DIAMOND GUIDE

CUT

A diamond’s cut is a way to asses the light passing through and the brilliancy of a diamond. Cut is given one of five categories: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, or Poor.

COLOR

The diamond’s color grade is based on how colorless a diamond is, The highest grade is D color, meaning that the diamond is completely colorless. The color scale ranges from D to Z. Colors below Z color are classified as Fancy Color.

CLARITY

The clarity of a diamond is a grade, based on the internal and external impurities in a diamond. The clarity grade ranges from:

FL – Flawless or LC – Loupe Clean
IF – Internally Flawless or LC – Loupe Clean
VVS1 – Very Very Slightly Included 1
VVS2 – Very Very Slightly Included 2
VS1 – Very Slightly Included 1
VS2 – Very Slightly Included 2
SI1 – Slightly Included 1
SI2 – Slightly Included 2
I1 – Included 1
I2 – Included 2
I3 – Included 3

CARAT

A Carat is the globally recognized measure of a diamond’s weight. Five grams is equivalent to one carat. Maintaining a good cut, clarity, and color for a larger carat increases the value of the diamond.

SHAPES

Diamonds range in many different shapes. The most common shape is the Round Brilliant Cut. Other shapes are known as fancy shapes. As shown here they include Oval, Cushion, Heart, Marquise, and many more.

CERTIFICATION

Certifications are an added assurance of a diamond’s quality. They summarize the characteristics, and judge based on fundamentals of the diamond. There are several renowned diamond grading laboratories around the globe that issue diamond certificates. The most popular are GIA and HRD labs. Other labs such as IGI and EGL also are used in many countries.