Diamond Guide

Diamonds

It is very rare to find two identical diamonds. This is because diamonds are graded by clarity, colour, cut and carat weight. When purchasing certified stones the following scales apply. Clarity GIA F Flawless IF Internally Flawless VVS1/VVS2 Very, very slightly included VS1/VS2 Very slightly included SI1/SI2 Slightly included I1-I3 Included It is around SI1 that inclusions can be spotted with the naked eye. Colour GIA D,E,F These are the top colour grades. They appear colourless against a white background. G,H,I Near colourless. Traces of colour in this range will not be apparent to the untrained eye. Stones under 0.50ct will appear colourless. J,K,L Larger stones show colour, but mounted smaller stones look better. M-Z Colour is easy to see. Z+ This grade indicates fancy colour. These stones are desirable. Cut The cut or make of a diamond affects more than anything else the brilliance, fire and overall appearance of a diamond, hence the proportions and finish are very important. If a diamond is too shallow or too deep this will effect the passage of light through the Stone. Light will be lost out of the bottom of the stone instead of being reflected out through the top of the stone and thus producing the diamonds brilliance and scintillation. Carat weight This refers to the size of a diamond. 100 points = 1.00ct Diameter Approximate Weight 3.00 mm 0.10 ct 3.40 mm 0.15 ct 3.80 mm 0.20 ct 4.10 mm 0.25 ct 5.20 mm 0.50 ct 6.50 mm 1.00 ct 7.40 mm 1.50 ct 8.20 mm 2.00 ct