diamonds

A diamond is a testament of endurance, strength and the ultimate symbol of love.

THE DIAMOND'S CLASSIFICATION

There is no other gemstone quite like a diamond. It takes about one ton of rock to recover less than half a carat of rough, making diamonds one of the rarest and most desired gemstones in the world. A diamond is a testament of endurance, strength and the ultimate symbol of love.

  • CUT
  • COLOUR
  • CLARITY
  • CARAT
  • CONFIDENCE

A CUT is widely considered to be the most important feature of any given diamond. It gives the diamond its glimmer, brightness and unique appearance, because this particular quality which has the most significant impact upon the amount of light the diamond reflects and refracts, or sparkles.

The cut of a stone refers to the arrangement of facets, or flat planes, cut into the stone's surface. It has nothing at all to do with the actual shape of the diamond. The light performance, sparkle or 'fire' of a diamond is partly dependent on the definition of the diamond’s proportions and facets.

The very precise proportions and angles of a properly cut stone have a dramatic effect on the sparkle, fire and brilliance of the finished diamond. An immaculately cut diamond with the right proportions and perfect, precise angles has the maximum ability to reflect and refract light. That effect, which we call the brilliance and fire of a diamond will be dramatic, because light bounces freely within the diamond and is reflected back out of the top without escaping through the sides or bottom.

Polish and symmetry are also included in the cut's grade. Polish describes the smoothness of the stone's facets while symmetry refers to how those facets are aligned. A poorly polished stone is like a dirty mirror - the facets are dull and clouded, making the surface not reflective but blurry and any possibility for sparkle dies. When symmetry is poor, it means the facets were not cut into the ideal alignment. Instead of light being trapped and properly reflected out of the top of the stone, it’s misdirected, resulting in a dull sparkle and loss of brilliance.


Grading of Cut.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading a diamonds on basis of proportion of angles and symmetry.

EXCELLENT
  • 'Excellent' cut diamonds are a truly stunning cut. These diamonds are masterful examples of both high craftsmanship and natural beauty. They feature a vibrant, sparkling appearance, an almost unrivalled brilliance, and a symmetry and finish which is capable of taking your breath away. 
VERY GOOD
  • More budget-friendly than most others, and making up around 15% of diamonds set in jewelry, ‘Very Good' cut diamonds still have a stunning level of brilliance, and plenty of fascinating features which would surely delight any lover of beauty and elegance.
GOOD
  • Roughly a quarter of all diamonds destined for jewelry will be categorized as being in the 'Good' cut grade, and are generally considered the most affordable choice. While this is actually one of the lower grades, those with a ‘Good’ cut are still in possession of a high level of brilliance and fire, and still manage to reflect the majority of incoming light.

Colour is also a big part of the quality of a diamond. Even the slightest difference in a diamond’s colour can make a big difference in price.

The normal colour range of diamonds spans a pale yellow all the way down to a brown hue, and the majority of mined diamonds fall within this range. Diamonds in the normal colour range are what we consider "white" diamonds, and are the kind most commonly used in engagement rings. Even though most diamonds appear colourless to the naked eye, the majority of diamonds contain traces of yellow or brown. Chemical impurities or structural defects can both affect the natural hue of the stone. The closer the stone is to colourless, the more valuable the diamond. Totally colourless diamonds appear bright white, and are very rare and very, very expensive.

The purest, rarest and most highly graded diamonds, therefore, are those which lack any colour whatsoever and are thus able to sparkle and shine uninterrupted, due to the fact that the whiter the diamond, the less filtration of light there will be.

Grading of Colour

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) uses a colour grading scale starting at D, the best possible colour grade for a diamond, all the way to Z, which is the lowest.

D: COMPLETELY COLOURLESS

This is the highest grade when it comes to colour. A completely colourless, totally 'white' and extremely rare diamond of the highest value.

E-F: COLOURLESS

Diamonds in this category are colourless to the naked eye, and possess a level of colour which is only detectable by experienced gemologists using specialized equipment.

G-H: NEAR COLOURLESS

Diamonds of this grade are also coloured extremely white, and it would be very difficult to tell them apart from a higher grade once set in a piece of diamond jewelry. Their difference is only recognizable when directly compared side by side with diamonds of a higher colour grade.

I-K: NEAR COLOURLESS

Diamonds at this point in the scale have a very slight yellow hue, caused by the natural tone of the uncut diamond they came from. These would be the most affordable option.

Stones that have more colour than Z are considered to be fancy coloured diamonds, which can command high prices due to their rarity. These fancy coloured diamonds may be intensely yellow or brown, or even exotic colours like pink, red, green, and blue.

Choosing a Diamond Colour

Since a diamond reflects the colour of its surroundings, colourless diamonds, such as those graded D-F, are at their best when mounted in platinum or white gold. The bright white/silver tones of these medals will allow the diamond to shine, while a yellow gold or other coloured metal would actually reflect onto the diamond, making it appear a darker shade than it actually is.

When choosing a diamond for their engagement ring, some buyers will settle for nothing less than perfection. For budget minded shoppers, however, anything above a J grading can be a better choice. Anything graded K and below will be tinted with increasingly visible shades of yellow and brown. While one of these stones may still be a suitable choice in certain circumstances, cut and setting will be even more important to maximizing the better qualities of the stone.

The clarity grade of a diamond is dependent on the imperfections or 'inclusions' within the gemstone, and they are usually graded based on the most obvious or largest inclusion, rather than on the quantity of imperfections.

Almost all diamonds contain very tiny natural birthmarks known as inclusions or blemishes. Blemishes refer to imperfections on the surface of the stone, and include things like pitting, scratches, or chips. Inclusions, on the other hand, occur within the body of the diamond. An inclusion may be made up of crystals of other minerals, another diamond crystal, or structural imperfections such as cracks in the stone that appear cloudy. For the purposes of grading, all imperfections are referred to as inclusions, regardless of where on the diamond they occur. The number, size, colour, location, orientation and visibility of inclusions will affect the clarity of a diamond. The clarity grade is assigned based on the overall appearance of the stone as viewed under 10x magnification, and not as seen to the naked eye. Most inclusions present in gem-quality stones do not affect their performance or structural integrity.

However, depending on the severity of the inclusion, they may significantly impact the diamond's ability to refract and reflect light. The smaller and scarcer the inclusions are, the less likely it is that they will interfere with the passage of light through the diamond. The higher the clarity grade of a diamond, the higher its value, with the exceedingly rare Flawless (FL) diamond fetching the highest price. Like fingerprints, no two diamonds are exactly the same, so minor inclusions or blemishes can be useful as unique identifying characteristics particular to a specific diamond. Additionally, as synthetic diamond technology improves, inclusions and blemishes can be used as proof of your diamond's natural origin.

Grading of Clarity

Here is the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) scale for grading clarity. Again, these six categories are based on the appearance of the stone when it is viewed under 10x magnification.

FL & IF: FLAWLESS, INTERNALLY FLAWLESS

When viewed through 10x magnification, no internal inclusions or external blemishes are detectable.      

VVS1, VVS2: VERY, VERY SLIGHTLY INCLUDED

When viewed through 10x magnification, the diamond displays inclusions which are so slight and minor, only an expert would be able to identify them.

VS1, VS2: VERY SLIGHTLY INCLUDED

When viewed through 10x magnification, there are some very slightly visible inclusions in the diamonds, but they are not visible to the naked eye. 

SI1, SI2: SLIGHTLY INCLUDED

These Inclusions are noticeable when magnified at 10x, and are generally considered the best value for money. SI2 inclusions may be detectable to a discerning, well-trained unaided eye. 

I1: INCLUDED

Inclusions in the diamond are visible to the naked human eye. 

For the vast majority of our customers, an 'eye-clean' diamond with no visible imperfections of inclusions is what we would recommend, as this will not only look beautiful, but will also be great value for money. 

A carat is a unit of measurement used to describe the weight of diamonds and other gemstones rather than its size, and do not to be confused with a karat (a measurement that denotes the purity of gold)

While carats have regularly been used to measure diamonds since the 1540’s. Since 1913, however, the international standard is that one carat is equal to 200 milligrams, or 1/5th of a gram.

Most jewelers will round diamond weights to ¼ or a carat, and pieces with multiple diamonds may have numbers listed as total carat weight (CTW), which is the total weight of all the diamonds in the setting.

Carat vs. Size

Weight in carats does not equal size. Because of differences in depth and cut, two diamonds with identical diameters may in fact be two completely different sizes. Therefore, it is possible to buy a diamond that looks bigger than another one but that may actually have a smaller carat weight.

Carat weight is best place to control the price of your stone. As carat weight increases, the price of a diamond increases exponentially. Therefore, a 1.0 carat diamond is not simply double the price of a 0.50 (half) carat diamond. Assuming all the other characteristics are the same, it actually may be more than two or three times the price simply because larger diamonds are much rarer than smaller ones.

When purchasing a diamond, consider not only the carat weight but also the length vs. width (therefore taking into account the depth of the stone) as well as the surface area of the face of the diamond – the part that will actually show when the stone is set into an engagement ring.

Equally important to the cut, colour, clarity and carat, the 5th C is for Confidence.

Purchasing a jewelry is a special occasion, one that usually involves a lot of deliberation and planning on the buyer’s side. Confidence in knowing that you are buying your jewelry through a reputable jeweller and that the diamond was sourced ethically is absolutely vital when selecting your diamond or diamond jewelry creation.

Jew9k believes to conduct the business in very ethical ways, which boosts the confidence of our most precious clients. We encourage clients to buy jewelry with 100% confidence only.

JEW9K is fully committed & takes its responsibility of carrying only ethically sourced materials very seriously.

Why to buy from Jew9k?

1: A Certificate of warranty.>> All jewelry purchased from www.jew9k.com is backed by 1 year warranty (Warranty and Service Policy)

A Certificate of warranty is provided for each jewelry purchased online. Our quality assurance process certifies the quality and authenticity of every diamond we sell.

2: Return / Exchange without hesitation.>> We want our customers to be 100% satisfied with their purchases, that’s why we provide hassle free choice for either return or exchange the jewelry. (Return Policy)

3: Easy Money Back.>> Jewelry purchased from www.jew9k.com is always refundable with easy process.

4: Trustworthy Suppliers.>> We hold ethical and fair trade at the heart of what we do, and only work with respected and reputable suppliers which adhere to international laws and the upholding of human rights as all jewelry companies should.

5: Best Price >> At jew9k.com, we want you to shop with us with confidence in our product prices. Therefore, we regularly monitor and check product prices of our competitors on the Web to make sure that you are buying the lowest price jewelry from us. However, should you still find any similar item with lower prices than ours, please do not hesitate to inform us at info@jew9k.com

6: Conflict Free Diamonds.>> When it comes to procurement of precious metals and stones, manufacturing of new jewelry and distribution of that jewelry through our store and to our customers, we strive to ensure all materials are 100% conflict free.

What Does Conflict Free Mean?

Precious metals and stones are mined under often horrible conditions around the globe. Environmentally and socially, irresponsible mining operations have an immensely negative impact on the regions in which they operate. To be conflict free means a stone or metal must come from an operation in a region that is free of all violence. In many cases, diamond mines are used to fund and sustain lengthy, violent wars. The same level of violence can occur even in countries that are not currently at war and for a diamond or any precious metal or stone to be truly conflict free, it must be sourced from a country and mining operation free of any such taint.

To ensure the diamonds and other precious metals and stones used in our jewelry are 100% ethical and conflict free, we use third party confirmation services that go beyond the Kimberley Process - which only ensures that a stone is not mined or sold to finance an ongoing war or rebel movement. To be truly conflict free it must be free of the taint of violence, extreme poverty, child labor and exploitation of workers and harm to the environment.

Purchasing a diamond from a conflict free region does not mean you will need to compromise on quality. Diamond quality from mines in Canada, Botswana or Namibia is extremely high and there are enough options to ensure you can choose one that matches your desires and budget. We also work closely with third party suppliers to utilize recycled metals and stones in our jewelry to minimize the need for new mining operations that can contribute to the cost of conflict-zone operations.