How to Choose the Perfect Diamond

July 14, 2020

Diamonds are a particularly special gemstone, as they are the only type to be composed of a single element: carbon. This unique trait gives them exceptional chemical purity. The crystals are formed under high temperature and pressure conditions, at least 100 miles below the earth’s surface. This creates a very strong structure. As the birthstone of April and the marker of 60th and 75th wedding anniversaries, it is a highly valuable and sought-after gemstone.

Today, there is a universally accepted standard of describing diamonds, known as ‘the 4 C’s’ – Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight. A combination of all four of these descriptive factors determines the overall value of a diamond.

Colour:

Diamond colour is based on the absence of colour. The colourlessness of a diamond indicates its level of chemical purity, hence the greater the degree of this, the more valuable a diamond becomes. The colour grading system ranks from D to Z, with D being the highest degree of colourlessness and indicating the purest types of diamond.

Although typical white diamonds can be categorised using the D-Z colour grading system, some diamonds can be found naturally coloured in hues such as blue, brown, pink, canary yellow, or even black. As the geological conditions required to produce these diamonds are rare, diamonds with distinct colourful shades are scarce and often highly sought after.

Clarity:

This term relates to the absence of inclusions and blemishes which can develop during the creation of the crystalline structures under high pressure conditions. Although no diamond is completely pure, the closer a gemstone is to ‘flawless’, the higher its value.

Courtesy of: GIA Clarity Scale, GIA

Cut:

Diamonds are renowned for their ability to trap and reflect light to give them the ‘sparkle factor’. Consequently, precision and highly skilled craftsmanship is essential in diamond cutting to give the stones their exceptional appearance. The cut measure is based on the stone’s brightness, fire and scintillation. This allows them to be graded on a scale of excellent to poor.

Carat Weight:

Metrically, one carat is defined as 200 milligrams. Due to the rarity of diamonds, the larger a diamond is, the higher value it has.

If you are eager to find your perfect diamond, book a complimentary consultation with us and we can help you to create your perfect jewellery piece to suit your preferences and budget. Our bespoke service allows you to choose from a selection of diamonds specially tailored to your specifications and chosen by our gemstone experts, and we will then work with you to hand-design an exquisite, luxury jewellery piece.

Below is a selection of some of our bespoke diamond jewellery designed for private clients - take a look for some inspiration...