certified diamonds and spend a good deal of time educating our customers about them, let us help recommend the best diamond for your particular needs. Often, I have seen consumers prepared with lots of information still make poor choices in diamonds, because no two diamonds are the same. The last time I was in South Africa, I looked at 30 diamonds each certified SI(2) and F to H in color, but I only liked two of them. There are so many factors that go into deciding the best stone for the money, and your jeweler can utilize years of experience to help you with buying a once in a lifetime stone. So trust us to help you make that important decision.

 
Diamond Sources

We currently rely on two major sources for our diamonds. For the past two years, I have gone directly to South Africa to the mines of DeBeers. There, we have an established, direct relationship with one of DeBeers' major South African siteholders. As a result of this connection, we have been able to arrange to have diamonds cut to our strict specifications, as well as receive the very best prices. The second source is through our estate jewelry department. Through estate jewelry, we buy diamonds at well under market values from private individuals and pass the savings on to you.

 
Why Buy A Diamond From Dodson's?

Our historic approach to diamond buying assures you of the finest value - the combination of quality and price - you can find in a diamond. We work very hard to find the best diamonds available. Unlike an internet diamond provider, we spend time helping you understand your diamond and the four C's. You can even look at our diamonds under a microscope and special color instruments. And you do not have to worry about an expensive stone being sent to your house. We also have in-house financing to make it easier to purchase the diamond that fits your needs. In addition, if you purchase a ring mounting along with a center diamond, you qualify for our Lifetime Warranty against loss of that center diamond. With our service and competitive prices, we offer the best deal you can find in diamonds.

        
Penn Fix
Dodson's Jewelers