DIAMONDS
The perfect diamond,
made easy...
DIAMONDS
The perfect diamond,
made easy...
It’s only natural to want to understand a little about Diamonds before diving into your pockets. If you’re like most people we know though, it’s probably not an area you’re familiar with. So we’re going to break it down and make it easy and simple for you.
The most important thing to remember when considering diamonds is that all of the elements of a diamond work together, so a truly beautiful and sparkling diamond needs to have a balance of all of them. What we mean by this is that it’s important not to get stuck on one element and make that your hero, because one thing doesn’t make a diamond great, it’s a combination.
Often people start researching diamonds and before they know it they’re knee deep in scientific and technical terms and it feels a bit like they’re studying a whole new field (because usually they are!). If you’re one of the few who thinks this sounds like a great way to pass the time then you can get stuck into the more technical details here…but, if you’re like most who just want a general understanding so they can make sure they’re getting what they are paying for then read on.
The 4 C’s are a good way to get a general overview of some of the elements:
COLOUR:
Whether a diamond is more white or yellow. The scale starts at D and goes through the alphabet. (Nice white diamonds are usually within the D-H range).
CLARITY:
Diamonds include little particles inside. These are called inclusions. The clarity of a diamond talks about how visible these inclusions are inside.
CUT:
As the name suggests, this talks about how the diamond is cut. Again, a good diamond is well balanced in its cut. If a diamond is bottom heavy or cut very shallow this will affect how it sparkles (and I’m sure you don’t want to pay for a diamond that looks half the size because it’s all underneath).
CARAT:
Refers to the size of the diamond. But, it is important to note this is the diamonds weight not its dimensions so two diamonds of the same carat weight can still be very different in size.
Even just these 4 elements explain why even though this grading system can be useful, it shouldn’t be used as gospel, but as a guide.
Diamonds with exactly the same grading can still look very different.
It sounds confusing and there’s many reasons why, but here are some easy ones to understand:
- Diamonds are natural – there are no two the same
- They’re graded under 10x magnification
- A diamonds colour is graded upside down
- The diamond is slid along next to a master set and someone decides which range it “best fits”. (eg is it more a ‘D’ colour or ‘E’ colour. This means these gradings are also a degree of interpretation not particular specifications.)
If you’re feeling a little lost here or a bit overwhelmed even, the good news is that understanding you need to get a balance of everything is half of the battle. It’s our job to take care of all of these specific elements for you and let our experts do their thing.
We’ll talk as little or as much about diamonds with you as you like. If you want to be a little more hands on then thats the road we go down. Or, if you’re like most of our customers you can sit back and relax with peace of mind.