Beauty comes in all shapes
All About Diamonds
A diamond is the hardest natural mineral on earth, this makes it the ideal stone for an engagement ring. It is a rock prepared to endure a lifetime as it was formed millions of years ago. Once a diamond has been mined from earth, it is cut and polished to give the optimum sparkle. Diamonds are assessed using a diamond grading system known as the 4 C’s. Every single diamond is graded and sold on its individual quality.
Diamonds that reflect high quality in every aspect are rare and attaining the finest sparkle can be difficult.
Cut
Cut not only defines the shape of a diamond but also the proportions of it. Diamonds also vary in many different shapes. Each individual shape has an individual sparkle.
Diamond cuts are graded on a scale of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. The score is based on the width of the table, height of the crown and the depth of the pavilion in each diamond. A well cut diamond will have an amazing brilliance and fire. This is caused by white light reflecting off the diamond’s surfaces and the mirrored depths of the pavilion. Polish and Symmetry gradings are also part of the Cut grading section and also graded on the same scale. Hogans only sources triple excellent cut diamonds, providing the best possible stone for our clients.
Color
Colour ranges from D through to Z. D being colourless (ideal) with lower grades becoming more apparent in yellow or brownish colour.
Colourless diamonds are considered to be the rarest and most valuable of all. Because subtle colour variations dramatically affect the value of a diamond, a colour grading scale is used to categorize the shading differences from one diamond to the next. The colour range from D - G are the colours Hogans prefer to source to ensure a crisp white colour of diamond.
Clarity
Clarity is an indication of a diamond’s purity. This is determined by a diamond’s naturally occurring internal characteristics. These characteristics are sometimes not visible to the naked eye though they are what makes each diamond unique.
Clarity describes the flaws in a diamond, these can be inclusions of natural carbon spots or internal fractures present from the exact moment the diamond was formed millions of years ago. Diamonds with fewer and smaller inclusions generally are more brilliant, assuming that the colour and cut grades are also high.
Due to the rarity of FL, IF and VVS diamonds, many pieces of fine jewellery are made from VS diamonds, which are still of a superior quality. Hogans will normally source high quality VVS - SI diamonds, finding a suitable match for our clients. The diamonds that Hogans select are clean to the naked eye.
Carat
Carat is a measurement of weight in a diamond. Size is a big factor however it is not the only factor when determining the value of a diamond. All other quality components are considered to determine the value of every individual diamond.
A carat is equal to 0.20 grams. Carats are allocated “points” in order to define their measurement. There are 100 points in a carat, so a half carat diamond is said to have 50 points, while a two carat diamond has 200 points.
