Diamond Education

GIA, also known as the Gemological Institute of America, is the most widely recognized gemological laboratory when it comes to diamond grading reports. GIA originated the color and clarity grading system, and their interpretations of color and clarity grades are most widely accepted as the most reliable among diamond professionals. All of our diamonds come standard with a GIA certification, so that you can rest assured that you’re purchasing a premium-quality stone for your special occasion.

EGL, also known as the European Gemological Laboratory, has laboratories in the USA and Canada and is another diamond grading lab used frequently by domestic diamond professionals. Because GIA and EGL apply different standards to the grading process, the resultant grades can be very different as well. While both labs substantially agree on the weight and physical proportions of the diamond (the objective measurements), they diverge on the more subjective measurements of color and clarity.

Become an educated buyer.

We encourage all of our customers to learn as much as they can about diamonds and our jewelry, so they can make educated buying decisions.

Cut

Cut is the factor that fuels a diamond’s fire, sparkle and brilliance.

The traditional 58 facets in a round brilliant diamond, each precisely cut and defined, are as small as two millimeters in diameter. But without this precision, a diamond wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful. The allure of a particular diamond depends more on cut than anything else.

Though extremely difficult to analyze or quantify, the cut of any diamond has three attributes: brilliance (the total light reflected from a diamond), fire (the dispersion of light into the colors of the spectrum), and scintillation (the flashes of light, or sparkle, when a diamond is moved).

An understanding of diamond cut begins with the shape of a diamond. The standard round brilliant is the shape used in most diamond jewelry. All others are known as fancy shapes. Traditional fancy shapes include the marquise, pear, oval and emerald cuts. Hearts, cushions, triangles and a variety of others are also gaining popularity in diamond jewelry.

As a value factor, though, cut refers to a diamond’s proportions, symmetry and polish. For example, look at a side view of the standard round brilliant. The major components, from top to bottom, are the crown, girdle and pavilion. A round brilliant cut diamond has 57 or 58 facets, the 58th being a tiny flat facet at the bottom of the pavilion that’s known as the culet. The large, flat facet on the top is the table. The proportions of a diamond refer to the relationships between table size, crown angle and pavilion depth. A wide range of proportion combinations are possible, and these ultimately affect the stone’s interaction with light. In early 2005, GIA unveiled a diamond cut grading system for standard round brilliants in the D-to-Z color range. This system, the product of more than 15 years of intensive research and testing, assigns an overall diamond cut grade ranging from Excellent to Poor.

How does pavillion depth affect a diamond's cut?

The distance from the bottom of the girdle to the culet is the pavilion depth. A pavilion depth that’s too shallow or too deep will allow light to escape through the sides or the bottom of the stone. A well-cut diamond will direct more light through the crown.

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