DIAMONDS 101

Everything you need to know before bringing home this sparkling gem

Popularly dubbed “a girl’s best friend”, diamonds have always been a symbol of opulence and adored by women!

But before you decide to view and purchase our diamond range, here are some things you need to know about this glorious gem. This way, you are understanding which features contribute to its lasting beauty and value.

While each diamond is unique and natural, all diamonds share a common set of attributes that make comparison and evaluation standardised. These features are globally known as the 4Cs. Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight.

HERE’S BREAKING DOWN THE 4CS

1. THE MANY CUTS OF A DIAMOND:

The cut of a diamond is the number, exact shape and alignment of its facets. It also determines how well the diamond can shine, be set into a jewel and withstand time and duress.

Aside from its clarity and color, it is important to remember that the better the cut of the diamond, the better its display of brilliance and fire. When looking for a diamond that is ideally cut, it is important to look for symmetry, exact proportions, finish and polish.

Conversely, do remember that a lesser-cut stone might appear dark and dull, and that the best return of light and brilliance is achieved when the cut of the diamond is neither too deep, nor too shallow.

Here are some cuts you can look for, while shopping for your next gem.

Conventional Cuts:

Round, square and princess-cut diamonds are the conventional cuts that can be found with most jewellers. While they may be conventional, these cuts of diamonds are most likely to be symmetric; thus their popularity.

Heart and Arrow Cuts

Precise in tolerances, Hearts and Arrow cuts are round brilliant-cut diamonds. When looked at from a table down, one can see a radial aligned pattern of arrows.

Whereas when looking at the diamond from the pavilion up, one can see 8 hearts placed within small ’V’-shapes.

2. THE COLOURS

The colour of a white diamond is graded on a scale from D-Z; D representing the colourless side of the scale, whereas Z is the end point of the light yellow. The scale is subdivided into five main groups: (Has to be rephrased, it is exact text of Tanishq)

D-F: The Colourless Range:

Diamonds in this colour range are the rarest. D and E colour diamonds are colourless whereas F colour diamonds display a very faint trace of colour when viewed face down. Diamonds in the colourless range are set in white gold or platinum, since the white metal colour elevates the whiteness of the diamond. However, when set in yellow gold, the diamond would look more yellow than it actually is.

G-J: The Nearly Colourless Range:

In this range, diamonds appear colourless when looked at from the top, but display a small amount of colour when inspected against a white background, face-down.

K-M: The Faint Yellow Range:

Diamonds in this colour range might display a slight amount of colour, if the diamond is viewed in the face-up position by any onlooker.

These diamonds are best set in yellow gold, since the colour of the gold will reflect onto the diamond that has a yellow hue, resulting in a good match.

3. DIAMOND CLARITY

Since natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to immense pressure and heat deep in the core of the earth, there can be a variety of internal characteristics called 'inclusions' and external characteristics called ‘blemishes’; together known as ‘clarity characteristics’.

The evaluation of diamonds for clarity is standardised at 10 power magnification; meaning that the described clarity characteristics can only be observed when the diamond is viewed with a 10 x loupe or eye glass. (Has to be rephrased, it is exact text of Tanishq)

It is important to know that most diamonds are not perfectly pure, but the closer they come to being pure, the higher is their value. Clarity is an important factor for a diamond, because the size, number and location of clarity characteristics impact the durability of the diamond. (Has to be rephrased, it is exact text of Tanishq)

It is important to remember that even though a diamond is the hardest material on earth, it is not unbreakable. If, for instance, a surface-reaching inclusion is present in a diamond, a hard knock might cleave the diamond.

So, make sure you ask for all the information about inclusion and blemishes that might be present on the diamond you are interested in purchasing.

Here is a clarity scale that is universally recognised, and sure to help you.

a. Flawless (FL)
No inclusions and no blemishes visible under 10x magnification (Has to be rephrased, it is exact text of Tanishq)

b. Internally Flawless (IF)
No inclusions visible under 10x magnification (Has to be rephrased, it is exact text of Tanishq)