diamonds
Diamonds are the hardest material on earth, are made from just one element (carbon) and most were formed more than a billion (yes, a billion!) years ago, deep in the earth's mantle.
Whilst these are amazing facts, why do we actually love diamonds so much? Well, I guess it may have something to do with the brilliant sparkle they hold that is simply incomparable.
To understand the terminology used by retailers when referring to diamonds (the four C's anyone?), here is a little bit about the grading system developed by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) in the 1950's. It established the use of four important factors to describe and classify diamonds: Clarity, Colour, Cut, and Carat Weight.
Clarity
Clarity refers to the inclusions and blemishes (or absence of) within a diamond; imperfections that are present, that may or may not be visible to the naked eye. How this is measured can be seen on the scale below. Whilst a Flawless (FL) diamond is as rare as hens teeth, this is where the scale starts, moving all the way down to Included (I). We use diamonds of a VS quality.
Colour
A diamonds colour is graded from D (colourless - the most valuable) - Z (heavily tinted). We use diamonds of a G colour.
Very very
slightly included
Very slightly included
Slightly included
Included
Colourless
Near colourless
Faint
Very light tint
Tinted
Cut
An expertly cut diamond will dazzle like nothing else. The term cut also refers to the style/shape in to which the diamond has been fashioned. We predominantly use round, brilliant cut diamonds, although marquis, princess and emerald are some of the other popular cuts available.
Carat
A diamond's weight is measured in carats (ct), which is divided into 100 points. For example, a diamond weighing 50 points (expressed as 0.50 pts) would more likely be referred to as 1/2 a carat.
Our diamonds are purchased from legitimate sources, not involving conflict in compliance with United Nations resolutions.
Now, that's enough talk about diamonds, let's actually take a look at some!