To assist you in making the right decisions with your choice of jewellery, we have curated comprehensive information about diamonds and diamond fine jewellery. Ring Education, this is a great place to start your research and provide a background knowledge, however we are always here to answer any questions you may have and to illustrate the theory with real examples during an obligation-free private appointment with one of our jewellery concierges.
Buying a diamond is an exciting experience. Armed with the correct information it is also easy and simple. We have compiled the information you need to make the right choice and to understand the terminology used to describe diamonds, including the 4 C’s – Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat.
Diamonds are a symbol of beauty, celebration and love. Diamonds create a special moment when both giving and receiving a piece of fine diamond jewellery, creating wonderful memories to last a lifetime.
At Monty Adams Jewellery Concierge, we’re experts in the design and creation of high-quality diamond rings. Whether you’re after an engagement ring, wedding bands, an eternity ring or even just a lovely gift for that special someone in your life, we can assist you through every step of the process.
Monty Adams Jewellery Concierge sells loose diamonds in over 11 different shapes, including the most popular round (Brilliant), square (Princess), rectangular (Emerald), oval and pear. Since all diamond shapes are very different, unique characteristics determine the quality of each shape.
When comparing diamond shapes, consider personal taste, personality, hand size and ring setting. The oval, marquise or pear shapes are ideal choices for enhancing fingers that are long and slender, while smaller hands pair well with round or princess-shaped diamonds. Fuller hands and fingers can carry-off more ornate or heavier ring settings and shapes. When considering shape, stay mindful of a diamond’s carat weight and how this impacts its ultimate size and appearance.
At Monty Adams Jewellery Concierge, we apply the same high-quality standards to all of our diamond shapes.
The cut of a diamond not only refers to its shape, but also determines its brilliance and refers to its proportions, symmetry and finish. Whilst a diamond’s Colour and Clarity are created by nature, the Cut is determined by humans and it is the opinion of Monty Adams Jewellery Concierge the most important of the 4 C’s.
The proportions and angles determine a diamond’s ability to handle and reflect light and generate brilliance/fire. In a diamond that is well-cut, light enters through the table and travels through the stone where it is reflected from one side to the other before the light is reflected back to the viewer’s eye.
A shallow cut grade causes light to escape through the bottom, while a deep cut misdirects light through the side. Ideally, you want your diamond cut to reflect the same amount of light through the top as it absorbs. As a result, optimal light reflection creates a glowing and radiant shimmer.
Monty Adams Jewellery Concierge only uses cut grades of Very Good and Excellent to sustain our high-quality guarantee. Round Brilliant cut stones are the only shape to get a “cut grade” all other shapes get a polish and symmetry grade only.
Colour refers to how “white” or colourless a diamond appears. Diamonds are graded on a colour scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) which ranges from D (colourless) to Z (strong yellow or brown). Whilst colourless diamonds graded D, E or F are considered a premium range, the near colourless grades G, H or I are also considered “white” but are more affordable.
An important factor to consider when selecting Colour is the type of setting you plan on using. If you plan on mounting the stone in a Platinum or White Gold setting, consider a diamond in the D-H range. Yellow Gold will be more forgiving to a less than colourless stone, but regardless of the setting, the diamond will start to appear yellow if the Colour grade is lower than about J.
Diamonds can also be found in colours like pink, champagne, cognac, blue and black. These colours are referred to as ‘fancy colours‘ and are graded by a different set of colour standards.
A diamond’s colour grade affects its price, but it isn’t the most important diamond characteristic to consider before purchasing a diamond.
Shoppers seeking value with a slightly lower quality grade, though still near-colourless to the untrained eye, can opt for grade G through I diamonds, which range from rare white to slightly tinted white.
Clarity grade measures a diamond’s visual inclusions, blemishes or lack thereof. These might be crystals, feathers, pinpoints, clouds, cavities, internal graining, scratches, pits, nicks, chips or other imperfections. These imperfections are also known as inclusions or birthmarks.
Nearly all diamonds have inclusions to some extent, which is evidence of the natural evolution of the original diamond crystal. Inclusions can be likened to the fingerprint of the stone, as the size and position is different in every diamond and are indicators of a natural stone.
Clarity grades range from Flawless (FL), where under 10x magnification a diamond is completely free of inclusions, to Included 3 (I3) (P3)where diamonds possess large, heavy inclusions that are visible to the naked eye.
Though flawless diamonds are the rarest, a diamond does not have to be flawless to be stunning. Diamonds with VVS and VS Clarity grades represent excellent choices for both value and appearance. Even diamonds with an SI rating do not have inclusions that are visible to the naked eye and offer a more affordable option.
The most well-known and misunderstood characteristic of the 4Cs is Carat Weight. It actually refers to the diamond’s weight, not its size. A Carat is a standard unit of measure that defines the weight of a diamond.
Larger diamonds are found much less frequently in nature. Thus, for example, a 1 Carat diamond will cost more than twice that of a 0.50 Carat diamond (assuming Colour, Clarity and Cut remain constant).
The size of a finished polished diamond is directly related to its Carat weight. However, the actual dimensions are entirely dependent upon its proportions. On average, a well proportioned 1 Carat round brilliant cut diamond has a diameter of approximately 6.4mm. In comparison, a shallow cut diamond of the same weight may be anything up to 20% larger in diameter, whereas a deep cut diamond of the same weight may be as much as 20% smaller in diameter. Neither of these variations will sparkle as much as a well proportioned diamond.
After many attempts to standardise the weight of the Carat, the United States, United Kingdom and Europe adopted the use of the Metric Carat, which has become the standard unit of weight used throughout the diamond and gemstone industry today: 1 Carat = 0.2 Grams.
A Carat is further divided into Points, a unit of weight used only for diamonds: 1 Point = 0.01 Carat. A diamond’s cut impacts how large the Carat Weight will appear. Smaller carat weight diamonds will appear larger with higher cut grades
A diamond certificate, also known as a diamond grading report, is an easily understood document prepared by an expert gemologist that describes the key characteristics of a diamond. A certificate from a gemological laboratory verifies the quality of a loose diamond and allows non-experts to make educated diamond buying decisions easily and without confusion or danger of misrepresentation.
The report records the authenticity of a diamond using an internationally recognised system and provides a reliable and accurate report of its Carat weight, Colour, Clarity, and Cut.
It is important that the diamond certificate has been produced by an independent diamond grading laboratory, such as GIA or HRD and not by the retailer who is selling you the diamond. Be cautious of retailers who issue their own “in-house diamond certificates” or “manufacturer’s grading reports” as these are not independent certificates and could be biased.
Diamond grading laboratories such as those mentioned above use the latest technology to assess the nature, quality and conditions of a finished, polished diamond. Most certificates generally include an analysis of each of the 4 C’s, together with a clarity diagram showing the position of any inclusions.
Monty Adams Jewellery Concierge diamonds come with independent certificates from leading diamond grading labs.