CUT
The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance. There is no single measurement of a diamond that defines its cut, but rather a collection of measurements and observations that determine the relationship between a diamond's light performance, dimensions and finish. Most gemmologists consider cut the most important diamond characteristic because even if a diamond has perfect colour and clarity, a diamond with a poor cut will have dulled brilliance.

The width and depth can have an effect on how light travels within the diamond, and how it exits in the form of brilliance

Too Shallow: Light is lost out the bottom causing the diamond to lose brilliance.
Too Deep: Light escapes out the sides causing the diamond to appear dark and dull.

DIAMOND ANATOMY

Diameter: The width of the diamond as measured through the girdle.
Table: The largest facet of a gemstone.
Crown: The top portion of a diamond extending from the girdle to the table.
Girdle: The intersection of the crown and pavilion which defines the perimeter of the diamond
Girdle: The intersection of the crown and pavilion which defines the perimeter of the diamond
Culet: The facet at the tip of a gemstone. The preferred culet is not visible with the unaided eye (graded "none" or "small").
Depth: The height of a gemstone measured from the culet to the table.

COLOUR
Colour quality is critical. A diamond's beauty and value will usually increase dramatically the more colourless (white) it is. The colour grading scale ranges from totally colourless (D) through to light yellow (Z). The differences between one grade and another are very subtle and must be graded under controlled lighting conditions. Rare stones of exceptional colour - green, red, blue, pink or amber are known as fancies.  At Pave’ Creations when choosing a diamond, we recommend a  F-H colour to combine both whiteness and value.

CARAT
CARAT is the measurement used to weigh a diamond.  One Carat  = 200 milligrams, or 0.2 grams. 142 carats add up to one ounce. Carats are further divided into points.

The price of a diamond will constantly rise proportionately to the size of the stone. The larger diamonds are very rare and have a greater value per carat.  For example, when discussing points, remember that a one-carat diamond will cost much more than a 95 pointer. The word carat is taken from the perfectly matched carob seeds that were once used in ancient times to balance scales by merchants.

So uniform and symmetrical in shape and weight are these little seeds that even today's sophisticated and complicated devices cannot detect more than three one-thousandths of a difference between them.

The truth about diamonds is that size is sought after, naturally; but overall quality is the determining factor in the end. There is a balance of size and quality that makes up much of the artistic nuance of a professional gemmologist or gem cutter. It is the cutter's job to produce a gorgeous lavish diamond, while giving the consumer the highest Carat Weight for their money.

CLARITY
Diamonds that are absolutely clear without inclusions-fractures, scratches, or trace minerals are referred to as flawless and are the rarest.  Most diamonds, like people, have natural blemishes that are characteristic of that particular piece.  The best way to view these blemishes (inclusions) is with the use of a 10x jeweller's magnifying loupe. Even though an inclusion may not be visible to the naked eye it can have an effect because when light enters a diamond it is reflected and refracted.  If anything is disrupting the light flow, such as an inclusion, a portion of the light that would be reflected is lost.  The certification societies have standardized a grading system to describe the clarity of a diamond.

The following is the GIA Diamond clarity-scale:

FL-Flawless
These stones have no imperfections inside or on the outside of the stone under the magnification of a loupe of 10 power.

IF-Internally Flawless
These stones have no inclusions under a loupe with a 10 power magnification.

VVS1,VVS2-Very Very Slightly Imperfect
These stones have very small inclusions which are very difficult to see under a loupe with a 10 power magnification.

VS1,VS2-Very Slightly Imperfect
These stones have small inclusions which are slightly difficult to difficult to see under a loupe with a 10 power magnification.

SI1,SI2-Slightly Imperfect
These stones have inclusions which are fairly easy to see under a loupe with a 10 power magnification, or visible to the naked eye.

I1,I2,I3-Imperfect
These stones have inclusions which range from eye visible to very easily seen to the naked eye.

DIAMOND SHAPES
Since all diamond shapes are very different, unique characteristics determine quality for each shape. Below are examples of ten of the most common shaped diamonds.