Our Guide To Diamonds

Diamonds are beautiful gems surrounded by a wonderful history of love and lore. For many years they have been used to portray the ultimate symbol of love and with their spectacular fire and sparkle we can see why.

Diamonds make the perfect gift not only for their rarity and beauty but also their incredible strength giving them the ability to last a lifetime. All diamonds are unique with no one containing the exact same internal and external characteristics, much like a fingerprint.

When purchasing diamonds you will notice a variety of price ranges. There are a number of factors in which to determine the rarity and value of a diamond.

In the jewellery industry we refer to these as the 4c's, carat, cut, colour and clarity. Each one is as important as the other. Below you will find images depicting each member of the 4c's with a description to help you feel confident when purchasing diamond set jewellery.

Carat

Diamonds are measured in carats and this refers to its weight as opposed to its size. When talking about the carat weight we often use the phrase points. 100 points is equal to 1 carat and 50 points is equal to a half carat.

Whilst browsing our diamond jewellery you will see that we have written the total carat weight for each piece, this means if a diamond cluster states it is 50 points of diamonds this is the total weight of all the diamonds. Larger diamonds can be rare to find in nature and in some cases are valued greatly.

Colour

Diamonds are beautiful gemstones created from a carbon structure. Sometimes during their creation a chemical or mineral can become present causing an alteration in the diamonds colour. A completely pure diamond will be void of all colour which we call colourless.

In the jewellery industry we grade the colour of a diamond on a scale from D to Z, D being colourless and Z having a defined yellow/brown colour. A colourless diamond can be rare to find and therefore impact its value.

In some cases impurities in the diamonds creation can lead to a vast change providing us with a beautiful array of coloured diamonds.

Clarity

Just like the colour the clarity of a diamond is caused during its creation. The minerals and chemicals which have become trapped can lead to the diamond containing internal and external markings. These can come in an array of shapes and sizes.

The clarity of a diamond is important as the more markings are there the more difficult it is for the light to travel making the diamond sparkle less.

We grade the clarity on a scale from F meaning flawless to I3 meaning containing many markings. Flawless diamonds can be rare to find in nature and can fetch quite a price.

Cut

This the only member of the 4c's affected by the hand of man. The cut refers to the proportion, symmetry and polish of a diamond.

The cut of a diamond is important as it determines the sparkle and fire of a diamond.

When we cut a diamond we do so to show the diamond at its best.