Diamond Guide
The process of bringing a diamond to life takes a lot of experienced man hours and requires a natural process that takes billions of years of being gestational deep within the earth. Appreciated the world over, this brilliant stone is surrounded by a myriad of complex activities, starting from mining, to cutting, polishing and fashioning a diamond before you get to wear it as a piece of jewelry. Each diamond goes through a thorough inspection and is often coerced into bringing out its maximum brilliance which is inherent in any raw diamond.
Types of Diamonds
White Diamond
The closer a diamond is to dazzling white the more valuable it is judged to be. The most traditional and popular color associated with the Diamond is white, or colorless, and is strongly favored as a popular gem in jewelry. However, the white colored, or, colorless, diamond is categorised into the following: Colorless, Nearly colorless, Faintly tinted (usually yellow), Lightly tinted (usually yellow) and Tinted (usually yellow but may progress to brownish). The scale and grades for colorless diamonds goes from 'D' (colorless) to 'Z' (dark yellow)
Cognac Color Diamond
Cognac diamonds are the most frequent diamonds in nature, spanning from yellow to brown. Scientists have discovered that their colour is the result of holes inside the diamond structure, created during formation.
Black Diamond
In nature, black diamonds are extremely rare. Virtually all black diamonds, including those we use in PANDORA jewellery, owe their colour to heat treatment.
4 C's of Diamonds
Each diamond is unique and there is an international classification system, the 4 Cs, to describe diamonds and assess their value. The 4 Cs are: carat (weight), colour, clarity and cut.
CARAT
Carat is the measurement used to weigh diamonds. One carat weight is 0.2 grams, approximately the same as a paperclip. “Carat” is named after the carob seed, which was historically used to balance the scales when weighing gems. If a piece of jewellery is set with more than one diamond, its carat is the combined weight of all the diamonds.
COLOR
The classic colour for diamonds is dazzling white, but in nature they occur in yellow, brown, grey, orange, green, blue, black and red. A “perfect” diamond is colourless (meaning it is free from chemical impurities and structurally faultless). The grading system begins with “D” for colourless and continues to “Z”.
CLARITY
Diamonds are formed 100 miles below the surface of the Earth, as carbon is exposed to extreme heat and pressure. As a result they usually contain characteristics known as “inclusions” (inside the diamonds) and “blemishes” (on the surface). To assess the clarity of a diamond we look for these “birthmarks”.
CUT
The cut of the diamond is crucial to the finished diamond. Some people focus on shape when talking about the “cut” of a diamond. But just as important is how well the diamond’s facets – or surfaces – interact with light. A skilled diamond cutter will fashion the diamond to maximize its ability to reflect light and sparkle.