Diamonds are one of the most cherished and sought-after gemstones, renowned for their timeless beauty and symbol of love and commitment. Buying diamonds is a significant investment, so it’s essential to educate yourself, ask questions, and purchase from reputable and trusted sources.
From exploring the basics of diamond quality, available shapes and cuts to delving beyond the 4 Cs and how these impact your diamond’s appearance, this guide will allow you to make a confident and informed decision when selecting a diamond for your most treasured piece of jewellery.
Every diamond in the world is unique. Below is the anatomy of a diamond to help you understand the terminology that describes a diamond’s features.
Table: The largest facet of a diamond or gemstone. It’s usually the surface area at the very top of the stone.
Crown: This is the top section of a diamond, where the girdle joins the table.
Pavilion: The pavilion is the bottom part of the diamond that connects the girdle to the culet. A pavillion that is too shallow or deep will result in light escaping from the side or bottom of the stone, as opposed to the desired finish of light reflecting out from the top of the stone.
Girdle: The girdle sits between the crown and the pavillion and defines the perimeter of the diamond. We recommend a ‘medium to slightly thick’ girdle. Thick girdles are undesirable because they add additional weight to the stone, without increasing the appearance of the stone size. A thin girdle makes the diamond more susceptible to damage.
Culet: A small facet at the bottom end of the gemstone, often ending in a tip or point.
Depth: The height of a gemstone measured from the culet to the table, noted in a percentage.
Diamond Basics – the 4Cs
The characteristics that identify diamonds are known as the 4 Cs – cut, color, clarity and carat. The 4 Cs is a universally recognized method of diamond grading, created by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), to standardize the classification of diamond quality.
- Cut: The cut of a diamond refers to how well it has been shaped and faceted. It affects the diamond’s brilliance and sparkle. The quality of the cut is graded on a scale from Excellent to Poor.
- Color: The color of a diamond is graded on a scale from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow or brown). The less color a diamond has, the higher its grade and value.
- Clarity: Clarity measures the presence of internal and external flaws, called inclusions and blemishes, respectively. The clarity scale ranges from Flawless (no visible inclusions or blemishes under 10x magnification) to Included (visible flaws). The higher the clarity grade, the rarer and more valuable the diamond.
- Carat Weight: Carat weight is the measurement of a diamond’s size. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. Larger diamonds are generally more valuable, although other factors such as cut, color, and clarity also influence a diamond’s worth.
Understanding Diamond Shapes
Diamond shapes are the defining feature of a diamond’s appearance and play a profound role in its overall aesthetic. Understanding the characteristics of different diamond shapes will help you choose the perfect stone that reflects your individuality and creates a lasting impression.
One Carat Diamond
No two diamonds are exactly alike, even in ways you might not expect. These subtle differences can make knowing what size diamond to use in your ring a little tricky, but we’re here to help.
Choosing a diamond that’s the perfect size for your engagement ring is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in the ring design process. So we’ve made a simple comparison chart to help you get a better picture of what you can expect from your diamond.
Ethical sourcing should be the first step in creating any piece of jewellery. We believe it’s the right thing. We know it’s the right thing. Using sustainable materials and creating ethical business partnerships is the way forward not just for Taylor & Hart but for our peers across the jewellery supply chain, and our customers should expect nothing less.
Natural vs Lab Grown Diamonds
Lab grown diamonds and naturally mined diamonds. Technically and chemically, they’re both diamonds, but they differ in their origins and how they’re produced. Known for their unmatched brilliance and iconic sentiment, let’s explore the differences between the two so you’re empowered to make a choice based on what’s most important to you.
Diamond fluorescence refers to the intensity of a colored glow (usually blue) that is visible when a diamond is exposed to UV light. In some instances, diamonds with strong fluorescence may look milky and lifeless in daylight, but in most cases, the appearance of a diamond with strong fluorescence is rarely affected. Diamonds with none or a faint fluorescence are rarer than those with a strong or very strong fluorescence.
Almasi ni moja ya mawe ya thamani zaidi na ya kutamaniwa, maarufu kwa uzuri wao wa milele na ishara ya upendo na kujitolea. Kununua almasi ni uwekezaji mkubwa, kwa hiyo ni muhimu kujielimisha, kuuliza maswali, na kununua kutoka kwa vyanzo vyenye sifa nzuri na vinavyoaminika. Kuanzia kuchunguza misingi ya ubora wa almasi, maumbo na vipimo vinavyopatikana, hadi kuchimba zaidi ya 4C na jinsi hizi zinavyoathiri muonekano wa almasi yako, mwongozo huu utakuwezesha kufanya uamuzi wa uhakika na unaofahamika wakati wa kuchagua almasi kwa kipande chako cha vito. Kila almasi ulimwenguni ni ya kipekee. Chini ni anatomy ya almasi kukusaidia kuelewa terminolojia ambayo inaelezea sifa ya almasi. Jedwali: Sehemu kubwa zaidi ya almasi au jiwe la thamani. Kwa kawaida ni eneo la uso juu kabisa ya jiwe. Taji: Hii ni sehemu ya juu ya almasi, ambapo mshipi huungana na meza. Pavilion: Pavilion ni sehemu ya chini ya almasi ambayo inaunganisha ukanda kwa culet. Pavilion ambayo ni ya chini sana au ya kina kirefu itasababisha mwanga kutoroka kutoka upande au chini ya jiwe, kinyume na kumaliza mwanga unaotakiwa kutoka juu ya jiwe. Mshipi: Mshipi huo uko kati ya taji na pande ya juu na hufafanua mduara wa almasi. Tunapendekeza mshipi wa "kiasi cha kati hadi nene kidogo". Vipande vyenye unene si vyenye kupendeza kwa sababu vinaongeza uzito wa jiwe, bila kuongeza sura ya ukubwa wa jiwe. Mshipi mwembamba hufanya almasi iwe rahisi kuharibiwa. Culet: Sehemu ndogo iliyo chini ya jiwe la thamani, ambayo mara nyingi huishia kwenye ncha au ncha. Urefu: Urefu wa jiwe la thamani linalopimwa kutoka kwenye meza hadi kwenye meza, likiwa na asilimia. Diamond ni moja ya 4Cs, ambayo ni sifa ya msingi ya almasi, ambayo ni pamoja na: rangi, uwazi, na carat. 4C ni njia ya kimataifa ya kutofautisha almasi, iliyoundwa na Gemological Institute of America (GIA) ili kuimarisha ubora wa almasi. - Kukata: Kukata kwa almasi huonyesha jinsi ilivyofanyizwa vizuri na jinsi ilivyochongwa. Inaathiri mwangaza na kung'aa kwa almasi. Ubora wa kukatwa hupimwa kwa kiwango kutoka Bora hadi Mbaya. - Rangi: Rangi ya almasi hupimwa kwa kiwango kutoka D (bila rangi) hadi Z (rangi ya manjano nyepesi au kahawia). Diamondi inapokuwa na rangi kidogo, inakuwa na ubora na thamani kubwa zaidi. - Uwazi: Uwazi hupima uwepo wa kasoro za ndani na za nje, zinazoitwa inclusions na blemishes, kwa mtiririko huo. Uwazi wa rangi huanzia Flawless (hakuna inclusions inayoonekana au kasoro chini ya 10x kuongeza) hadi Included (kasoro inayoonekana). Kadiri kiwango cha usafi kilivyo cha juu, ndivyo almasi ilivyokuwa nadra na yenye thamani zaidi. - Uzito wa karati: Uzito wa karati ni kipimo cha ukubwa wa almasi. Karati moja ni sawa na miligramu 200. Kwa kawaida almasi kubwa ni zenye thamani zaidi, ingawa mambo mengine kama vile ukataji, rangi, na uwazi pia huathiri thamani ya almasi. Kuelewa Maumbo ya Almasi Maumbo ya almasi ni sifa ya kufafanua muonekano wa almasi na kucheza jukumu kubwa katika aesthetic yake ya jumla. Kuelewa sifa za maumbo tofauti ya almasi kutakusaidia kuchagua jiwe kamilifu ambalo linaonyesha utu wako na huunda hisia ya kudumu. Almasi mbili za karati moja hazifanani kabisa, hata katika njia ambazo huenda usitarajie. Tofauti hizi ndogo zinaweza kufanya kujua ni ukubwa gani wa almasi kutumia katika pete yako kidogo tricky, lakini sisi ni hapa kusaidia. Kuchagua almasi ambayo ni ukubwa kamili kwa pete yako ya uchumba ni moja ya maamuzi muhimu zaidi utafanya katika mchakato wa kubuni pete. Kwa hiyo tumefanya chati rahisi ya kulinganisha ili kukusaidia kupata picha bora ya kile unachoweza kutarajia kutoka kwa almasi yako. Upatikanaji wa maadili unapaswa kuwa hatua ya kwanza katika kuunda kipande chochote cha vito. Tunaamini ni jambo linalofaa. Tunajua ni jambo linalofaa kufanya hivyo. """Kutumia vifaa vya kudumu na kuunda ushirikiano wa kibiashara wa maadili ni njia ya mbele sio tu kwa Taylor & Hart, lakini kwa wenzao katika mlolongo wa usambazaji wa vito, na wateja wetu hawapaswi kutarajia chochote kidogo.""" Natural vs Lab Grown Diamonds: Diamonds zilizokua katika maabara na diamonds zilizochimbwa kwa asili. Kimsingi na kimakemia, zote mbili ni almasi, lakini zinatofautiana katika asili yao na jinsi zinavyotengenezwa. Inajulikana kwa ujanja wao usio na kifani na hisia iconic, hebu kuchunguza tofauti kati ya mbili hivyo wewe ni nguvu ya kufanya uchaguzi kulingana na nini ni muhimu zaidi kwa wewe. Fluorescence ya almasi ni mwangaza wa rangi (kwa kawaida bluu) unaoonekana wakati almasi inapoangazwa kwa mwanga wa UV. Katika baadhi ya kesi, almasi na fluorescence nguvu inaweza kuangalia milky na bila maisha katika mwanga wa mchana, lakini katika kesi nyingi, kuonekana kwa almasi na fluorescence nguvu ni mara chache kuathiriwa. Almasi zisizo na mwangaza au zenye mwangaza mdogo ni nadra kuliko zile zenye mwangaza mkali au mkali sana.