Diamond Buying Guide

What should you look for when choosing a piece of diamond jewellery?

 

What Are Diamonds?

Natural diamonds are pure carbon, formed into crystals deep below the earth's crust millions of years ago. Diamonds are found and mined in several parts of the world but predominantly in South Africa.

Diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man and when found they are far from the cut and polished gemstones you will see in our diamond rings and are known as “rough diamonds”.

The diamonds used in our diamond jewellery have been sourced from specialist cutting and polishing centres all over the world, and we warrant that no diamonds known as “conflict diamonds” are knowingly sold and to the best of our ability we have undertaken measures to prevent their sale including obtaining written assurances from all our suppliers that all our diamond jewellery is conflict free.

The 4Cs of Diamonds are Cut, Clarity, Carat, and Colour.

When buying a diamond ring, diamond pendant or diamond earrings from Wrights the Jewellers the price we charge for that particular item depends on the interplay of all the 4Cs, Cut, Clarity, Carat, and Colour of the diamond and the amount and type of metal used in the setting.

The 4Cs are used throughout the world to classify the rarity of diamonds. Diamonds with the combination of the highest 4C ratings are more rare and, consequently, more expensive. No one C is more important than another in terms of beauty and it is important to note that each of the 4Cs will not diminish in value over time.

Once you have established those 4C characteristics that are most important to you then look on the site and find the diamond solitaire ring or diamond eternity ring that best meets your desires in terms of price and quality. The 4C’s are explained below.

Carat

Carat is a measure of the weight of a diamond or with diamond rings, diamond pendants or diamond earrings it’s also used to describe the total weight of diamonds the item has.

Carat is often confused with size even though it is actually a measure of weight. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. One carat can also be divided into 100 "points." A .75 carat diamond is the same as a 75-points or 3/4 carat diamond.

A 1-carat diamond costs exactly twice the price of a half-carat diamond, right? Wrong. Since larger diamonds are found less frequently in nature, which places them at the rarest level of the Diamond Quality Pyramid, a 1-carat diamond will cost more than twice a 1/2-carat diamond (assuming colour, clarity and cut remain constant).

This also means a 1 carat diamond solitaire ring will be more expensive than a 1 carat diamond eternity ring, diamond trilogy ring or a diamond eternity ring that contains more than one diamond, providing the clarity of the diamond solitaire ring is equivalent to that of the others.

Clarity

Clarity Refers to the presence of inclusions or imperfections in a diamond.

Every diamond and therefore every diamond ring is unique. Nature ensures that each diamond is as individual as the person who wears it. Naturally-occurring features known as inclusions provide a special fingerprint within the stone. Inclusions are natural identifying characteristics such as minerals or fractures, appearing while diamonds are formed in the earth. They may look like tiny crystals, clouds or feathers.

To view inclusions, jewellers use a magnifying loupe. This tool allows jewellers to see a diamond at 10x its actual size so that inclusions are easier to see. The position of inclusions can affect the value of a diamond. There are very few flawless diamonds found in nature, thus these diamonds are much more valuable.

Inclusions are ranked on a scale of perfection, known as clarity, which was established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The clarity scale, ranging from F (Flawless) to Included (I), is based on the visibility of inclusions at a magnification of 10x.

Some inclusions can be hidden by a mounting, thus having little effect on the beauty of a diamond. An inclusion in the middle or top of a diamond could impact the dispersion of light, sometimes making the diamond less brilliant.

The greater a diamond's clarity, the more brilliant, valuable and rare it is and the higher it is on the Diamond Quality Pyramid.

Clarity Description

FL - IF Flawless/internally flawlessVVS1 - VVS2 Very, very small inclusions, very hard to locate under a 10x, unable to see with the unaided eye

VS1- VS2 Very small inclusions, hard to locate under a 10x, unable to see with the unaided eye

SI1 - SI2 Slight inclusions, easy to locate under a 10x, but unable to see with the unaided eye

I1 I2 I3 Inclusions – which can be visible to the unaided eye – collectively known as P Clarity

For diamond solitaire rings with diamonds of 0.5 carat weight or below generally P clarity is fine as the size of the diamond means that any inclusions would be very difficult to see. For solitaires of 05 carat or higher we would recommend moving up to at least SI clarity so that there is no chance of seeing anything with the naked eye.

For diamond eternity rings and diamond trilogy rings of 1 carat or less as each individual diamond is less than 0.5 carat then P clarity is generally fine. Any grade of diamond is available on request please “Contact Us” for a quotation.

Colour

Colour Refers to the degree to which a diamond is colourless.

Diamonds are found in almost every colour of the rainbow, but white-coloured diamonds remain most popular.

Diamonds are graded on a colour scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) which ranges from D (colourless) to Z. Warmer coloured diamonds (K-Z) are particularly desirable when set in yellow gold. Icy winter whites (D-J) look stunning set in white gold or platinum.

Colour differences are very subtle and it is very difficult to see the difference between, say, an E and an F. Therefore, colours are graded under controlled lighting conditions and are compared to a master set for accuracy.

Truly colourless stones, graded D, treasured for their rarity, are highest on the Diamond Quality Pyramid. Colour, however, ultimately comes down to personal taste. We will be happy to show you a variety of colour grades next to one another to help you determine your colour preference.

Nature has also created diamonds in intense shades of blue, green, yellow, orange, pink or - rarest of all - red. These diamonds are called coloured fancies and are extremely rare and highly treasured.

Here's a grid that will help you understand the colour grades of diamonds:

Colour of Stone Description of Colour Code

D, E Exceptional White

F, G Rare White

H White

I, J Slightly Tinted White

All the Wrights the Jewellers diamond solitaire rings and diamond eternity rings are of at least colour H unless otherwise stated as this colour represents the best value for money, giving a diamond ring with a nice colour for and affordable price.

Cut

Cut Refers to the angles and proportions of a diamond.

Nature determines so much about a diamond, but it takes a master cutter to reveal the stone's true brilliance, fire and ultimate beauty. Based on scientific formulas, a well-cut diamond will internally reflect light from one mirror-like facet to another and disperse and reflect it through the top of the stone. This results in a display of brilliance and fire, thereby placing well-cut diamonds higher on the Diamond Quality Pyramid than deep or shallow-cut diamonds. Diamonds that are cut too deep or too shallow lose or leak light through the side or bottom, resulting in less brilliance and ultimately, value.

Cut also refers to shape round, square, pear, or heart for example. Since a round diamond is symmetrical and capable of reflecting nearly all the light that enters, it is the most brilliant of all diamond shapes and follows specific proportional guidelines.

Non-round shapes, also known as "fancy shapes", will have their own guidelines to be considered well-cut.

We offer a full range of diamond solitaire rings with Brilliant (round) cut, Princess (square) cut, Marquise cut, oval cut, heart cut and pear cut diamonds all available. Diamond eternity and diamond side stone rings with a variety of cuts are also available some also have a mixture of cuts within the same ring

See our range of Diamond Jewellery

Conflict Free Diamonds

ALL OUR DIAMONDS ARE GUARANTEED CONFLICT-FREE!

What is meant by ‘Conflict Free’ Diamonds?

‘Conflict Diamonds’ are those that are sold illegally to fund conflict. The term was created when rebels in some African countries used diamonds to fund activities against legitimate governments. When the problem was at its peak, conflict diamonds accounted for only 4% of the world’s diamond trade. Today it is less than 1%.

This reduction in their supply has been achieved by the diamond industry and governments adopting the Kimberley Process Certification System (2002) to ensure that only legitimately sourced diamonds are traded.

The Kimberley Process Certification System

Rough diamonds traded between countries supporting the Kimberley Process Certification System are shipped in a tamper resistant container and accompanied by a government validated KP certificate. Once imported and ready to be sold, a written statement accompanies all invoices guaranteeing that the diamonds or diamond jewellery are being sold from legitimate sources.

Our Conflict Free Diamonds

All of our diamonds are guaranteed to be Conflict Free. Our diamonds are bought from manufacturers who guarantee on their invoice (in writing) that their diamonds are conflict free.

“In accordance with the self-regulation and chain of warranties required by the Kimberley Process the diamonds herein invoiced have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with UN Regulations, the seller hereby guarantees these diamonds are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and or written guarantees by the supplier of these diamonds.”