the four Cs
To choose the best quality diamond, you’ll need to brush up
on the Four Cs of diamond dealing. If you don’t do your
homework, you could end up with an enormous rock that
has half the quality of a smaller one at the same price
COLOUR Diamonds come in a variety of colours (known as ‘fancies’), although white
diamonds are the most popular and common. A perfect white diamond should be crystal
clear — the less yellow or brown streaks that are visible, the rarer and more valuable the
diamond is. Diamond colour is graded using the GIA system, which uses the categories
‘colourless’, ‘near colourless’, ‘faint yellow’ and ‘yellow’.
CLARITY Nearly all diamonds contain inclusions (flaws), which diminish the stone’s
brilliance. View your diamond under 10-power magnification to make sure there aren’t
enough flaws to seriously lessen its value. On the up side, diamond flaws are as unique as
a fingerprint, and can be used as identifiers.
CARAT A diamond’s weight and mass is measured in carats (one carat equals a fifth of a
gram). They are weighed using a precision scale, as mere fractions of a carat can mean the
difference between hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
CUT A diamond’s cut is its most important feature. A gem cutter sculpts the diamond’s
many facets with geometric precision, symmetrically arranging them to affect the way light
travels through the stone. A poorly cut diamond will ‘leak’ light out of the back and some
cutting ‘faults’ can even make a diamond prone to breaking.
diamond shapes
brilliant
pear
princess
heart
trilliant
marquise
emerald
oval
cluster
THINGS TO
CONSIDER
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This is particularly pertinent for
the groom — does your job
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try to stick to it.t&OHSBWFZPVSXFEEJOHCBOET
for a lovely, personal touch.
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matching wedding bands — they
don’t have to be identical but can
have similar design elements for a
nice symbolic touch.
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go for something wacky, you’re
unlikely to regret a simple, classic
style that will never date.
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complement the hand of its wearer.
Thin bands are fabulous on fine
fingers while larger hands require
something more robust.EXPERT HELP
We asked Ian Hadassin, CEO of the
Jewellers Association of Australia,
what couples should look out for
when engagement ring shopping.A8IJMFOPUSFRVJSFECZMBX
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grading certificate from a reputable
diamond grading laboratory will give
you peace of mind. Remember that not
all laboratories grade to the same
standards and your JAA jeweller should
be able to explain the differences. Both
claw set and bezel set centre stones
are still popular and white gold is still
the metal of first choice. Platinum rings
are also becoming more popular.
Round brilliant cut diamonds head the
popularity list, followed by princess cut.’WORKBOOK
212 | bridetobe.com.au