As mentioned, Diamonds are the centerpiece of many items of jewellery. From elegant engagement rings through to exquisite crown jewels.

Throughout history, diamonds have been sought after by kings and queens, have been used to show love and people all over the world have at least one. As diamonds play such an important part in jewellery, there are a number of things that are good to know when choosing yours. These are:

1.       Cut

2.       Clarity

3.       Color

4.       Carat weight

We believe it is necessary to add a "Fifth C"

5.       Certification – Independent

Cut
The cut gives the diamond its sparkle, the more perfect the cut, the more sparkle you will see. Diamonds cut to ideal proportions reflect more light therefore have greater sparkle and lustre. When a diamond is cut too shallow or too deep light escapes before it can be reflected.

Clarity
The clarity of a diamond depends on the amount and size of imperfections and non-crystallised carbon inclusions it contains. In other words, the amount of flaws in the diamond. The fewer the flaws, the better and more valuable the diamond. Clarity ranges from F down to I3

Colour
Colour of a diamond is determined on a colour scale from D to Z which ranges from colourless through to yellow/ brown. The less colour the more valuable it is.

It is important to note that there are also exotic coloured diamonds which include red, purple, cognac and the most valuable, pink. This colour is in fact a characteristic of the diamond.

Carat
Carat is the standard measure of a diamonds weight. Basically how big the diamond is. The bigger the carat the bigger the diamond. It is also necessary to know that just because a diamond is 2 carats,  it doesn’t necessarily mean its good quality, as mentioned, with a diamond, it’s  colour, clarity, cut, along with carat (the four C's) which determine its quality and worth.

Certification/ Valuation
We have discussed certification in a previous newsletter. Being able to identify the quality of diamonds is an art in itself and the formal valuation officially states what you have bought. For high end diamonds, this is something that you simply must get. Furthermore, a lot of diamonds now come laser inscribed with the certificate grading report number on the girdle (outside perimeter) of the diamond for greater confidence in your purchase.

The word diamond comes from the Greek word “adamas”, meaning “indestructible” or “the unconquerable”

Diamonds come in a variety of shapes . From round, princess, oval, emerald, marquise, pear, cushion, trilliant, radiant, heart and many more. Shapes come in and out of fashion but a quality diamond, regardless of shape, made to suit you, is timeless and classic.

Diamonds are the hardest substance known to man, and if cared for properly will last a lifetime 

Diamond is the birthstone for the month of April

80% of the world diamond's are unsuitable for jewellery, and are put to industrial uses.

Sex and the City 2 (the movie) gave black diamonds a higher profile. Before the movie, they were not very well known.

Conflict diamonds or blood diamonds are used in illegal trading to fund conflict in war-torn areas, commonly in Central and Western Africa. There is a world wide effort to stop this practice and it is known as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. Therefore, when buying your exquisite diamond, make sure that it has gone through the Kimberly process and know that it has been mined and prepared in the most humane of ways. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Process_Certification_Scheme