FeaTUre
From left: Tango, from €8.060, Boodles;
princess-cut engagement ring and
wedding band, appleby Jewellers;
emerald cut diamond ring, from
€5,950, John Brereton Jewellers.
DiamonD shapes
Round bRilliant
This shape has set the standard for all
other diamond shapes, and accounts
for more than 75 per cent of diamonds
sold today. its 58-facet cut, divided
among its crown (top), girdle (widest
part) and pavilion (base), is calibrated
through a precise formula to achieve
the maximum in fire and brilliance.
ClArItY coloured diamonds (such as canary
oval
The oval diamond has beautiful
a diamond’s clarity refers to whether yellow) that are often seen gracing the
brilliance that’s similar to a round
there are any blemishes or inclusions fingers of hollywood stars. diamond. oval diamonds are also very
(internal flaws) within the stone. Most To grade ‘whiteness’ or colourlessness,
popular as their length can accentuate
diamonds have flaws which can include most jewellers refer to a colour scale
long, slender fingers. The modern oval
cut is a fiery diamond that reflects light
air bubbles, cracks or scratches. While that begins with the highest rating of
brilliantly. it’s a wonderful selection
some blemishes occur during the cutting D for colourless, and travels down the for someone who loves the sparkle of
process, others are naturally occurring alphabet to grade stones with traces of
the round brilliant, but desires a less
– as a result, diamonds are graded from very faint or light yellowish or brownish
common shape.
Flawless, meaning completely free of color. The color scale continues all
MaRquise
any inclusions, to included 3, which are the way to Z. an elongated shape with pointed
diamonds containing large blemishes and Diamonds graded D through F are
ends inspired by the fetching smile
inclusions that would be visible to the naturally the most valuable and desirable
of the Marquise de Pompadour and
commissioned by louis XiV, who
naked eye. The breakdown is as follows: because of their rarity, but you can still
9
wanted a diamond to match it. it is
f obtain very attractive diamonds that gorgeous when used as a solitaire or
Flawless: No internal or external flaws. are graded slightly less than colourless.
when enhanced by smaller diamonds.
extremely rare. Diamonds graded g through i show
9
PeaR-shaPed
If virtually no colour that is visible to the
The pear-shaped diamond, also called
Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, untrained eye. the ‘teardrop diamond’ because of
but some surface flaws. Very rare.
its shape, is a combination cut of
9 VVs1-VVs2 CArAt
the round-brilliant and the marquise.
The elegant lines of the pear-shaped
Very Very Slightly Included (two grades). When choosing the carat weight, or
diamond lends a sophisticated air to
Minute inclusions very difficult to detect size, of your diamond your first step both the simplest and most elaborate
under 10x magnification by a trained should be striking a balance between
ring settings.
gemologist. size and quality – if having a larger
9
heaRt-shaPed
Vs1-Vs2 diamond is your preference, then you
This ultimate symbol of romance is
Very Slightly Included (two grades). will most likely have to compromise essentially a pear-shaped diamond with
Minute inclusions seen only with on the clarity or colour of the stone.
a cleft at the top. The skill of the cutter
difficulty under 10x magnification. however, if you want the best when
determines the beauty of the cut. look
9
for a stone with an even shape and a
sI1-sI2 it comes to clarity, your budget may
well-defined outline.
Slightly Included (two grades). Minute dictate a smaller diamond.
inclusions more easily detected under You should also consider the ring
eMeRald cut
10x magnification. setting you prefer and ensure it is
This is a rectangular shape with cut
corners. it is known as a step cut
While Flawless diamonds are the appropriate to the shape and size of the
because its broad, flat planes
rarest, a diamond does not have to be diamond you are interested in. resemble stair steps. Since inclusions
flawless to be stunning. in fact, until
and inferior colour are more
you drop to the i grade, a diamond’s
pronounced in this particular cut, make
sure to select a stone of superior
clarity only has an impact on the
diamond’s value, not on the diamond’s
appearance. Diamonds with VVs and
Vs grades are excellent choices for both
value and appearance.
COlOur
a diamond’s colour refers to the
presence or absence of colour in white
diamonds, not the uber-expensive
“
diamonds graded d
clarity and colour.
through F are the most PRincess cut
valuable and desirable
This is a square or rectangular cut
with numerous sparkling facets. it is
because of their rarity, a relatively new cut and often finds its
but you can still obtain
way into solitaire engagement rings,
although can also be found with stones
very attractive diamonds at either side. Particularly flattering to a
that are graded slightly
hand with long fingers.
less than colourless
The WhiTe pages 155
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