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How to Read a Diamond Before You Buy It in the UAE
The UAE is one of the easiest places in the world to buy a diamond and one of the easiest places to buy the wrong one. The choice is wide, the prices are competitive, and the vocabulary is designed to sound reassuring. Here is what the words mean, and what to ask before you pay.
The four measures
Every serious jeweller grades diamonds on the four scales set by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the 4Cs: colour, clarity, cut and carat weight.
Colour. GIA grades colour on a scale from D to Z. D is colourless; Z shows light yellow, brown or grey. The letters were chosen to start at D so that no one could confuse the scale with older systems. Grading is done under controlled light against a set of master stones, which is why a grade from a laboratory means more than a grade from a shop counter.
Clarity. Eleven grades, all judged under 10x magnification: Flawless, Internally Flawless, VVS1 and VVS2, VS1 and VS2, SI1 and SI2, and I1 to I3. In GIA’s language, VS stones have inclusions “observed with effort” and “minor”; SI inclusions are “noticeable”; I-grade inclusions are “obvious” and may affect brilliance and durability. For most pieces worn daily, the difference between VVS and VS is invisible to the eye and visible on the invoice.
Cut. GIA’s cut grade runs from Excellent to Poor, and it is given only to round brilliant diamonds, because they are the only shape with standardised facets. Every other shape is a “fancy” shape and carries no cut grade. Cut is the measure that decides how much light a stone returns, and it is the one most often left out of the conversation.
Carat. A metric carat is 200 milligrams, divided into 100 points. Carat is weight, not size; two stones of the same weight can look different depending on cut and proportion.
The tax
The UAE has charged VAT of 5 per cent since January 2018, and it applies to jewellery. If you are visiting rather than resident, the government’s tourist refund scheme returns most of it: you must be 18 or over, buy from a retailer registered in the scheme, spend at least AED 250 in the transaction, validate the purchase at the airport within 90 days, and claim within one year. The refund is 85 per cent of the VAT paid, after a fee of AED 4.80 per tax-free tag.
Five questions to ask
Which laboratory graded this stone, and can I see the report? Is the cut grade on the report, and if the stone is not a round brilliant, why not? What is the metal, and what carat of gold? Is the price quoted with VAT included? Will the invoice carry the stone’s grades and weight exactly as the report states them?
A jeweller who answers all five without hesitation is worth buying from. At Wazna every diamond piece is made in Dubai in 18K gold, and every commission through the bespoke atelier begins with those five answers rather than ending with them.
