It's important and advisable to learn about diamonds before you purchase one. Diamonds are complex, with many attributes that affect their overall beauty and quality. With the Education Center, you go beyond the “Four C’s” (Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight) and learn about everything that gives a diamond both its beauty and its value.

CARAT

Carat is basically what a diamond weighs. A metric carat equals 200 milligrams or 0.2 grams. In the jewelry trade weight can also be described as points, 1 carat would equal 100 points. An abbreviation for carat would be often seen as ct. The term "Carat" is used for weights of gemstones and not to be confused with "Karat" which describes gold and gold alloy purity.

The more a diamond weighs the more rare and expensive it is inclined to become. The larger the diamond the scarcer it is. When dealing with gem quality diamonds about 1 in 1 million are 1 carat, 1 in 5 million are 2 carats and even rarer 1 in 15 million are 3 carats! The scarcer something is the more valuable it happens to be.

CLARITY

We only sell VS2 and SI1 clarity grades because we feel they provide the best value to the consumer.  Our motive is, “Why pay for something nobody sees.” 

When judging the clarity grades of diamonds trained gemologist consider many factors.  They grade the stones based on the number of clarity characteristics, their size, visibility, location and type of inclusion.  When grading stones trained gemologists observe the diamonds with proper lighting and 10x power magnification. 

The standard Clarity grades are:

Flawless (F) and Internally Flawless (IF)- Extremely rare,  lacking inclusions or blemishes .

(Not Carried By Us)

Very Very Slightly Included ( VVS1, VVS2)- Rare, tiny and minute inclusions, difficult to see.

(Not Carried By Us)

Very Slightly Included ( VS1, VS2)-  Negligible inclusions that are challenging to see even under magnification.

Slightly Included ( SI1, SI2)- The most common and popular clarity grade.  Inclusions are becoming easier to observe by trained professionals.  Can be difficult to see with the naked eye.

Included ( I1, I2, I3).  These diamonds display pronounced inclusions that can be eye visible.

(Not Carried By Us)

COLOR

The most desirable and expensive diamonds tend to be completely colorless. The universal diamond color scale goes from D-Z, D being the most colorless and Z having the most noticeable yellow or brown in the normal color range. Anything darker than a Z is considered a fancy color. Color is the first thing you see when viewing your diamond. Diamonds can come in an assortment of different colors. We only carry colors from D-J.

"NEAR COLORLESS" G-H-I-J

Diamonds are still considered to be white  and show faint traces of color seen only by trained jewelry professionals.  This is the second most expensive color group and when mounted in jewelry they can look almost colorless face up. 

"FAINT YELLOW" K-L-M

Faint traces of yellow or brown color can be seen face up in these diamonds.  These stones can appear to have a  glow and warmth.  ( Not Carried by Us)

“VERY LIGHT YELLOW“ N THROUGH Z

 Tints of yellow visible face up even to the naked eye.   Diamonds with a color greater than Z are considered to be "Fancy Colors".  Fancy Colored diamonds are graded according to their hue saturation and  intensity.  They can be quite rare and expensive. .  ( Not Carried by Us)

CUT

 Today mathematics and computer software can aid a diamond cutter in producing a stone that is cut to specific proportions. The result can be a diamond that displays the optimum fire, brightness and scintillation. The finish product can be dazzling and mesmerizing. The better the cut the more beautiful the diamond can look. A diamond that is poorly cut will not reflect or refract light properly; it can look like a dull piece of glass. We are drawn to diamonds because of the brilliance and sparkle they show which is the direct result of a proper cut.