Diamond Guide
At Brillante we celebrate stories of love and relationships and their connection to jewelry. That’s why we select only handcrafted jewelry from creative designers. With our expertise it will be easy to find the perfect piece, creating a memory that will last your lifetime and beyond. Which piece of beauty will you add to your story?
Understanding the Four CS of Diamond Quality
At Brillante we celebrate stories of love and relationships and their connection to jewelry. That’s why we select only handcrafted jewelry from creative designers. With our expertise it will be easy to find the perfect piece, creating a memory that will last your lifetime and beyond. Which piece of beauty will you add to your story?
Cut
Cut determines a diamond’s proportions and how well the diamond’s facets interact with light thus a diamond’s beauty relies heavily on its quality of cut. When a diamond is cut with perfect symmetry, the light is reflected out of the top of the diamond. If a diamond is cut too shallow, light leaks out of the bottom of the diamond; if it is cut too deep, the light escapes out of the diamond’s side. Poorly cut diamonds may appear dull, while ideal cut diamonds with perfect symmetry have incredible brightness, fire, and sparkle.
A standard round brilliant diamond has 58 facets. Cutting styles, or shapes, other than the round brilliant are called fancy cuts. The most commonly known are the marquise, princess, pear, oval, heart, radiant, cushion, and emerald cut.
Color
A diamond’s color occurs in a range from colorless to light yellow or light brown. Today, the GIA® Color Scale, often referred to as the “D-to-Z scale”, is the most widely used diamond color-grading system in the world. It describes the color range from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow, brown, or gray). Each letter represents a range of color based on a combination of tone and saturation — this combination measures how noticeable a color is. Within this normal color scale, colorless diamonds are most rare, making them the most valuable. Subtle color differences in a diamond can vastly affect its value.
Clarity
A diamond’s color occurs in a range from colorless to light yellow or light brown. Today, the GIA® Color Scale, often referred to as the “D-to-Z scale”, is the most widely used diamond color-grading system in the world. It describes the color range from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow, brown, or gray). Each letter represents a range of color based on a combination of tone and saturation — this combination measures how noticeable a color is. Within this normal color scale, colorless diamonds are most rare, making them the most valuable. Subtle color differences in a diamond can vastly affect its value.
Carat Weight
Some people may think carat refers to the size of the diamond. Actually, carat refers to the weight of the diamond, not the size. Two 1 carat diamonds may be quite different in size depending on the shape and cut of the diamond. Carat weight should always be considered when purchasing a diamond; however, one should not discount the overall appearance and brilliance of the diamond. For instance, a poorly cut 2-carat diamond will not sparkle and shine as brightly as a 1 carat diamond with exceptional cut, color, and clarity.
Diamond Shape
Shape, or cutting style, is another important factor to consider when choosing a diamond. Cutting styles other than the round brilliant cut are called fancy cuts. Fancy cuts include radiant, pear, princess, oval, marquise, emerald, cushion, and more.
Each diamond shape is uniquely beautiful and should be chosen based on personal preference and style. Light reflects off of the many surfaces, or facets, of a diamond. Each diamond cut has a different number and pattern of facets, affecting how the light will be reflected back out and producing brilliance and sparkle. This gives each shape its own identity and beauty.