All About Diamonds
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orgeous jewellery, beautiful art, knowledgable and friendly staff and a Wylde Flower Diamond heart.
Totally Diamonds & the 5th C
Totally Diamonds & the 5th C
A diamond is judged by four distinct factors that determine its value. These are called the 4 C’s, the first letter of cut, colour, clarity and carat weight.
We think there is a a fifth C and that is Confidence in your jeweller. As an established and reliable jeweller we want to ensure our customers receive expert advice and service when making an important purchase such as a diamond. As diamond experts, we can help you choose the best diamond to suit your budget because we know you are naturally looking for a good quality diamond to show off its ultimate beauty. We will be happy to explain in the detail about the 4 c’s and discuss the difference between various qualities of diamonds and how these differences affect the price. We can help you select a stone that looks fantastic at a good price. Once you have made your choice we can help you decide on the style and setting to show off the beauty of the diamond itself. The choice of designs to incorporate your diamond is virtually unlimited. We are happy to show you pieces that would perfectly complement your taste and lifestyle and if required we can discuss and sketch special designs to create a unique piece.
Diamonds are forever and at Nicholas Wylde we strive to ensure we offer excellent service and advice to our customers as we too want to keep our customers happy forever.
The Four 'C's' – Carat
The Four ‘C’s’ – Carat
Carats and points are the measurements of weight used when weighing gemstones. A carat is the equivalent of 0.2 grams.
A quarter of a carat could be called 0.25 ct or 25 pts, there being 100 points to every carat.
A one carat diamond is approximately 6.5 mm in diameter and 3.5 mm in height.
Prices for diamonds jump at the one carat size and again at the two carat size and so on because people like to own a stone of a certain size. A two carat diamond can easily cost more than twice as much as a one carat stone because larger diamonds are rarer and therefore more desirable.
At Nicholas Wylde we stock, or can source for a customer, anything from a tiny diamond costing just a few pounds to a large and impressive stone for a special engagement ring.
The Four 'C's' – Colour
The Four ‘C’s’ – Colour
Unlike other gems, diamonds are prized for their absence of colour. The colour of a diamond is graded by comparison with a master set of diamonds, according to an alphabetical scale which has ‘D’ as the most desirable, i.e. clear, colour and ‘Z’ as the least desirable.
A yellowish diamond will be classified as a tinted coloured stone and will have less value, but one that is a distinct canary colour will be considered attractive and may well be more valuable than a white stone of similar weight and clarity.
Here at Nicholas Wylde we use diamonds graded as G/H in colour which means that the diamonds are very white.
The Four 'C's' – Clarity
The Four ‘C’s’ – Clarity
When a diamond crystal is found, it will be examined for flaws which could be removed by shaping.
Once the stone is cut, clarity can be assessed by an expert using a 10 x magnification lens.
Some diamonds are classed as flawless, and this is the ideal grade. As we move futher down the scale, tiny natural flaws can be found using the magnifying glass. The flaws in some diamonds can be seen with the naked eye and some diamonds are so flawed that they seem to be full of black lumps of carbon and cracks.
We use diamonds graded as VS in clarity which means that they have very small inclusions, invisible to the naked eye and hard to find with a magnification lens.
The Four 'C's' – Cut
The Four ‘C’s’ – Cut
Diamonds can be cut into an infinite variety of shapes. The shiny surface of a diamond plays only a small part in the glittering effect of a diamond. Most of the light falling onto a diamond passes into it. A well cut diamond means that this light is not lost through the back and sides of the stone, but is reflected internally and sent back into the eye of the viewer.
The classic and most popular cut is the modern brilliant cut. Its angles and proportions were worked out mathematically in 1917 to show diamonds to their best advantage.
Coloured Diamonds
Coloured Diamonds
Diamonds are very popular in their well known white form, but they can also be pink, blue, yellow, green or, rarely, red. Coloured diamonds can be very valuable. By 1991, fancy coloured diamonds held 19 of the top 20 per carat price records at auction, beating white diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. At the present time fancy colour diamond output is estimated at 1 to 2 carats out of every 3000 carats mined. The colour of coloured diamonds is due to the presence of impurities or structural defects.
Fancy coloured diamonds are not always naturally coloured as their colour may have been modified or enhanced through a process involving irradiation or heat. We are happy to advise you whether the coloured diamond you are buying has been treated in any way to enhance its colour.
