Diamond Education

Diamond Information About Cut, Clarity, Color, Symmetry

LINKS: Diamond Sizes, Cutting, Understanding Diamonds**

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When choosing the one perfect loose diamond either for yourself or for your special someone you need to pay attention to a few important factors  in order to make the right choice and an investment for life.

CUT

The cut of a Diamond is a key to its magical brilliant glow. The Diamond is cut to maximize its natural sparkle. A Diamond may have a perfect color and clarity but a poor cut dramatically worsens the Diamond’s brilliant appearance. A Diamond may be cut in many different shapes: round, princess, baguette etc, but any shape it may be turned into must be of perfect proportions.

The Diamond shines and sparkles the most when it is ideally cut, allowing the light to travel through the Diamond and exit in a heirloom radiance of a colorful rainbow. If a Diamond is improperly cut, the light is lost and the Diamond appears dark and dull and doesn’t sparkle.

Shallow cut: When a Diamond is shallow, the light is lost out the sides and the Diamond looses its brillance.
Deep cut: When a Diamond is cut deep, the light escapes out the bottom and the Diamond appears dark.
Ideal cut: Allows the light to travel freely through the Diamond and exit in a rainbow of sparkles.

POLISH AND SYMMETRY

Just like a cut, polish and symmetry dramatically affect the appearance of a Diamond. Poor polish will leave a Diamond’s facet dull and that will have a Diamond appear blurry and sparkling poorly. Symmetry allows the light to travel freely through the Diamond and poor symmetry will dramatically subtract from the Diamond’s appearance.

COLOR

The Diamonds differ in color. Some appear naturally colorless and are considered to be the most precious because of their rare find while others are not colorless. The Diamond’s color is defined according to a scale from D to Z.

• D is an absolutely colorless and a rare Diamond.

• E is also a colorless Diamond can be detected by an expert gemologist, also a rare Diamond.

• F-H, these are near colorless Diamonds. The color is noticeable only when compared to Diamonds of higher grade, at the same time these Diamonds provide the greatest value.

• I-J quality Diamonds are near colorless. Color is slightly detectable.

• K-Z grade Diamonds are considered to have a noticeable color to them that detracts from the beauty as well as the value of a Diamond.

CLARITY

Just as color, clarity defines the natural quality of a Diamond. Absolutely clear Diamonds are rare and therefore are most expensive. Clarity means that the Diamond may or may not have the natural inclusions such as scratches, trace of minerals or other characteristics that can detract not only from the beauty but also from the value of the Diamond.
There is also a scale on measuring the clarity of a Diamond:

• FL, IF means Flawless, with no internal or external flaws. These Diamonds are rare.

• VVS1, VVS2 means Very Very Slightly Included. It is very difficult to see inclusions even under a 10x magnification. These Diamonds are considered of excellent quality.

• VS1, VS2 means Very Slightly Included. The inclusions are not visible to the unaided eye, and barely visible under 10x magnification. 

• SI1, SI2 means Slightly Included. Inclusions are not typically visible to the unaided eye, although they are visible under a10x magnification. These diamonds provide a very good Diamond value.

• I clarity means that there are slight inclusions to the Diamond that are visible to the unaided eye.

CARAT

The Total Carat Weight (CTW) determines the total weight of Diamonds that you have in your Diamond jewelry. There can be one Diamond or a numerous amount of Diamonds. For example: If you have 5 diamonds in your ring each weighting 0.25 carats, then total carat weight of diamonds in your ring is 1.25 carats.

CARE

As you know, Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth. They are uniquely resistant to damage by heat or scratching, and can be cut or polished only by another Diamond. Only an extremely hard blow to the girdle can cause a Diamond to chip. By having your Diamond set in a relatively protective setting, and remaining conscious of it on your finger, you can keep your Diamond intact for a lifetime.

Note that exposure during ordinary wear to perspiration and household chemicals, like chlorine and hair spray, can cause buildup that dulls the surface of a Diamond. We suggest periodic cleanings to keep the Diamond brilliant and refractive.

If you decide to clean your Diamond Jewelry at home, you can use a solution of one part ammonia and six parts water. Simply dip your Diamond Jewelry into the solution for a short period of time and that should take care of the build up that forms on your Diamond Jewelry as you wear it. Another way of cleaning your Diamond Jewelry is by hand, scrubbing gently with a soft brush to loosen most dirt and greatly increase the brilliance of the diamond, but be careful not to scratch the metal of your setting.

We advise that at least once a year you have your Diamonds cleaned and setting checked by a professional.

It is also a good idea to have your Diamond Jewelry stored individually in soft cloth pouches when not being worn. That will prevent the Diamond or Diamonds from scratching or dulling other jewelry.