MY DIAMONDS

 

Buying A Diamond

I am committed to being able to sell diamonds ethically and with integrity. My diamonds are guaranteed to be conflict-free and come from reputable sources known to me for the past 18 years.  

If you already have your own diamond and wish to use it in the custom piece we care creating together, great! I will gladly set in the piece for an additional $250. If you are looking for already-loved diamonds I able to offer a selection of smaller re-cycled diamond that have come from old jewellery that have been polished and re-graded if necessary. Get in touch to book have a look at a selection of diamonds that fit your needs.

 

Lab-Grown Diamond + MOissanite

Like natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds are excellent to use in jewellery that will be worn everyday and can withstand just about anything that life will throw a them. A Moissanite and a Lab-grown diamond are tough and hard. There is actually a difference between the two when it comes to gemstones. Hardness means 'the ability to resist scratching' and toughness means how well a gemstone will wear, 'how much abuse it will take'. Some gemstones are brittle and can chip very easily. Moissanite and Lab-grown diamonds are hard not and will not chip easily.

Moissanite, originally discovered in 1893 in a meteor crater, is a very rare and scarce mineral. Therefore, Moissanite as we know it today is almost exclusively lab grown. See a gemstone comparison chart from the creators of Moissanite, Charles & Colvard, that compares Moissanite to other gemstones here.

 

DIAMOND EDUCATION*

THE 4 C's - Colour, Clarity, Cut + Carat Weight

 

COLOUR -

The diamond color evaluation of most gem-quality diamonds is based on the absence of colour. A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond has no hue, like a drop of pure water, and consequently, a higher value. The D-to-Z diamond color-grading system measures the degree of colourlessness by comparing a stone under controlled lighting and precise viewing conditions to master-stones stones of established colour value. 

The scale begins with the letter D, representing colourless, and continues, with increasing presence of colour, to the letter Z. Many of these colour distinctions are so subtle that they are invisible to the untrained eye; however, these distinctions make a very big difference in diamond quality and price.

 

CLARITY -

Natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth. This process can result in a variety of internal characteristics called 'inclusions' and external characteristics called 'blemishes.' What causes inclusions? Small crystals can become trapped in a diamond when it's forming. Sometimes as a crystal grows it can develop irregularities in its atomic structure.

Evaluating diamond clarity involves determining the number, size, relief, nature, and position of these characteristics, as well as how these affect the overall appearance of the stone. While no diamond is perfectly pure, the closer it comes, the higher its value.

  • Flawless (FL)
    No inclusions and no blemishes visible under 10x magnification
  • Internally Flawless (IF)
    No inclusions visible under 10x magnification
  • Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2)
    Inclusions so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification
  • Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2)
    Inclusions are observed with effort under 10x magnification, but can be characterized as minor
  • Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2)
    Inclusions are noticeable under 10x magnification
  • Included (I1, I2, and I3)
    Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification which may affect transparency and brilliance

Many inclusions and blemishes are too tiny to be seen by anyone other than a trained diamond grader. To the naked eye, a VS1 and an SI2 diamond may look exactly the same, but these diamonds are quite different in terms of overall quality. This is why expert and accurate assessment of diamond clarity is extremely important.

 

CUT -

Diamonds are renowned for their ability to transmit light and sparkle so intensely. We often think of a diamond's cut as shape (round, emerald, pear), but a diamond's cut grade is really about how well a diamond's facets interact with light.

Precise artistry and workmanship are required to fashion a stone so its proportions, symmetry, and polish deliver the magnificent return of light only possible in a diamond.

 
 

A diamond's cut is crucial to the stone's final beauty and value. And of all the diamond 4Cs, it is the most complex and technically difficult to analyze.

To determine the cut grade of the standard round brilliant diamond - the shape that dominates the majority of diamond jewelry – a diamond grader calculates the proportions of those facets that influence the diamond's face-up appearance. These proportions allow a diamond grader to evaluate how successfully a diamond interacts with light to create desirable visual effects such as:

Brightness: Internal and external white light reflected from a diamond

Fire: The scattering of white light into all the colors of the rainbow

Scintillation: The amount of sparkle a diamond produces, and the pattern of light and dark areas caused by reflections within the diamond

Diamond cut grade also takes into account the design and craftsmanship of the diamond, including its weight relative to its diameter, its girdle thickness (which affects its durability), the symmetry of its facet arrangement, and the quality of polish on those facets.

How does pavilion depth affect a diamond's cut?

The distance from the bottom of the girdle to the culet is the pavilion depth. A pavilion depth that's too shallow or too deep will allow light to escape from the side of the stone or leak out of the bottom. A well-cut diamond will direct more light through the crown.

 

CARAT WEIGHT -

Diamond carat weight is the measurement of how much a diamond weighs. A metric "carat" is defined as 200 milligrams.

Each carat can be subdivided into 100 'points.' This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. I may describe the weight of a diamond below one carat by its 'points' alone. For instance, I might call a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats as a 'twenty-five pointer.' Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals. A 1.08 carat stone would be described as 'one point oh eight carats.'

All else being equal, diamond price increases with diamond carat weight, because larger diamonds are more rare and more desirable. But two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values (and prices) depending on three other factors of the diamond 4Cs: Clarity, Colour and Cut. It's important to remember that a diamond's value is determined using all of the 4Cs, not just carat weight.

 

*source, GIA - Gemological Institute of America