Diamonds Education

Graded from excellent to poor, the cut of a diamond does not refer to its shape but to its proportions. How well a diamond is cut directly impacts its ability to reflect and refract light. Excellent cut diamonds are the most sought after as they offer maximum brilliance (reflection of white light), fire (dispersion of coloured light) and scintillation (sparkle, the play of light and dark). It is important not to overlook cut when choosing a diamond as it has the greatest impact on a diamond’s beauty.

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  d

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  e

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  f

Colourless

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  g

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  h

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  i

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  j

Near-Colourless

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  k

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  l

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  m

Faint

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  n - r

Very Light

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  s - z

Light

Diamonds come in different colours and are graded from D to Z based on their lack of colour, meaning the more colourless a diamond is the higher the value. The natural colour of a diamond is determined when the stone forms beneath the Earth’s surface and is split up into five different categories (colourless, near colourless, faint, very light and light) which depends on the hint of yellow, brown or grey present in the stone. Near colourless stones are the most popular as they enable individuals to purchase a larger diamond at great value.

Clarify refers to the absence of inclusions within a diamond which are usually microscopic impurities. As a diamond forms under extreme pressure crystals, air bubbles and other foreign materials may become trapped inside. The number, size, location and colour of inclusions are studied by a gemologist under a microscope and are all factors that affect the final clarity grade of a diamond. Very rarely do diamonds have no internal impurities which is why they are the highest in value. To ensure that a diamond is free of eye-visible inclusions it is advised to go with a clarity grade of VS2 or higher.