So you’ve decided to ask that special person the “I do” question and have no idea where to begin? Do not worry! I am here to help you choose the perfect stone for you.
First things first - determine what is most important to you - the cut, the size or colour of the stone.
Next step is to determine your budget. This will help me to source your stones to fit within your budget. Choose your shape & cut. The most popular shapes are round, oval, cushion and princess. Diamond cut is one of the most important aspects when choosing a diamond, we'll explain a little bit more in this guide.
Once we have an idea of what you're looking for, we'll source a variety of diamonds for you, and send you high res photos and videos of the diamonds in order for you to select the perfect one for you.
When the decision is made, I am ready to finalize the design and begin to manufacture your masterpiece!
The 4 C’s to keep in mind when choosing your diamond
The Cut
We often think of a diamond’s cut as a shape (round, cushion, oval, pear), but what diamond cut actually refers to is how well a diamond’s facets interact with light. Cut is the most important aspect as it ultimately determines the sparkle of the diamond. A great cut can make your diamond appear brighter than a bigger poor-cut stone.
Cut is graded on a scale from Excellent to Poor and incorporates the diamond’s proportions, culet size, girdle thickness, brightness, polish, and symmetry.
Kolmio uses the most skilled diamond cutters to ensure that our diamonds are precisely proportioned to reflect light and maximise brilliance.
The Colour
Colour evaluation of most gem-quality diamonds is based on the absence of color. A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond has no hue. The whiter the diamond, the higher the value and rarity. Colour grading starts at D (colourless) to Z (light yellow or brown).
To the untrained eye, it's difficult to distinguish between the different colours, but these distinctions have a huge impact in diamond quality and price. It's important to work with a diamond expert to help you choose the best colour for your diamond.
Traditionally “the whiter the better”, but we also love working with the most interesting, unusual colours of diamonds like cognac and yellow. The most popular white diamond colours we work with is in the G-J colour bracket.
The Clarity
Virtually all diamonds have imperfections called inclusions or blemishes. The less internal features it has, the more light refracts through and the higher the value and price. Most inclusions or blemishes are too tiny to be seen by the naked eye. A trained diamond grader will however notice them. To the naked eye, a VS1 and an SI2 diamond may look exactly the same, but these diamonds are quite different in terms of overall quality and the price. It's important to work with a diamond expert to guide you on the differences and help you choose your perfect diamond.
Carat Weight
Carat refers to the weight of the stone, not the size.
Jewellers measure the overall weight of a diamond in carats.
The metric carat is divided into 100 points. A carat is represented by a whole number, such as 1.0 or 2.0. If a diamond’s carat weight falls in between whole numbers, they are called points. For example a diamond that weighs 0.50 points - jewellers would also refer to it as a fifty pointer.
Carat weight can increase the price of the diamond significantly, because larger stones are rarer and more desirable. Furthermore, two diamonds of the same carat weight can have different values and prices, depending on the other three factors (cut, colour & clarity).
Some carat weights are considered “magic sizes”. These include carat weights like 0.25ct, 0.5 ct, 1.0 ct, and 2.0 ct. There's not a huge difference visually between a 0.99ct and a 1.0ct diamond in size. However, there can be a massive price differences between the two.
Unique and unusual cut diamonds
Rose Cut
The rose cut diamond dates back to the early 1500’s. Rose cuts are flat bottomed and domed shaped featuring triangular facets on the tipped crown. The rose cut diamond resembles the shape of a rose bud. It’s very commonly used in antique jewellery, but the demand for it has increased for it, as it has a unique shape. Available in an array of colours and shapes, these gems are truly something beautiful to behold. If your partner loves antique jewellery, this cut is the perfect fit for an engagement ring. They are also available in a variety of shapes.
Unique colour
Champagne or cognac
These are gorgeous rich amber tones of diamonds. A personal favourite! These diamonds are rare and rich natural brown diamonds. Tones ranging from C1, the lighter champagne colour, to C7, the rich dark brown colour. Like the French drink, cognac, it speaks luxury and elegance. These diamonds are available in the traditional Brilliant Cut as well as the Rose Cut, in a variety of shapes.
Opaque diamonds
These diamonds are also known as "industrial diamonds" and usually persists of quite an amount of inclusions, making their brilliance and fire a lot different than the classic white diamond, as light refracts differently through them. These beauties are quite special. They are available in an array of colours and shades. The beauty of these diamonds is that you won’t get the exact same diamond colour ever! This diamond choice is perfect for those who like to stand out and thrives for something truly unique. Black diamonds also form part of this category, as they are not transparent.
Interested in using other precious gemstones as an alternative?
A popular choice is Sapphire.
As part of the Corundum Species with a hardness of 9, they come in array of shades like blue, yellow, pink, orange, white and green. The most popular shade is blue - they are the most valuable and rarest coloured natural gemstones. They are a highly desirable gemstone due to their beautiful royal blue color, hardness (second to diamonds), durability, and luster.
If you would like to explore other gemstones to use as an alternative to diamond, feel free to contact me for guidance.
Gemstone shapes
If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email.