Diamond Cut

Gemstone cutters have always known that the faceting on a gemstone is what gives it 'life'. Even before there were grading certificates, traders would factor in poor cut proportions into the price of diamonds. It's now universally accepted that cut is the most important factor out of the 4Cs of diamonds so you better pay attention. This tutorial is designed to get you … [Read more...]

Diamond Carat

Size is the first thing anyone sees when they look at a diamond. So if you're looking to maximise wow factor, one of the best ways to do this is to optimize the diamond for size. Not only does a larger diamond draw more attention, but a larger diamond also has bigger facets that give off more sparkles. Also, when you’re describing the diamond to anyone, the first thing usually … [Read more...]

Diamond Color

Diamond color is graded on a scale from D-Z with D-color being the most colorless and Z-color being the most yellow. This is further subdivided into smaller ranges. For example, DEF is referred to as the colourless range and GHIJ is referred to as the near-colorless range. The difference between each color grade is very, very slight. Although there are people who will be … [Read more...]

Diamond Clarity

Clarity refers to the flaws in a diamond and is graded from Flawless (FL) to Included 3 (I3) by the GIA. The scale covers the following grades: • Flawless (FL) • Internally Flawless (IF) • Very Very Slightly Included 1 (VVS1) • Very Very Slightly Included 2 (VVS2) • Very Slightly Included 1 (VS1) • Very Slightly Included 2 (VS2) • Slightly Included 1 (SI1) • Slightly … [Read more...]

Fluorescence

Fluorescence is the glow that can be seen when the diamond is viewed under a black (UV) light and is caused by boron impurities that occur due to defects in the diamond's crystal structure. Most type-1a diamonds that fluoresce do so with a bluish glow, although it is possible that a diamond fluoresces with a different color such as yellow or white. One important thing I … [Read more...]