Hi there. My name is Dianne Nielsen.

I worked for a Diamantaire a while ago and had such fun looking at his stock of these beautiful sparkly stones! Whilst I was learning, I decided to make a webpage so this is my thesis on what I learnt. Hopefully it will help you too!

First of all, most people have heard about the 4 C's of diamonds:
CARAT,
CLARITY,
COLOUR
and CUT.
The following will give you a brief run-down on what that all means:

CARAT

The weight of a diamond (and all other precious stones) is expressed in carat. Diamonds were traditionally weighed against the seeds of the carob tree. Eventually the system was standardised and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams (one fifth of a gram).
One carat is divided into 100 "points" so that a diamond of 25 points is described as quarter of a carat or 0.25 carats.

THESE ARE NOT TO SCALE - SORRY! But just imagine if a .25 diamond was this big ;-)

CLARITY

Almost all diamonds contain minute traces of non-crystallized carbon or small non-diamond crystals. Most require magnification as they can not be seen by the naked eye. These are called "inclusions". However, the fewer there are, the rarer the stone will be.

FL	Flawless	(No blemishes or inclusions)
IF	Internally Flawless	(No inclusions with some minor surface blemishes)
VVS1 - VVS2	Very Very Small Inclusions	(Minute inclusions that are difficult to see)
VS1 - VS2	Very Small Inclusions	(Minor inclusions ranging from difficult to easy to see)
SI1 - SI2	Small Inclusions	(noticeable inclusions that are easy (SI1) or very easy (SI2) to see.
I1, I2 or I3 (also known as P1, P2 or P3	Inclusions	Obvious inclusions that usually are eye-visible face up

COLOUR

Although the majority of gem diamonds appear to be colourless, others can contain increasing tinges of yellow or brown, some of which are referred to as champagne diamonds. Rare stones of exceptional colour - green, red, blue, pink or amber are known as fancies.

CUT

The cut (or make) of a diamond will dramatically influence its fire and sparkle. It requires a skilled polisher to release its beauty.

• When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light is reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed through the crown or the top of the stone.
• If the cut of the diamond is too deep, some light escapes through the opposite side of the pavilion or bottom.
• If the cut is too shallow, light escapes through the pavilion or bottom before it can be reflected.

The fifth C is

CONFIDENCE

in your supplier.

Make sure you deal with a reputable supplier who is preferably a member of a trusted organisation such as The Diamond Exchange. Also insist on a Laboratory Report with your diamond. This will have a diagram of the diamond and the Laboratory will mark where any inclusions are situated. This is the "fingerprint" of your diamond.

Should you ever have to take your diamond ring in for repair, you could make a photostat of the laboratory report and ask the store to sign it, acknowledging that this is a fair representation of your diamond. This will help to identify your diamond should you be worried about the jeweller "switching" your diamond.

WHAT SHAPE DIAMOND?

When buying diamonds, there is no right or wrong. The shape of diamond you choose is purely your choice. Click here to see some of the shapes that are available.

SHAPES AVAILABLE

BUYING YOUR DIAMOND

You have to look at a diamond first-hand to see how faceting, proportioning, shape, colour and transparency interact to give beauty and life to the stone.

Look at the diamond(s) on your hand and ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the diamond brilliant?
• Does it sparkle?
• Does it look good on your hand?
• Does it look good compared to other diamonds of the same shape and size?

Keep in mind that lighting can affect the appearance of diamonds, so try to view them under different lights.

I hope the above all helps you. The information in these webpages has been taken from "Diamond Ring Buying Guide by Renee Newman" and "Your Guide To Diamonds by De Beers".

Please send me mail: dianne@icon.co.za and I will gladly answer any questions (once I find out the answers) and get back to you.

Or else phone me:
International: +27 82 855 2279
South Africa: 082 855 2279

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