Know More About Diamonds 1

Very Good
These diamonds reflect most of the light that enters them and creates a good deal of brilliance. With these diamonds, the cutters have chosen to stray slightly from the preferred diamond proportions in order to create a larger diamond. The result is that these diamonds fall slightly outside of some customers' preferences in terms of table size or girdle width, though in many cases quite a few of the parameters of diamonds in this assortment will overlap with certain parameters of diamonds in the Ideal or Premium ranges. Generally, the price of these diamonds is slightly below than that of Premium cuts.

Good
Diamonds that reflect much of the light that enters them are considered good diamonds. Their proportions fall outside of the preferred range because the cutter has chosen to create the largest possible diamond from the original rough crystal, rather than cutting extra weight off to create a smaller Premium quality diamond. Diamonds in this range offer an excellent cost-saving to customers who want to stay in a budget without sacrificing quality or beauty.

Fair & Poor
A diamond graded as fair or poor reflects only a small proportion of the light that enters it. Typically these diamonds have been cut to maximize the carat weight over other considerations.

Diamond Anatomy
Crown, Girdle, Pavilion…. are these unfamiliar terms to you? The graphic and the supporting text below explain the various "parts" of a diamond.

Diameter
The width of the diamond as measured through the girdle.

Table
This is the large, flat top facet of a diamond.

Crown
The upper portion of a cut gemstone, above the girdle.

Girdle
The narrow rim of a diamond that separates the crown from the pavilion. It is the largest diameter to any part of the stone.

Pavilion
The lower portion of the diamond, below the girdle. It is sometimes referred to as the base.

Culet
This is the tiny facet on the pointed bottom of the pavilion which is the portion of a cut gem below the girdle.

Depth
The height of a gemstone, from the culet to the table.

The Second C - Diamond Clarity
When we speak of a diamond's clarity, we are referring to the presence of identifying characteristics on (blemishes) and within (inclusions) the stone.

If you think about the incredible amount of pressure it takes to create a diamond and the fact that natural diamonds are not grown in a laboratory, it's no surprise that most diamonds have flaws.

Basically there are two types of flaws: inclusions and blemishes. Inclusions refer to internal flaws and blemishes refer to surface flaws. However, in the diamond grades listed below, you'll note that none of the grades include the term "blemish" -- for the purposes of grading diamonds, all flaws are called "inclusions".

Inclusions include flaws such as air bubbles, cracks and non-diamond minerals found in the diamond. Blemishes include scratches, pits and chips. Some blemishes occur during the cutting process (most often at the girdle). Diamonds with no or few inclusions and blemishes are more highly valued than those with less clarity, because they are rarer.

How Are Diamonds Graded For Clarity?
Diamonds are graded for clarity under a 10x loupe magnification. Grades range from Flawless (diamonds which are completely free of blemishes and inclusions), to Included 3 (diamonds which possess large, heavy blemishes and inclusions that are visible to the naked eye).

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