Diamond Shapes and the Four C's
By Jan Littlejohn

Colour

· At first glance, most diamonds appear to be white, however they do contain a hint of colour and this is expressed by an alphabetical code.

· A diamond coded ‘D’ is the finest white, while ‘J’ diamonds are slightly tinted. A ‘K’ code onwards indicates a diamond with brown or yellow tints.

Clarity

· The term clarity refers to the presence of naturally occurring marks within a diamond

· Mars which are only visible under magnification are termed either ‘Flawless’ VVS or VS or SI depending on the nature, size and position of the mark

· Diamonds which are marks visible to the naked eye are referred to as ‘Included or Pique’

Carat

· Carat refers to the scale of weight for a diamond with 100 points equaling one carat.

· Diamond cutters are skilled in the art of bringing the diamond to its true brilliance by creating the exact angles for light to reflect from one facet to another

· A diamond can be the finest colour and clarity but will not really sparkle if it is not well cut.

Cut

· Cut also refers to the shape, such as traditional round brilliant cut, marquise, emerald, pearl, oval heart, baguette and the modern princess.

· The princess cut Is square shaped but faceted to give brilliance and this is becoming a very popular diamond, both as a solitaire and set in shoulders or diamond wedding rings.

Different Settings

· A traditional claw set solitaire is still very popular because it allows plenty of light to the diamond giving maximum sparkle

· The bezel setting with its rim of gold around the diamond provides an alternative for people who are concerned about claws catching but it does tend to cut light from the diamond. It does not however make it any safer than a claw setting

· Some styles of engagement rings have a flow of smaller diamonds channel or grain set in the band which often means that a wedding ban has to be specially made to fit. A fitted wedding bank can be made with diamonds to match or left plain.