For centuries, people have been in awe of diamonds. Allow us to demystify diamonds, so you gain a better understanding of diamonds. To make informed decisions when you purchase diamond jewelry,

What do I look for in a quality diamond?
When you evaluate a diamond, check for the four ‘C’s – Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight. You need to follow these primary guidelines carefully for the above characteristics determine the value of your diamond.

We suggest you add a fifth ‘C’ - Confidence in your jeweler. Only an experienced and reliable jeweler will guide and help you select a quality diamond.

What does Carat mean?
The unit of measuring the weight of a diamond is called, “Carat”. In actual terms, 100 points equals one carat. By a common weight measure, one carat is equal to one fifth of a gram. Being a precious stone, diamonds are weighed on a scale with a balance so sensitive that even breathing can tip the scales.

Like the stone, carat too has an interesting history. Several centuries ago, the gem dealers in the Middle East used the seeds of the carob tree to balance their scales. These seeds are uniform in weight, so they balanced perfectly on pre-historic scales.

How important is color when you buy a diamond?
Color determines the price of a diamond. Completely colorless and icy-white diamonds are very rare and consequently, priced extravagantly.

Color variations are a matter of degree. Such changes are rare and can only be detected by experts under special light. Also, diamonds with a strong natural color are very rare. Called “fancy colors”, such diamonds command a collector’s price for their color as well as their size and cut.

To see the true color of a diamond, look through the side of the stone against a white background.

What does Clarity have to do with diamonds?
Chances are if a jeweler arranged six bright, sparkling diamonds in a single line on a velvet pad, you would consider them to be similar. However, an experienced jeweler would rate each diamond differently and find each one of them to be unique.

In a sense, every diamond is one of a kind. In the process of crystallizing diamonds out of carbon, Nature left miniscule birthmarks – specks, bubbles and “feathers” - in most diamonds. These natural characteristics are called, “inclusions”. Their number, size and position under 10-power magnification determine the clarity of a diamond.

The value of a diamond soars depending on the scarcity of inclusions. Such inclusions can be removed in the cutting process. Skill and craftsmanship of a high order are required to remove as many inclusions as possible while at the same time maintaining the original carat weight. After all, both weight and clarity determine the worth of a diamond.

You may have heard of ”flawless” diamonds. It refers to diamonds that have no visible inclusions when viewed under 10-power magnification. Truth be told, there are very few flawless diamonds.

Why is the shape of a diamond called Cut?
When a diamond craftsman examines the rough stone, he imagines what shape the diamond will take. He pictures the diamond after considering the shape of the rough stone, the size, inclusions and how much weight will be lost in the process of cutting.

The most popular shape of a diamond is the one in an engagement ring having a round brilliant, cut. It is usually cut from an eight sided-crystal.

The marquise, oval, pear, emerald and heart-shaped diamonds are known as fancy cuts. These are fashioned from different shapes of rough diamonds that cannot be crafted into a round, brilliant cut.

With the exception of the heart-shaped cut, cuts can have as many as 58 facets. The shapes of facets differ in each of the cuts. The tiny polished planes on the surface of each diamond account for the brilliance and fire of diamonds. The precision and skill of the craftsman cutting the stone determines the quality of cut, the extent of brilliance and the allure of the diamond’s “fire”.