The brilliant round diamond has set the standard for all other diamond shapes, and is loved for its sparkle and versatility. In addition to being the most popular and researched shape, a round diamond will typically give you more flexibility in terms of balancing cut, color, and clarity grades while still getting the fire and brilliance you want.
This even, perfectly symmetrical stone flatters small hands and shorter fingers—the diamond’s shape gives the illusion of lengthening the hand. When it comes to dazzle, the oval cut definitely has it, thanks to its contrasting silhouette which reflects and retracts light, creating a fiery shine.
This elongated shape with pointed ends was inspired by the stunning smile of the Marquise de Pompadour and commissioned by France’s Louis XV, who wanted a diamond to mirror his mistress’ grin. Today this diamond is wildly popular - in recent years it was voted the favorite fancy diamond shape.
Combining the best of the oval and the marquise cut, its shape is reminiscent of a sparkling teardrop. The unique look of the pear shape helps make it a popular choice for a variety of diamond jewelry. If you choose an elongated pear shape, the length of the diamond creates a subtle slimming effect on the fingers.
This is perhaps the funkiest shape, embodying sparkle and brilliant beauty. The unique look of the heart-shaped diamond helps make it a distinctive choice for a variety of diamond jewelry.
This square or rectangular cut consists of both step and brilliant-cut facets, which produce serious sparkle. Its beautiful brilliance and unique cut makes it a favorite for engagement rings. The princess has pointed corners and is traditionally square in shape.
This beautifully unique shape is nearly identical to the emerald-cut, except that it is square. Also, this shape has a pavilion that is cut with rectangular facets in the same style as the emerald-cut.
What makes this shape different is its pavilion, which is cut with rectangular facets to create a unique optical appearance. Due to its larger, open table, this shape highlights the clarity of a diamond.
Trimmed corners are the signature of this diamond, and they help make the radiant-cut a popular and versatile choice for jewelry. A radiant-cut looks equally beautiful set with either baguette or round side-diamonds. Radiant-cut diamonds can vary in their degree of rectangularity.
This unique shape has been popular for more than a century. Cushion-cut diamonds (also known as "pillow-cut" diamonds) have rounded corners and larger facets to increase their brilliance. These larger facets highlight the diamond's clarity. Cushion-cut diamonds are available in shapes ranging from square to rectangular.
Diamond color is a Fancy Colored Diamond’s most significant characteristic. In fact, unlike a
colorless
diamond where the 4C's (carat weight, clarity, color, and cut) are all equally important to the
overall
value, the color characteristic plays the most important role in the value of the diamond. With
white
diamonds the absence of color is what makes the diamonds so precious. However, in the case of fancy
colored diamonds, the presence of color and the intensity of how it shines is specifically what
increase
the value of the stones.
First off, lets start with the basics. Most of you probably already know that there is a scale of
diamond color from D to Z. D, of course, is completely colorless while Z is heavily tinted with
yellow.
But all along that scale from D to Z, the discussion is still about what are categorized as “white
diamonds.” A Z color diamond is a heavily yellow tinted white diamond. The world of diamonds,
though, is
not limited to this scale. Diamonds falling off this scale are commonly called “Fancy Color
Diamonds” or
“Fancy Diamonds.” What Diamonds Are Considered “Fancy Color Diamonds”? Diamonds can either fall off
this
scale because they’re tinted with a shade other than yellow, or because the yellow color inside the
diamond is so strong that the diamond is no longer considered a tinted white diamond, but rather a
full
fledged yellow diamond. Diamonds can come in a variety of colors. The chart below (from Page 12 of
“Forever Brilliant: The Aurora Collection of Colored Diamonds”) is an excellent graphical display of
the
variety of colors in which diamonds can be found.
The hearts and arrows pattern (often marketed under brand names such as 'Hearts on Fire') refers to a symmetrical light pattern visible using a specialized viewer in diamonds cut within certain narrow specifications.
Hearts and Arrows Viewer Modern, portable H&A viewers The hearts and arrows pattern was first viewed
using a Firescope; a tool developed by Kazumi Okuda in the 1970s. Firescopes and their modern
equivalents (such as the H&A Viewer, Ideal-scope and ASET-scope) use colored reflectors to display a
pattern showing the direction and intensity of light emitted from a diamond. These colorful patterns
can
be evaluated to determine how much light is exiting the diamond at proper angles, and whether the
diamond is optically symmetrical (indicated by a uniform pattern).
In the example at left, red represents light being emitted from the diamond in a direction and
intensity
that will be perceived by the viewer as brightness. Pink areas represent areas of less brightness.
Dark
areas indicate areas where light is blocked by the viewers head (these areas are perceived as dark
flashes, or scintillation, when the viewer or the diamond moves). Finally, white areas indicate
where
light is traveling through the diamond, and 'leaking' out of the bottom (perceived as dull or dark
areas
in the diamond). Different types of viewers will use different color schemes, but all produce
similar
patterns.
| Size Range 0.30 up |
| FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, SI3, I1, I2, I3 |
| D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O-P, Q-R, W-X, Y-Z |
| # | Cut Grades | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EX | Excellent |
| 2 | VG | Very Good |
| 3 | GD | Good |
| 4 | F | Fair |
| # | Polish | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EX | Excellent |
| 2 | VG | Very Good |
| 3 | GD | Good |
| 4 | F | Fair |
| # | Symmetry Grades | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EX | Excellent |
| 2 | VG | Very Good |
| 3 | GD | Good |
| 4 | F | Fair |
| # | Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N | None |
| 2 | TCR01/SCR01 | Table/Side Minor Crystal |
| 3 | TCR1/SCR1 | Table/Side Crystal Small |
| 4 | TCR2/SCR2 | Table/Side Crystal Medium |
| 5 | TCR3/SCR3 | Table/Side Crystal Heavy |
| 6 | TF01/SF01 | Table/Side Minor Feather |
| 7 | TF1/SF1 | Table/Side Feather Minor |
| 8 | TF2/SF2 | Table/Side Feather Medium |
| 9 | TF3/SF3 | Table/Side Feather Heavy |
| 10 | TCL01/SCL01 | Table/Side Minor Cloud |
| 11 | TCL1/SCL1 | Table/Side Cloud Minor |
| 12 | TCL2/SCL2 | Table/Side Cloud Medium |
| 13 | TCL3/SCL3 | Table/Side Cloud Heavy |
| # | Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N | None |
| 2 | TB01/SB01 | Table/Side Minor Black |
| 3 | TB1/SB1 | Table/Side Small Black |
| 4 | TB2/SB2 | Table/Side Medium Black |
| 5 | TB3/SB3 | Table/Side Heavy Black |
| # | Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N | None |
| 2 | TO01/SO01 | Table/Side Minor Open |
| 3 | TO1/SO1 | Table/Side Small Open |
| 4 | TO2/SO2 | Table/Side Medium Open |
| 5 | TO3/SO3 | Table/Side Heavy Open |
| 6 | NT01/NS01 | Natural Table/Side Minor |
| 7 | NT1/NS1 | Natural Table/Side Small |
| 8 | NT2/NS2 | Natural Table/Side Medium |
| 9 | NT3/NS3 | Natural Table/Side Heavy |
| 10 | TCV01/SCV01 | Table/Side Minor Cavity |
| 11 | TCV1/SCV1 | Table/Side Small Cavity |
| 12 | TCV2/SCV2 | Table/Side Medium Cavity |
| 13 | TCV3/SCV3 | Table/Side Heavy Cavity |
| # | FL Grades | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N | None Fluorescence |
| 2 | FNT | Faint Fluorescence |
| 3 | MED | Medium Fluorescence |
| 4 | STG | Strong Fluorescence |
| 5 | VST | Very Strong Fluorescence |
| # | Grade | Color Shade | Color Shade Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N | None | None |
| 2 | B1/G1/MT1 | Brown/Green/Mix | Light Tinge |
| 3 | B2 | Brown/Green/Mix | Medium Tinge |
| 4 | B3 | Brown/Green/Mix | Heavy Tinge |
| # | Grade | Size/Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N | None |
| 2 | M1 | Light |
| 3 | M2 | Medium |
| 4 | M3 | Heavy |
| # | Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No | None |
| 2 | Yes | 100% |
| 3 | Borderline | 80%-90% |
| 4 | E1 | 60%-70% |
| 5 | E2 | 50% |
| # | Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EX | Ex H%A |
| 2 | VG | VG H%A |
| 3 | NV | None Visible |
| # | Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CM | Canada Mark |
| 2 | CME | Canada Mark Eligible |
| 3 | FM | Forever Mark |
| 4 | FMG | Forever Mark Grading |
| 5 | FME | Forever Mark |
| 6 | FMI | Forever Mark Inscribed |
| # | Lab | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GIA | Gemological Institute of America |
| 2 | IGI | International Gemological Institute |
| 3 | HRD | Hoge Raad voor Diamand |
| This is the date on which new goods transfer for sale. |
Used to define the shape and proportions of a diamond, the cut is an influential factor on the diamond's fire,sparkle and brilliance.
The color ratings of diamonds are actually based on the absence of color.Ratings range from D (colorless) to Z(yellow), The less color the higher the grade.
Difficult to see with the naked eye, clarity is the degree to which a diamond is free from inclusions. Each diamonds receives a clarity grade on a scale of flawless to 13.
People often mistake carats as a measurement of size, but they actually measure weight. Two diamonds of equal weight can have unequal value depending upon the cut, color, and clarity of each.
