The Diamond Guide

We believe your diamond engagement ring should always remain a symbol of your love, which is why we only source the highest quality diamonds, including Belgium and Yehuda diamonds. 

We also believe in honesty and respect, which is why we have created this guide to provide you with accurate information, so you can make an informed and confident decision. Below you will find information about the four C's of Diamonds, and different types of diamonds.

The 4 Cs

Cut

The cut is one of the most important "C" of the 4Cs; it determines the shape and beauty of a diamond. The breathtaking sparkle of a diamond is almost entirely due to the cut of a diamond. 

Diamonds must be cut in a way that allows light to reflect off of the tiny facets in the stone.

If a stone is cut too shallow, light escapes out the bottom, and if a diamond is cut too deep, light escapes through the side. However, when the diamond is the perfect proportion, light reflects brightly. This light reflection is what makes a diamond sparkle!

Colour

The second factor that contributes to a diamond's sparkle is colour. Diamond colour refers to the hue of a diamond. This can range from colourless (D) to a light yellow hue (Z). 

You will often hear the words colourless, and near colourless mentioned when talking about diamond colour. 

Colourless: This refers to diamonds that are rated a D, E or F according to the GIA Diamond Colour Scale. 

Although a D-colour diamond is the only truly colourless diamond, an E or F- colour rated diamond only contains a very minute trace of colour, emitting a high level of brilliance.

Near Colorless: This refers to diamonds that are rated G, H, I, or J. 

Diamonds that are rated G or H in colour are a great value because they only contain noticeable colour when compared to diamonds coloured F and above. 

I and J coloured diamonds have a slightly detectable colour; however, most people still cannot detect colour.

Clarity

The clarity refers to the diamond's tiny markings. Any marks or "inclusions" in a stone subtract from its clarity, and therefore, the value and perceived beauty.

When looking to buy diamonds, you may hear the terms like Flawless, VVS1 or VVS2, VS1 or VS2, and SI1 or SI2. 

These terms refer to the grading scale that is used when determining the clarity of a diamond. 

A flawless diamond has no visible flaws under a 10X microscope. These diamonds are incredibly rare since all diamonds have some imperfections due to how diamonds are formed. 

Next, there are VVS1 and VVS2; these terms refer to diamonds that have very tiny inclusions that are difficult to see under a 10X microscope. A VVS1 is slightly better than a VVS2.  

After VVS1 and VVS2, there is VS1 and VS2, diamonds with this rating, still, only have minor inclusions that you cannot see without 10X magnification. Similar to VVS1 and VVS2, VS1 has fewer inclusions than VS2. 

SI1 and SI2 refers to diamonds that have more noticeable inclusions at 10x magnification, with some having inclusions that are visible to a keen eye without magnification. The difference between S1 and S2 is the location of the inclusions, with SI2 usually being visible from the pavilion, the lower portion of the stone, and the top. 

Finally, I1, I2, and I3 are all considered included diamonds that have inclusions that are visible to the eye. 

TIP: When looking to buy a diamond, always ensure you view your diamond under a 10X Gemscope, so you can make an informed choice. 

Did you know shape impacts clarity? A round, princess, oval, marquis, pear and heart-shaped diamond naturally hide many inclusions because they are cut with a multifaceted pattern, which reflects light from different angles. For these shapes, colour, carat or cut could be prioritized. 

In contrast, emerald and asscher-shaped diamonds are cut to emphasize transparency, which can make imperfections more visible. For these shapes, it is important to prioritize higher clarity.

Carat

Carat is the "C" that most people already know. This term refers to the carat weight or size of a diamond. The higher the number of carats, the bigger the stone. Alone, carat weight does not determine the value of a diamond. Two, three-carat diamonds can differ widely in price and value when the other "C's" are taken into consideration. 

As well, the shape of the diamond impacts how large a diamond appears. For example, a one-carat marquise or pear-shaped diamond may appear larger than a round or princess shaped diamond. This is primarily due to the pear and marquise shape spreading out the weight. 

Diamond Types

Belgium Diamonds 

Belgium diamonds are mined diamonds that come from Belgium. Antwerp, Belgium, is the diamond distribution capital of the world and home to some of the world's most prestigious diamond cutters and polishers. 

One of the reasons that people are attracted to our Belgium diamond collection is because of the excellent cut and their extraordinary brilliance. 

Since Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world, they have a vast selection of diamonds, which means our customers will get brilliant diamonds at great prices. 

So what does this mean for you? This means that you can get the best-mined diamonds that the world has to offer.  

Yehuda Diamonds 

Yehuda diamonds are mined diamonds that have been clarity enhanced. A non-enhanced diamond will have some naturally occurring feathering inside the stone. With the Yehuda process, they are able to correct this feathering, thus enhancing the clarity of the diamond.

So what does this mean for you? This means that you can get a larger, visually stunning diamond when compared to non-enhanced diamonds. 

Yehuda diamonds are mined diamonds, and the clarity enhancement is not visible to the naked eye, so only your jeweller will ever know that you own a Yehuda Clarity Enhanced Diamond.

Who is Yehuda? Yehuda is a family run business that -like us- have been around for three generations, establishing a flawless reputation in the diamond community due to several groundbreaking inventions including deep boiling, and the Yehuda process of clarity enhancement.