CUT / GRIND

How a diamond is cut, polished and to what proportions is of great importance, as this determines the life, brilliance and sparkle of a diamond. If one of these cutting aspects is below par, it will have a negative effect on the brilliance of a diamond. The 'brilliant' is the most common cut, while other glorious cuts such as 'marquise', 'pear', 'oval', 'emerald' and 'heart-shape' are cut more for specific purposes. The well-known round diamond has been developed over the years; it started as a flat bottom diamond, of which only the top was cut (the rose cut diamond). The real predecessor of the well-known brilliant cut is nowadays called old cut (or Bolshevik). This cut is cut like the brilliant round, but the difference is that often the bottom of the diamond has a flat surface and the top of the diamond (the table) is often smaller than the brilliant shape.

CARAT / CARAT

The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. 1 carat is equal to 0.2 grams and consists of 100 points. The weight of a diamond in carat is always expressed to 2 decimal points. Here you can see an overview of different sizes of diamonds. These are shown by scale to give an indication of the mutual relationships. The investment diamonds from the 1970s were often 1.00 carat, which is a nice weight for a solitaire ring. Smaller diamonds are often used for earrings, such as 2 pieces of 0.50 carat each.

CLARITY / PURE

In order to be able to grade the clarity of a diamond, it is necessary to determine the number of inclusions (impurities) and its character. The size and position of the inclusions are also important. This analysis is done through the trained eye of the diamond dealer or in laboratories under a microscope. A diamond is 'IF' (internally flawless) when no defect is found under a 10x magnification. An inclusion is called a 'Pique' when it is visible to the naked eye. This is very detrimental to the value, as it would jeopardize the exclusivity of the diamond as a rare commodity. As more inclusions are present, a diamond is divided into the following grades: Flawless (IF), VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI, Pique1, Pique2, Pique 3.

COLOR / COLOR

Diamonds vary in color tone from colorless to yellow. To determine the color, diamonds are compared to an already reviewed set of stones, the color of which is different. The ranking ranges from D (colorless) to Z (the yellowest), but a stone is seen as yellow from color K. Diamonds can have a different color incidence in addition to white (for example, yellow, blue, pink or orange). Depending on the intensity of this invasion, these diamonds are called 'fantasy'. Fancy color diamonds are rarer than white diamonds. Especially when the color is intense, the value increases significantly.