Diamond Education

An expert eye can tell the color of a diamond, which can greatly affect its rarity and worth.

Diamonds are seldom colorless and natural colorless diamonds are extremely rare. The color variations are as subtle as they come, and it takes a trained eye to determine the difference, as even the slightest hint of color can impact a diamond’s price.

Using the GIA Color Scale, diamonds are graded by how colorless they are, with D equivalent to colorless and Z equivalent to light yellow, brown, or gray.

In determining the color grade, diamonds are examined in controlled environments and compared to round brilliant diamonds known as masterstones.

The Diamond Finery offers diamonds from the D-to-Z color scale.

The famous Hope Diamond is an example of a fancy colored diamond.

Parallel to a diamond’s cut, its clarity also contributes to its shine and brilliance. Essentially, the clarity of a diamond is the absence of inclusions or blemishes—imperfections or surface irregularities.

Blemishes are the external scratches, while inclusions are found within. Together, they make up a stone’s clarity characteristic and can help jewelers identify one diamond from the other.

Another issue that can affect a diamond’s clarity is its fluorescence, which when measured Strong or Very Strong, may cause the diamond to appear oily or hazy.

Reference: https://www.gia.edu

You may notice that diamonds with grades VS2 and higher are whiter or have fewer “eye-clean,” which means that the inclusions or flaws are difficult to discern with the naked eye and require a loupe or microscope at 10x to 20x the magnification.

At The Diamond Fiery, we recommend the finest diamonds from ranking SI1 and above.

Diamond shapes are the different styles one can look at when thinking of the design of their jewelry.

While you won’t find this characteristic among the 4C’s, it’s one that many prioritize when looking for their dream diamond.

Diamond Shapes

Round Brilliant

Princess

Emerald

Oval

Radiant

Pear

Marquise

Heart

Asscher

Cushion

One of the most sought-after shapes is the round brilliant for its traditional and classic aesthetic. But depending on what look you want to achieve with your jewelry piece, the shape and cut will play major roles in making this happen.

The round brilliant cut is well-known and beloved for its classic aesthetic and its ability to produce the best sparkle among its counterparts. The unparalleled brilliance of a round diamond makes it good at concealing inclusions and yellow tinges.

The princess cut is characterized by a square shape, sharp corners, and exceptional brilliance, second to that of the round diamond.

Finding the Perfect Princess Cut Diamond

Sparkle

Princess cuts can show exceptional brilliance. However, they still don't live up to the brilliance of round diamonds. So, while princess cuts can have great sparkle, they'll never sparkle better than an ideal round.

Color

We recommend a princess cut diamond with a color rating of at least H to J and VS2 clarity as princess cut diamonds do not hide yellow tinges and inclusions well.

Setting

Diamonds with yellow tinges are best set in yellow gold or rose gold.

Cut

A princess cut diamond with a perfect square shape is more coveted than rectangular ones.

Cost

A princess-cut diamond can cost 30% less than a round of equivalent carat weight. This is because of the octahedral shape of a rough diamond.

When gem cutters split the rough diamond in half, they can cut two princesses with minimal waste. In contrast, round-cut diamonds waste more rough, so they cost more than princess cuts.

Cons

One major consideration when it comes to a princess cut is its durability, as the corners of the diamond may make it prone to snagging or chipping, which is why it should be protected by prongs.

Reference: https://www.gia.edu/

The cushion cut is loved for the fire it produces. The cushion cut is sometimes referred to as the "pillow cut" for the obvious reason that its soft edges are fashioned like a square- or rectangle-shaped pillow.

The cushion cut comprises facets and has been experiencing a comeback in terms of popularity lately.

Finding the Perfect Cushion Cut Diamond

Sparkle

Cushion cut diamonds are known to have more fire than rounds.

Proportions

When it comes to cushion cut diamonds, there's never an assigned cut grade from the GIA, so specific proportions are the key to finding your perfect one.

Well cut cushion diamonds with better fire and brilliance tend to have

65-69% Depth Ratios and 60-65% Table Sizes

Color

The way cushions are cut makes the yellowish tinge more visible. At least a G color is recommended for those who'd like their cushion cuts to display an icy white appearance.

Shape

Just as there are different types of pillows, there are variations to the cushion cut which is reflected by the length to width ratio.

1.00 ratio

1.10 ratio

1.15 ratio

1.20 ratio

1.30 ratio

Clarity

Cushion cuts are better at hiding inclusions compared to other shapes.

Cost

20–30% cheaper than round brilliant diamond.

The asscher and emerald cuts have a more subtle and delicate appeal. The emerald cut is an elongated rectangle with corners cut out, while the asscher is a square version of the emerald with truncated corners.

Finding the Perfect Step-Cut Diamond

Sparkle

These step-cut diamonds reflect broad lines and can create a beautiful pattern of light.

Cut

Emeralds and asscher cut diamonds are evaluated by the quality of their step cuts, which give them the ability to reflect broad lines and create a beautiful pattern of light.

Emerald and Asscher cut diamonds, showing black areas and poor symmetry.

Shape and Size

Check the length to width ratio to help you determine whether you prefer a longer and thinner emerald or a short and stubby one.

References: https://www.petragems.com/education/emerald-cut-diamonds/

Cost

20-30% cheaper than round brilliant diamond.

If you're tired of the typical Round Diamond, the Oval Cut is an interesting alternative that's elegant and unique. One of its main draws is that the stones appear larger when faced up than their other counterparts in similar carat sizes. When worn, it may also let its wearer's finger appear longer.

Finding the Perfect Oval-Cut Diamond

Proportion

A diamond's length to width ratio reveals how proportionate it is according to its intended shape (i.e. stubby oval vs. elongated oval). To calculate the length to width ratio:

Ratio = L/W

Example: Ratio = L/W

L = 5.5mm   Ratio = 5.5mm/3.5mm

W = 3.5mm   Ratio = 1.57mm

Oval Diamond LW Ratios

Cut

When looking for an oval diamond, try to factor in the light performance, its shape, its contrasting pattern, and what's called its "bowtie," or a dark shadow that runs across the diamond to form what looks like a bowtie. These will all contribute to the cut quality and the overall sparkle of your prospective gem.

Color and Clarity

The beautiful detail about oval diamonds is its ability to hide inclusions so it's acceptable to invest in lower clarity grade. An eye clean oval sits somewhere between VS2 and SI1.

Cost

Given the positive characteristics of an oval diamond, you can buy a larger carat size for less and get a good deal.

20-30% lower than round diamonds due to better yield after the cutting process.

The Radiant Cut employs cutting methods from the round brilliant, the Asscher, and the Emerald.

Finding the Perfect Radiant-Cut Diamond

Shapes

There are two traditional types of radiant cuts: a rectangular one and a square one.

Color

If you're picky when it comes to color, then a Radiant cut with a minimum color grade of G is recommended.

Clarity

Unlike other fancy shapes, the radiant cut is not as good at concealing inclusions, it would be wise to purchase a radiant cut diamond with at least a VS2 clarity grade.

Cost

25-30% lower than round diamonds.

Another unique cut is the Pear, a teardrop-shaped cut which combines techniques used in both the Marquise and the Round Brilliant. Pears may look larger for their carat weight as compared to Round Brilliants.

A common question is how the pear diamond should be worn—with the point facing away or toward you.

This should be a personal preference, but traditionally, it is worn pointing away from its wearer.

Finding the Perfect Pear-Cut Diamond

Proportions

A diamond's length to width ratio reveals how proportionate it is according to its intended shape (i.e. chunky pear vs. elongated pear). The length to width ratio affects the outcome of the pear's visual appearance.

Ratio = L/W

Reference: https://www.tribute.us/pear

Clarity

The pear cut is also great for concealing flaws and inclusions, which means a lower clarity grade isn't a big issue.

Color

Because of its shape, choosing the color of a pear diamond is different than when choosing for the classic round cut.

Cost

15-30% lower than round brilliant.

Refers to a diamond’s tendency to emit a soft colored glow when subjected to ultraviolet light (like the sun or UV lamps).

Color may come in the range of green, yellow, white or red.

Reference: http://coloreddiamondguide.com/fluorescence/different-types-of-colors/

Reference: http://coloreddiamondguide.com/fluorescence/different-types-of-colors/

Same stones as seen with ultraviolet lamp (top) and normal lighting (bottom).

This haziness or oiliness is more evident in the strong to very strong range. However, it should be emphasized that not all diamonds with strong to very strong fluorescence produce a hazy look.

At The Diamond Finery, we guarantee that our diamonds with strong to very strong fluorescence will never appear hazy nor oily.

When you visit The Diamond Finery website, you can expect jewelry set in 14K gold, 18K gold and platinum. Now you might wonder about the difference between these three. First, we define what a karat is. A karat is used to describe the purity of gold, and this is different from carat, which is diamond weight.

Note:
* 14k gold is the gold grade most frequently used in jewelry making.
^ 10k is the minimum karat limit to be legally considered as real gold in the US.