“You love your jewelry, like to know more about it – Read on!”
It is often said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but perhaps less often pointed out thatthere is always a unique one to customize and accentuate the style statement of each individual.
SHAPES
From the classic and versatile round brilliant which accounts for more than half of all diamonds sold today, to the more unusual and eccentric Marquise cut, the diamond shape can help you with many significant emotions you can have in your life.
Round Brilliant
The round brilliant cut diamond is by far the most popular and most researched diamond shape available today. In addition to being the most popular and researched shape, a round diamond will typically give you more flexibility in terms of balancing cut, colour, and clarity grades while still getting the fire and brilliance you want. Clean, classic, versatile and with more fire and brilliance than any other shape, it would be difficult to persuade anyone against this choice.
Princess
Much like the round brilliant, the Princess cut is a classic and elegant shape, although with its sharp corners boasts more of a contemporary edge. It’s beautiful brilliance and unique cut makes it a favourite for engagement rings. The princess has pointed corners and is traditionally square in shape. When choosing a colour grade, consider that while the price of a J-colour non-round diamond is exceptional, colour may be slightly visible in its corners. Also, princess-cut diamonds can vary greatly in how square or rectangular they are.
Emerald
What makes this shape different is its pavilion, which is cut with rectangular facets to create a unique optical appearance. Due to its larger, open table, this shape highlights the clarity of a diamond. Speaking volumes of vintage glamour and old world charm, and favoured by such style icons as Grace Kelly and Jackie O, the emerald cut was one of the first cuts to be used in jewellery design, and with its broad flat plane highlights the clarity and natural crystalline growth of a diamond to unparalleled measure.
Asscher
This beautifully unique shape is nearly identical to the emerald-cut, except that it is square. Also, this shape has a pavilion that is cut with rectangular facets in the same style as the emerald-cut.
Marquise
The shape of a marquise diamond can maximise carat weight, giving you a much larger-looking diamond. This brilliant-cut diamond looks beautiful set with round or pear-shaped side stones, and the length of the marquise makes fingers appear long and slender.
Oval
An oval diamond has beautiful brilliance that's similar to a round diamond. Oval diamonds are also very popular as their length can accentuate long, slender fingers. Somewhere in between the round brilliant and the pear shape, the oval cut is the perfect choice if you’re wishing to savour the sparkle of the round brilliant in a slightly rarer and more elongated form.
Cushion
As its name suggests, the cushion cut is a square or rectangular shape with rounded corners, resembling a pillow shape. One of the rarer and more unique choices, the cushion cut’s large facets allow for great light dispersion, giving birth to a much larger range of spectral colours and making for a highly scintillating stone
Heart
Ever the romantic choice, this rare and symbolic cut is the ideal way to wear your heart on your finger, not your sleeve, and there is surely no better way to be in love and in style all at once.
4 C’s of Diamond
CLARITY
Clarity refers to how clean or clear the diamond is with respect to natural microscopic characteristics that were trapped within or on the diamond while it was forming. Internal characteristics are known as inclusions, and characteristics on the surface of the gem are known as blemishes. Inclusions may be crystals of a foreign material or structural imperfections such as tiny cracks, known as feathers, which can appear whitish or cloudy. Often times the inclusions are microscopic diamonds that were absorbed by the larger crystal before the diamond was carried to the surface of the Earth. The quantity, size, color, location, orientation, and visibility of inclusions all affect the final clarity grade of a diamond. Diamonds with no or few inclusions are considered particularly rare and highly valued.
CLARITY refers to the presence of the impurities on and within the stone.
When gemologists inspect diamonds for clarity, they use a maximum of 10x magnification and only judge the diamond face up. If an inclusion is not visible when the diamond is viewed from the top, then it cannot be used in determining the clarity grade. Gemologists use microscopes and loupes (small handheld magnifying lenses) to determine the size, type, and position of the inclusions.
Experienced graders use 10X magnification to identify the various clarity characteristics, and to map their location on “diamond plots.” These plots are like small maps for each individual diamond, and are used to identify each individual stone. No two diamonds will ever have the same internal pattern, and the plots work as a form of individual identification much like a fingerprint.
Clarity grades applied by expert graders are as follows:
FL, IF
No internal or external flaws (FL). Flawless with no internal flaws (IF).Extremely rare and valuable.
VVS1,VVS2
Very very slightly included, levels 1 and 2.Very difficult for a trained gemologist to locate under 10x magnification.Characteristics refered to as minute.VVS2 slightly more inclusions than VVS1.
VS1, VS2
Very slightly included, level 1 and 2. Difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification, unless pointed out by a trained professional. Typically can not see inclusions with the naked eye. Characteristics referred to as minor. VS2 slightly more inclusions than VS1.
SI1
Slightly included, level 1. Inclusions are potentially identifiable under 10x magnification, but are rarely visible with the unaided eye. Characteristics referred to as noticeable. JewelsForum evaluates all SI1 diamonds ordered to verify that no inclusions are visible to the naked eye.
SI2
Slightly included, level 2. Inclusions are easily visible under 10x magnification and may be visible with unaided eye. More inclusions than SI1. Characteristics should be referred to as noticeable or obvious.
I1 - I3
Included 1-3. Inclusions are visible to the unaided eye. Not carried by Jewels Forum.
COLOR
Color refers to the natural body color of a diamond and not to the reflection of spectral colors that flash when a diamond moves. Most diamonds naturally exhibit slight hints of yellow, brown, or gray. This color is caused by natural trace elements of nitrogen that were present when the diamond formed under the Earth’s crust. The less color a diamond exhibits, the higher the rarity, and therefore the higher the value. After cut, color is the next most important characteristic to consider when choosing a diamond.
Diamonds with less color allow more light to pass, releasing more brilliance and fire.
A diamond acts as a prism by dividing light into a spectrum of colors and reflecting this light as colorful flashes called dispersion or fire. Similar to looking through colored glass, color in a diamond will diminish the spectrum of color, or fire, emitted by acting as a filter. A diamond with a higher color grade, i.e., one with less color, demonstrates more colorful fire.
The international gemological color scale begins with the highest rating of D for colorless, and travels down the alphabet to grade stones with traces of very faint or light yellowish or brownish color. Diamonds with grades D through F are considered "colorless," G through J are considered "near-colorless," K through M are "slightly yellow," and N through Y are referred to as “light yellow or brown.” Brilliant Earth only carries diamonds of superior color, ranged D-J.
D
Absolutely colorless or "icy white".- The highest color grade, extremely rare and most expensive.
E
Colorless. Only miniscule traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist in a controlled environment, a very rare diamond.
F
Colorless. Slight color detected by an expert gemologist, but still considered a colorless grade, a rare, high quality diamond.
G-H
Near-colorless. Color may be noticeable compared to diamonds of better grades, but offers excellent value.
I-J
Near-colorless.Color slightly detectable when compared to diamonds of better grades, a good value.
K-Y
Slight or obvious color. Not offered by JewelsForum.
CARAT
Carat (ct.) refers to the unique unit of weight measurement used exclusively to weigh gems and diamonds. Carat weight is often confused with visual size even though it is actually a measurement of weight. Carat is specifically a measure of a diamond's weight, and by itself may not accurately reflect a diamond's size.We tend to evaluate diamond size by viewing it from the top because that is how diamonds are presented to us when set into a ring.
CUT
The cut of a diamond refers not to its shape, but to the balance of proportion, symmetry and polish achieved by the diamond cutter. The extent of how well the diamond is cut is directly related to the diamond’s overall beauty. When a diamond has been correctly cut, the diamond’s ability to reflect and refract light is greatly enhanced. By understanding the way that light moves through diamond crystals, modern diamond cutters have established a specific set of proportions and angles that are known to harness the diamond’s internal brilliance and to show it in its best light.
Brilliance
Brilliance, or brightness, refers to the white light that is reflected back to the eye from the diamond. Light enters through the top of the diamond (the table), is broken down into a rainbow of spectral colors, and is reflected back and forth in the interior of the gem by bouncing off the mirror-like facets. Light exits through the table, recombining as white light.
Dispersion
Dispersion is the rainbow of colors that is reflected back to the eye from the diamond. Light enters through the top of the diamond, is broken down into a rainbow of spectral colors, and is reflected back and forth in the interior of the gem by bouncing off the mirror-like facets. When it leaves through the crown, it stays separated and reaches the eye in flashes of color.
Scintillation
Scintillation is the play of light you see with movement of the diamond, demonstrated by sparkling on the diamond’s surface. A diamond is evaluated on its ability to reflect and refract light in all directions.
Cut is considered to be the most important of all of the diamond characteristics, as a well-cut diamond will often appear larger than a poorly cut diamond of the same carat weight, and have the appearance of enhanced color and clarity.
The best cut diamonds have proportions that are within tried and true ranges known for maximizing brilliance, fire, and scintillation. The cut grading scale for diamonds is based on the reflective properties of the diamond, according to these carefully calculated diamond measurements. It also allows you to easily identify a well-cut diamond, without having to assess each individual cut characteristic.
Super Ideal
Cut to the most exacting standards. On the diamond certificate, graded as "Excellent" or "Ideal" for cut, polish, and symmetry. These diamonds will also show a "hearts and arrows" facet pattern, have the most desirable girdle and culet dimensions, and be proportioned to return the maximum possible light.
Excellent
Exquisite quality cut to create the optimal combination of brilliance and fire, reflecting nearly all light that enters the diamond. Top 3% of diamond quality based on cut.
Very Good
Superior quality cut that reflects nearly as much light as the ideal cut while at a substantially lower cost. Top 10% of diamond quality.
Good
Premium quality cut to optimize the size without sacrificing quality or beauty. Reflects most light that enters.Top 20% of diamond quality.
Fair
Adequate quality cut which reflects some light while maximizing weight. While not as brilliant as a good cut, still a quality diamond. Top 35% of diamond quality.
Poor
Inadequate quality cut that reflects minimal amount of light. Brilliant Earth does not provide diamonds with cut grades of poor.
“You love your jewelry, like to know more about it – Read on!”
Generally pure gold is very soft to wear so we mix it up with alloy to make it strong and wearable.
Karatage expressed indicates the amount or percentage of gold involved. Pure Gold is 24 Kt. We at Jewels Forum deals in 18 Kt and 14 Kt jewellery. While 18 Kt is 75 % gold , 14 Kt is 58.33 % gold.
The gold can be molded in different colors depending on the alloy we mix in.
Yellow Gold
This is most widely used color. It is an expert mixture of gold, silver and zinc to give it the perfect look.
White Gold
To make white gold, the yellow gold is mixed with alloys that are white in nature. It is subject to corrosion of colour overtime, so needs to be polished over a certain time.
Rose Gold
This beautiful colour is created by mixing it with copper alloy. The colour again to mention is determined by the type of alloy we mix in.
“You love your jewelry, like to know more about it – Read on!”
RING SIZING
If you are wondering how you will order a ring with a size just rightfor your finger or you want it to be a gift for someone without having a clue of the ring size, we still can help you in following ways.
1. Go to a local jeweler and just find out the ring size with the help of steel rings.
2. If that is not possible or you want to keep it a secret, click on the guidebelow to know how to simply size your ring. Or more simply just call us and we will help you determine it better.
JEWELLERY CARE
We all have a notion that diamond is forever and gold is too strong a metal to wear down. However, proper care is a must for exquisite adornment. Gold is a natural element and can have effects due to use of chemicals. Remove the jewellery while using any cosmetic product or cleaning products to give it a long lastinglustre. To clean a jewellery piece you can use warmwater with detergent free soap and a soft bristled brush. Make sure you don’t put too much pressure while cleaning the jewellery.
Also when you are not wearing the jewellery, try and keep the jewellery in a dry place wrapped in soft cloth or keep it in a closed box.
Though gold jewellery is strong and durable, make sure the jewellery does not face any friction against a hard substance.