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how to

choose a diamond

Choosing a diamond may seem like a daunting process, but it is one of the most exciting aspects of designing an engagement ring. At Beaudell we source diamonds and gemstones according to your unique specifications. As the focal point of an engagement ring, we need to take into consideration the clarity, colour, cut, and shape of the diamond as this will affect the price point. It is a good idea to have a budget in mind before asking for diamond sourcing as we will then be able to get the best quality for your money. Please kindly schedule a diamond viewing appointment by filling in this form should you wish for us to source the diamond on your behalf.

find your

diamond shape

When choosing your diamond, besides the carat weight, the shape is the most crucial factor of the final design and overall look of the ring. However, this does not form part of the 4C’s. The shape and the cut of the diamond are often confused. The cut instead refers to the proportions and facets of the diamond. Below are the most common shapes. Each of these has variations of how its cut, for example, a round diamond can have different cuts such as the Brilliant cut which is the most common cut, but the Rose cut, also referred to the old mine cut, is one of the first types used when diamonds first was used in jewellery.

what is the

cut of a diamond

Often the cut and the shape are used interchangeably, but the cut instead refers to the proportion and number of facets of the diamond instead of the shape. The cut quality is the factor that fuels a diamond’s fire, sparkle and brilliance. The allure and beauty of a particular diamond depend more on cut quality than anything else.

the

clarity of a diamond

The clarity of the diamond refers to the comparative absence of inclusions and blemishes. Clarity grades are based on the number, size, relief and position of inclusions and blemishes that can be seen under 10x magnification. Inclusions and blemishes are the natural results of a diamond’s formation deep within the earth under extreme heat and pressure. Diamonds without these “fingerprints” are rare, and rarity affects a diamond’s value.

the

colour of a diamond

The colour grade of the diamond is all about what you can’t see. The closer the diamond comes to colourless the more it increases in value. This grading is not taking into consideration the fancy coloured diamonds with hues of pinks and blues, even fancy yellows which will lie outside the standard colour range.

what is the

carat of a diamond

The metric “Carat”, which is defined as 200 milligrams, is used to measure how much the diamond weighs. All else being equal, a diamonds price increases with its carat weight, because larger diamonds are more rare and desirable. However, two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values (and prices) depending on the three other factors of the 4Cs: Color, clarity and cut.

fancy

coloured diamonds

In diamonds, rarity equals value. With diamonds in the normal range, value is based on the absence of color, because colorless diamonds are the rarest. With fancy color diamonds—the ones outside the normal color range—the rarest and most valuable colors are saturated pinks, blues, and greens. In all cases, even very slight color differences can have a big impact on value.


Compared to fancy yellows and browns, diamonds with a noticeable hint of any other hue are considerably more rare. Even in light tones and weak saturation, as long as they show color in the face-up position, they qualify as fancy colors. Red, green, and blue diamonds with medium to dark tones and moderate saturations are extremely rare.


Grading fancy color diamonds is complex and specialized, and it takes highly trained laboratory graders to complete the process accurately.


The GIA system for color-grading fancy color diamonds is designed to accommodate the fact that not all colored diamonds have the same depth of color. For example, yellow diamonds occur in a wide range of saturations, while blue diamonds do not.


Fancy color diamonds have a range of color strength with the intense and vivid colored diamonds being the most rare.Blue diamonds are exteremely rare and those with strong color are some of the rarest
gemstones.


Brown diamonds were typically considered good only for industrial use until the 1980s, when abundant quantities of them began to appear in the production of the Argyle mines. The Australians fashioned them and set them in jewelry. They gave them names like “cognac” and “champagne.” The marketing worked, and brown diamonds are found in many medium-priced jewelry designs today.


Diamond graders look for the strongest areas of characteristic color when grading. These are represented by the darker shaded areas in the illustrations for each Fancy color diamond.


Brown diamonds range in tone from very light to very dark. Consumers generally prefer brown diamonds in medium to dark tones with a warm, golden to reddish appearance. They generally show a hint of greenish, yellowish, orangy, or reddish modifying colors.


Yellow is diamond’s second most common fancy color. Yellow diamonds are sometimes marketed as “canary.” While this isn’t a proper grading term, it’s commonly used in the trade to describe fancy yellow diamonds.


Until the late 1990s, there was not much demand for black diamonds. But designers started using them in jewelry, especially contrasted with tiny colorless diamonds in pavé settings, and they began to gain in popularity.


Fancy white diamonds also exist. They have a milky white color. Sometimes white diamonds are cut to display beautiful opalescent flashes of color.


There are also gray diamonds. Most of them contain a high level of hydrogen as an impurity element, which probably causes their color.

about the

carat & colour

carat


As with diamonds in the normal D-to-Z color range, large fancy color diamonds are rarer and more valuable than small ones.


colour


With fancy color diamonds, color is the dominant value factor. Even diamonds with numerous inclusions that result in a low clarity grade are prized by connoisseurs if they display attractive face-up color. Of course, inclusions that threaten the gem’s durability can lower a fancy color diamond’s value significantly. Fancy color diamonds can exhibit color graining, which is considered an inclusion.

Find out more

about the

clarity & cut

clarity

Size and shape are two aspects of cut that can influence diamond color. The larger a diamond is, or the deeper its pavilion, the farther light can travel in it. This can often lead to a richer, more intense color.

cut

The style of the cut can also influence color. Cutters discovered that certain styles—typically mixed cuts like the radiant—can intensify yellow color in diamonds that are toward the lower end of the D-to-Z color-grading scale. When carefully fashioned as radiant cuts, many yellow-tinted stones—at one time called “cape” by the trade—can become fancy yellows when viewed face up. This perceived improvement in color increases the price per carat. As an added benefit, the radiant style provides higher yield from the rough than a standard round brilliant.

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