Cut is the only certified diamonds characteristic directly influenced by man – the other three are dictated by nature. A good round brilliant cut in certified diamonds releases the life, fire and sparkle of certified diamonds through the arrangement and proportions of its fifty seven to fifty eight facets (tiny planes that create angles to reflect light). When certified diamonds are cut, the light will reflect from one facet to another and disperse through the top of the stone, resulting in a display of brilliance and fire. Certified diamonds that are cut to deep or shallow lose light that spills through the side or bottom. The shape of certified diamonds is a matter of personal taste, with the round brilliant ones being the most popular of the shapes. Other shapes of certified diamonds include the emerald cut, pear shape, marquise, princess cut, oval and heart shape.
While most certified diamonds appear white many of them display hints of colour barely discernable to the naked eye. The closer certified diamonds approach colourless, the rarer and more valuable the stone. Certified diamonds with a strong blue colour are extremely rare and are called 'fancies'. When looking at certified diamondss you can also find a whole range of other colours which you can find to be blue, yellow, green and orange.
A certified diamonds clarity is determined by the degree to which it is free from naturally occurring inclusions, often called "nature's fingerprints".
With regard to certified diamonds, the number, type, colour, size and position of the internal birthmarks can affect a diamond's value. However many of these in certified diamonds are undetectable to the naked eye and therfore will require magnification under a standard 10x magnification loupe before they become apparent. The fewer the inclusions that are found by the professionals in the certified diamonds, the rarer the stone. Below is description of the differences between the grades of certified diamonds.
Has no internal or external inclusions. Very rare and beautiful diamonds.
Very, very slight inclusions. Very difficult to see under 10 x magnification, an excellent quality diamond.
Very slight inclusions. Unable to see imperfections with unaided eye. Much less expensive than VVS grades.
Slight inclusions visible under 10 x magnification, not with unaided eye.
Inclusions. Visible to naked eye.
The carat refers to the weight and therefore the size of the certified diamonds. One carat is divided into 100 points. Therefore, certified diamonds weighing 50 points is half a carat. Size is the most obvious factor in determining the value of certified diamonds. But two certified diamonds of equal size can have very different values, depending on their cut, clarity and colour.
