In order to assist you in choosing a diamond, we have put together a summary of the most important factors that are decisive in judging a diamond’s quality and in appraising its monetary value.

Diamond grading terminology explained
Example:
0.02ct TW/VVS means:

ct (carat) is the unit of weight for a diamond (1ct = 0.2 gram)
TW(Top Wesselton) is the colour of the diamond according to the Scandinavian color scale
VVS ( very very small inclusions) is the diamond’s clarity grade

Examples of frequently encountered shapes:
1.Pear 2.Emerald 3. Brilliant 4.Heart 5.Princess

When you are selecting a diamond, it is important to be familiar with the “4 C’s” of a diamond:

cut
colour
clarity
carat

Each factor, both by itself and together with the other factors, plays an important role in the evaluation of diamonds.

Cut
By the cut of a diamond is meant its symmetry and proportions.
The term “cut” must not be confused with a diamond’s shape (general exterior appearance).
To do justice to a diamond’s unique properties, it has to be cut to specific proportions. The quality of the cut decides how well the stone can reflect light and accordingly how sparkling it will be seen to be. Cut is often confused with shape. Diamonds are cut in several different shapes depending on the uncut raw stone’s original shape. Regardless of the shape the diamond has, the quality of the cut is important. A well-cut stone is better able to reflect light than a less-well-cut stone.
The proportions are calculated in angles and percentages. Important factors are the height of the upper part, the depth of the lower part, the thickness of the girdle, and the angles and symmetry of the facets. The diamond’s facets are positioned in precise relationship to one another according to mathematical formulas. The purpose of this is to maximize the light reflecting through the diamond, which enhances the perception of its beauty. The quality of the cut is not only important for the stone’s appearance, but also affects the stone’s price to a high degree. As a rule, people are not aware of the fact that the difference in the quality of the cut between different stones has a relatively large effect on price. Despite the fact that it can be difficult for a layman to see the difference between stones, all the same it can be said in general that a higher-quality cut produces a better end result when the stone is set.
Qualities (grades) of cut are classified as follows: (most often specified only for stones weighing 0.5 ct and more)

Ideal
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Poor

A well-cut diamond is the key to a pretty sparkling diamond. After all is said and done, beauty is subjective. One person may prefer a diamond with a larger table, for example, and someone else may think the opposite. Ideal, Excellent and Very Good are all in the class of well-cut diamonds. The difference is often so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. Many regard Very Good as the grade where you get the best balance between beauty and price.

Colour
When talking about the color of a diamond, it is usually on a scale from colorless to yellow, but it can also be tinged toward brown or gray. A colorless (white) diamond is the rarest…

The best color a diamond can have is no color – colorless. River or D, depending on which scale is used. The former is an older scale, where the name, among other things, has its origin from South African diamond mines. Top Wesselton, Wesselton, etc. The latter scale is American, and it is the one that is used most often internationally. It begins with the letter D and continues in alphabetical order down to Z.
The color of a diamond is determined by the amount of trace elements it contains – nitrogen, for example. The amounts we are talking about are extremely small and are measured in ppm (parts per million).
As the color of a diamond becomes stronger, it is placed lower down on the color scale.

GIA (USA):	SDN:	SHORTENING:
D	River	( R )
E
F	Top Wesselton	(TW)
G
H	Wesselton	(W)
I	Top Crystal	(TCr)
J	Crystal	(Cr)
K	Top Cape	(TCa)
L
M	Cape	(Ca)
N
O	Light Yellow	(LY)
P
Q
R
S	Yellow	(Y)
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z	Fancy Yellow	(FY)

Fancy color
There are also diamonds that have natural color tones different from those in the white part of the scale.
Pink, blue, green and red. These diamonds, which are called “fancy”, are extremely rare and command very high prices.


Fluorescence
You can sometime hear people talk about a diamond fluorescing. This means that it emits a glow, most often blue, when exposed to ultraviolet light.
However, this property is seldom of importance when selecting a diamond.

Clarity
The clarity or purity of a diamond is evaluated with a 10X-magnification loupe. Most stones have inclusions of various sizes. Inclusions are natural cleavages, for example, or minerals that became incorporated during the stone’s formation millions of years ago.
A stone totally free of inclusions is most rare. It is graded at the top of the clarity scale and is accordingly valued the highest. Most inclusions are not visible without magnification. Which means that a stone is not necessarily prettier because it has smaller inclusions, but just more unusual.
Clarity is graded by employing a method in which a determination is made of the nature, size, position, color, and contrast of the inclusion, plus its visibility in the stone. The stone is assigned a clarity grade based on assessment of these factors.

Less then 0,5 carat	Over 0,5 carat	Description
FL	FL	Flawless
IF	IF	Internally flawless
V VS	V VS 1	Very, very small inclusions
	V VS 2
VS	VS 1	Very small inclusions
	VS 2
SI	SI 1	Small inclusions
	SI 2
P	P 1	Pique
	P 2
	P 3

Carat
When we talk about carats we mean the diamond’s size or weight. The larger the stone, the higher its weight in carats.
The carat, abbreviated ct, is the unit of weight for gemstones. 1 ct = 0.2 gram.
The term “carat” derives from a word meaning “carob tree pod” and refers to carob seeds. These seeds are known for their uniform size and weight. They were used in antiquity as a unit of weight. A diamond’s weight is perhaps the most important price factor. Because diamonds are rare in general, a stone that weighs 2 ct, for example, is not just twice as expensive as a 1-ct stone, but three times as expensive. Just one stone out of one million stones mined weighs one carat.


About diamonds in general
The diamond, a unique beauty that fascinates and attracts us by its special properties of diffracting and reflecting light.
A symbol of purity and permanence.

A diamond is composed of the basic element carbon, which has crystallized in the Earth's crust over a very long time, under high pressure and strong heat.
Diamonds are the hardest material we know of. For that reason, they are used in machining other diamonds, but also in the metals industry. These diamonds are so-called industrial diamonds and do not adhere to the same high quality standards as jewelry diamonds do.


Your choice of diamond is personal and should only have the purpose of satisfying your own wants and desires. It is only for you yourself to decide which stone is pretty and fits your needs.
Regardless of which size, color or purity you choose in a diamond, you will receive a quality product that has been inspected and guaranteed by us.



We at diamantia.com place our knowledge and experience at your disposal so that you will be satisfied with your purchase.
Do not hesitate to contact us when you have questions concerning your diamond purchase.


diamantia.com guarantees that diamonds sold through us are not so-called conflict diamonds (“blood diamonds”) as determined by the Kimberley Process. They have been traded in accordance with EU Regulation 2368/2002 and the UN’s resolutions on diamond trading.