On first acquaintance, trying to understand the different parameters that are used to define the qualities of a
diamond might appear to be rather confusing and even rather unnecessary. However, many high street jewellers rely upon this point of view
in order so that they can sell low grade, uncertified diamonds, to the general public at huge profit margins.
At Samara james we believe this
isn't right. While this grade of diamond will often appear very attractive under the high-intensity, halogen lights of the typically jewellery
shop, the truth is that by understanding the basic components of diamond grading will allow a far better, and much
more visually striking diamond to be selected that will delight for generations.
The information below sets out the basics elements of how diamonds are graded with some suggestions on what to look out for. If however you would like any more information, or would like to discuss any particular aspect of diamond grading in more detail, please contact one of our experienced team who will be very pleased to help.
It is extremely rare to find a perfectly clear diamond. Most diamonds contain tiny imperfections, called inclusions, which are created by nature and make every diamond a unique item. Inclusions can range from tiny dark or light solid fragments, crystals, cleavages, fractures and feathers.
Many inclusions are not visible to the naked eye and can only be assessed by a gemologist using magnification. The more inclusions a stone contains and the easier they are to detect will determine the clarity grade.
Diamonds that have inclusions visible to the naked eye are rated lowest on the clarity scale. These are graded I1 through to I3. They are also called PK1 to PK3. In our experience, whilst these levels of clarity are much cheaper to buy, they often seriously affect the reflectivity of the diamond and are therefore not a good option in our opinion.
At Samara James, all of our diamonds are a minimum of SI clarity. These diamonds do have small inclusions, but they are invisible to the naked eye. Even a professional gemologist would not be able to see the difference between this and higher levels of clarity without magnification. This is why we believe it is the ideal choice of clarity for those customers who are looking for an impressive diamond without it costing the earth.
The cut of a diamond is often confused with its Shape. Diamonds come in a variety of different shapes with round and princess being the most popular. Other cut shapes include emerald, marquise, baguette, star, pear and heart.
However, it is the cut quality that is the primary factor that defines how a diamond sparkles and fragments the light giving it an inner radiance. If the diamond is too tall and narrow or too wide and short, light will not reflect properly and it will appear cloudy to the eye.
How a diamond has been cut, polished, and to what proportions and symmetry therefore, are of utmost importance since these factors determine the life, brilliance and dispersion of the diamond. If these cutting factors fall below standard, the appearance of the diamond will be adversely affected.
As there are a number of individual measurements used to determine the ideal proportions of a diamond, the diamond laboratories grade the Cut into different categories of quality. These defined standards are called Weak, Fair, Good, Very Good, or Ideal and they make be used to make comparison easier between diamonds.
Considering the importance of the proportions of a diamond, it is very surprising that so many companies do not list the Cut grade of the diamonds they sell.
In our opinion, a customer choosing a diamond should always insist in knowing the cut grade of the diamond they are buying. The visual impact between a diamond graded as Fair versus one graded as Good is very obvious, even just by a causal inspection.
So does this mean you should only buy Ideal cut diamonds? As with many aspects of diamond quality, there is a law of decreasing returns. After significant research, we believe that diamonds graded as Good cut offer the best compromise between visual appeal and price. This is why all our certified diamond rings are always a minimum of 'Good' cut to ensure the beauty of a Samara James diamond will always shines through.
Diamonds are very rarely colourless and come in a range of colours graded from D (colourless) to Z (colours). Diamond colour at I and J increasingly starts to gain a yellow tinge which detracts from the sparkling beauty of the diamond.
At these colour levels, the yellow tinge is less noticeable if the diamond is mounted in yellow gold, but it easily visible when mounted in white gold or platinum. Therefore, in our opinion, diamonds mounted in white metal should always be a minimum of H colour.
However, to ensure that this issue is avoided regardless of the type of setting, all Samara James certified diamonds are colour G, H (near colourless) or better. This ensures clear sparkling brilliance can be assured.
Carat is the measure of weight of a diamond. It does not measure size and it is should not be confused with "karat" which is a measure of gold purity.
1 Carat = 0.2 grams or 0.007 ounce.
All other things being equal, the greater the carat weight, the more rare the diamond and the more expensive it will be.
Although many people equate "bigger" with "better," diamonds of all carat weights have the potential to be lively, exciting, and beautiful provided that they have the correct cut, clarity and colour characteristics.
To choose the ideal carat weight we suggest considering the recipient's personal finger size. This is because the smaller the finger, the larger the diamond will appear. So, for example, a 1 carat diamond solitaire will look much larger on a size K finger than a size P.
Fortunately, with Samara James you can relax, because we offer a 30 day no quibble money back guarantee that means you can try your jewellery at home and if for any reason you decide not to keep it, you can return it back to us for a full refund. (Subject to terms and conditions)
All Samara James diamonds are certified to ensure consistent quality is delivered to our customers. We currently use three different independent certifying organisations GIA, IGI and Anchor Cert.
GIA - the Gemological Institute of America is a highly respected certifying organisation and is generally used to certify our higher value stones. IGI - the International Gemological Institute is another highly respected institution used in the same way to certify lower carat weight stones. Anchor cert is the certifying division of the London and Birmingham Assay Office and is a trusted source of certificates in the UK.
We can tell you which particular certificate the item you have chosen has if you contact us contact us
Our diamonds have been graded by either IGI or GIA so you can be assured of
Beware companies selling diamonds that have not been graded.
You may have heard of the term 'conflict diamonds'. Conflict diamonds are diamonds that originate from areas controlled by
forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognised governments and are used to fund military action in
oppositions to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council.
Our policy on conflict diamonds is absolutely rigorous. We will never buy, sell or handle any diamonds of unclear provenance
and we insist that all of our suppliers subscribe to
The Kimberley Certification Scheme.
Because the value of diamonds is so dependant upon its specification, there are a number of methods commonly used in the jewellery industry to enhance their appearance.
For example, if there is an inclusion close to the surface of the diamond, it is often heat treated with a laser to burn the inclusion from a black carbon mark into a milky white colour.
It is also possible to treat inclusions deeper within the diamond by using a laser to drill into the stone and then applying an acid to change the colour of the inclusion. The hole is then filled with a glass compound.
An Israeli inventor called Zvi Yehuda developed another commonly used clarity enhancement process in 1982. This process involves filling small cracks in diamonds with molten glass to improve their clarity. This method improves a diamond’s clarity by one grade without affecting the colour or weight of the diamond.
Whilst treated diamonds can appear very good value, there are no guarantees that the process used will not cause a problem at some point in the future. For example, some companies use bromine to enhance their diamonds because the process is cheaper than using glass. Diamonds treated with bromine have been known to discolour and cloud with exposure to the ultra violet radiation found in sunlight.
It is not a legal requirement to tell customers if a diamond has been treated and surprisingly many companies do not mention whether or not they sell treated diamond.
If you do decide to buy a treated diamond it is important to understand the processes that have been applied to the diamond to ensure that the price has been reduced accordingly.
At Samara James all of our certified diamonds are guaranteed to be un-treated. This means you can be assured that your diamond will be exactly the specification promised.
