Diamond Quality - The Diamond Store.co.uk

The Quality & Colour Of The Diamond Store.co.uk Diamonds

We only sell 3 different grades of diamonds all of which are of a high quality. We have chosen not to sell diamonds where there are obvious flaws

The 3 different diamond grades we sell are - Premium Quality - H/Si Quality & G/Vs Quality.

In some engagement rings and earrings with diamonds under 0.50ct in size we may offer slightly better variations of these qualities where we are able to use our purchasing strength to select the best diamonds available.

We understand that if you are buying diamond jewellery there must be an important occasion looming and we are here to help and guide you through the process. So, if it all gets a bit daunting the best thing to do is email us or call us, we are always happy to chat.

Rest assured that all our diamonds are conflict free!

Our 3 diamond grades are:

Premium Quality - Colour H/I and Clarity I1-2

Colour H-I: A white diamond with no easily noticeable colour tint to the naked eye. Only compared next to better quality diamonds are differences noticeable.

Clarity I1-2: The "I" is short for "inclusions". Any imperfections in the diamond can only be noticed if you look very closely at the stone (within 6 inches). With smaller diamonds, imperfections become even harder to notice.

Summary: Premium quality diamonds look better than those usually sold on the high street and represent good value for money.

H/Si Quality - Colour H and Clarity Si

Colour H: A white diamond with no easily noticeable colour tint to the naked eye. Only compared to much better quality diamonds are differences noticeable.

Clarity Si:: An abbreviation for "small inclusions". Certainly on diamonds under 0.50 carat, imperfections in this quality diamond are not noticeable to the unaided eye. Only once under a jeweller's high powered magnifying glass can inclusions be detected.

Cut, Polish and Symmetry: We use a minimum of Good/Very Good in all H/Si diamonds over 0.50ct.

Summary: H/Si quality diamonds are our usual recommendation. Bright white diamonds with no visible inclusions, you can't go wrong!

G/Vs Quality - Colour G and Clarity Vs

Colour G: A bright white diamond. Expert knowledge is needed to identify any colour tint i.e. essentially colourless.

Clarity Vs: An abbreviation for "very slight". Referring to the inclusions (or lack of!), any imperfection can only be seen with expert knowledge and with the use of a high powered jeweller's loupe (magnifying glass).

Cut, Polish and Symmetry We use a minimum of Good/Very Goood in all G/Vs diamonds over 0.50ct.

Note: The G/Vs quality we sell is usually the highest grade of diamond we offer. Although there are better colour and clarity grades than G/Vs in the diamond industry, we genuinely feel that grades higher than G/Vs are not noticeable without a diamond expert's opinion. Therefore we feel that if you have extra budget available, it would be more suitable to go for a larger diamond rather than insisting on a higher grade than G/Vs. Please feel free to give us a call for further advice.

Summary: G/Vs quality is the connoisseur's choice. If you like to appreciate the finer things in life, this is the choice for you.

Further Diamond Quality Information

The Colour

Diamonds are actually found in all colours of the rainbow although white (colourless) is the most popular colour and usually the most desirable. Fancy coloured diamonds are the rarest with an intense colour like yellow, pink or blue but they are not graded on the same scale.

Diamonds are colour graded on an alphabetical scale that ranges from the letter “D” (colourless) all the way to “Z”. The variances between the grades on the scale are minimal but make a big difference to the price of the diamond.

The scale originated from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and diamonds are graded by comparing them to the GIA’s set of master stones of differing shades of colour.

The Diamond Clarity

The reason why diamonds are so expensive is because they are so rare. When you look at a diamond, you may see some flecks of dirt inside the diamond. These are minerals that get trapped in the diamond as it is being formed over millions of years. The white inclusions that may look like mini feathers are natural fractures in the diamond structure. Needless to say, the cleaner the inside of the diamond looks, the rarer it is to find and so the value of such a diamond is much higher.

The clarity of a diamond is measured from flawless to heavily included on a scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA):

» More info on the Gemological Institute of America

FL – Flawless

Even under a jeweller’s loupe (10x magnification eye-glass) inclusions can not be seen. Matching flawless Diamond Earrings are extremely rare and so expect to pay a high price.

VVS I – Very Very Small Inclusions

Extremely small inclusions difficult to find, even if using a jeweller’s loupe. You may see this category expressed as VVSI1 or VVS2, where VVS1 is slightly cleaner than VVS2. Again, these are very rare to find.

VS I – Very Small Inclusions

These inclusions will be hard to spot with the naked eye; however, once you look under magnification, you will be able to spot inclusions that are affecting the diamond clarity. Available as VS1 and VS2.

SI – Small Inclusions

On stones weighing 0.25ct and above, inclusions affecting the clarity of a diamond can be seen to the eye. However, more often or not, these inclusions can be hidden by the metal claws that hold the diamond in place. SI1 or SI2 represent good value for diamond earrings without having to spend too much money. Unless you push your nose to the diamond, inclusions are hard to spot.

I – Inclusions

Often seen as I1, I2 and I3 these grades are used to describe diamonds that have inclusions visible to the eye. The inclusions can be various shapes, sizes and colours. Care should be taken when buying these diamonds to avoid disappointment! In the smaller diamond sizes (0.15ct and below) flaws will be less obvious as long as they are not dark in colour and do not look like crystals of sugar!

Diamonds are beautiful. Care should be taken not to fall in to the trap of searching for a particular quality combination. A quality diamond earring jeweller will be able to guide you to the best combination for your budget. As each diamond is unique, grades about the clarity of diamonds should only be used as a guide.