Diamond Education
Buying diamond jewelry is perhaps one of the most important and exciting decisions you make in your lifetime. After all, you do invest a lot of money into buying diamond jewelry. We understand that you may have so many questions you want to ask before you take that final decision to make the purchase. This section is specially created with a view to answer some of the questions that you may have.
What are Diamonds?
Diamonds are basically minerals that contain about 99.95% pure crystallized carbon. Diamonds are famous for its superlative physical qualities, most of which is due to the strong covalent bonding between its atoms. Its superlative optical characteristics and aesthetic beauty makes it a very popular gemstone.
How to select your diamonds
You must have probably heard about the ‘Cs’ used to describe the qualities of a diamond. The 4 C’s are nothing but the Carat, Color and Clarity, and Cut. Every diamond is rated against the 4 C’s. This section explains what each of these ‘Cs’ mean, and how you can judge the diamonds you buy against these criteria.
Shape
The round brilliant cut diamond is by far the most classic and the most popular. Since the first time diamonds were being cut, variations on the round shape have been used. Its 57 facets bring out the most brilliant fire and sparkle of all the shapes. The incandescent of these magnificently shaped diamonds keep them popular.
A Round diamond sacrifices more of its original carat weight than any other shape during the cutting and processing stage of the diamond.
Cut
First, let’s not confuse diamond “cut” with “shape.” Shape refers to the general outward appearance of the diamond, (such as round, emerald, or pear). When a diamond jeweler (or a diamond certificate) says “cut,” that’s a reference to the diamond’s reflective qualities and not the shape.
A diamond’s cut is the most critical of the 4Cs because it’s what gives the diamond its brilliance, sparkle, and fire, the diamond’s three main attributes.
Color
A diamond’s color has a significant impact on its appearance. With its many prismatic facets, a colorless diamond reflects light into a spectrum of hues, a characteristic often referred to as “fire”. The presence of noticeable color in a diamond may reduce its ability to reflect light.
Consequently, diamonds with lower color grades will not show the same luminosity and fire as those with higher grades. The most valuable diamonds have little to no detectable color.
Clarity
When we speak about diamonds clarity, we are referring to the presence of blemishes and inclusions in the diamond. Inclusions on a diamond can be considered as the diamonds birthmark and blemishes refer to surface flaws. Blemishes and Inclusions have direct impact on its clarity and value while grading the diamond.
The grading of diamonds for clarity is done under 10x loupe magnification.
Carat Weight
A carat (ct.) is the unit of measurement specifically used to describe the weight of a diamond (or other gemstones). A single carat is equivalent to 0.2 grams, or 200 milligrams, and is divided into 100 points. Don’t confuse “carat weight” with “karat,” the method of determining the purity of gold.
AA certified diamond that comes with a grading report, indicates the exact carat weight to the nearest hundredth of a carat, in decimal format.
Certification
A certificate is a “blueprint” of the diamond, it tells you the diamond’s exact measurements and weight, as well as the details of its cut and quality. It precisely points out all the individual characteristics of the stone. Certificates also serve as proof of the diamond’s identity and value.
A diamond certificate, also called a diamond grading report or diamond quality document, is a report created by a team of gemologists.