Diamond Jewellery Infographic

www.bijourjewellery.co.uk BIJOUR. YOUR BUYERS GUIDE TO THE 4 C'S OF DIAMONDS Dlamonds are crystals of pure carbon, formed over millons of years deep In the Earths crust under Immense heat and pressure. They most commonly occur at a depth of around 100 mlles In the mantle which is the layer beneath the Earth's crust. Dlamonds are brought close to the Earth's surface by molten rock which forces upward from time to time. In ancient times diamonds captured Kings and Queens were the first to adorn themselves with these precious gems and so began the trend to give diamonds as a symbol of one's love. Diamonds remained people's imaginations, conjuring up magical and spiritual healing powers that drove some to murder just to possess one these rare and mysterious stones. the luxury of only the very wealthy until the early parts of the 20th century when, as today they became the object of desire for women all over the world. THE 4 C'S When you are buying a diamond there are four characteristics that will dictate the price, these are what are commonly known as the 4 Cs: CUT CLARITY COLOUR CARAT Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat. Cut Round Princess Asscher Radiant Cushion 00 The cut of a diamond is how it has been skilfully cut to optimise its brilliance, reflect the light and make it sparkle. The cut of a diamond also gives it its distinctive shape, from the traditional brilliant cut (round), princess cut (square) and emerald cut (rectangle) to the fancier cuts like pear, heart, oval or marquise. Emerald Marquise Oval Pear Heart Diamonds come in many shapes from the traditional round brilliant cut to fancy shapes COLOUR The traditional colour of diamonds is white or colourless, but did you know that there are other colour varieties of natural diamonds? For traditional white or colourless diamonds the closer it is to having no colour, the more valuable it is. The GlA scale (Gemological Institute of America) classifies diamond colour from D, colourless, through the alphabet to Z which is a light yellow colour. N 333 Colourless Light Yellow The clarity of a diamond is ranked by letters Flawless (Extremely Rare) CLARITY Internally IE Flawless (Very Rare) Very Very VVS1-VVS2 Slightly Included Very Slightly Included VS1-VS2 Diamonds are brilliant reflectors of light. Small internal marks known as inclusions within the diamond can affect how the light is reflected. These marks are tiny fractures or minerals within the diamond that make each one unique and are ususally not visable to the naked eye. The fewer inclusions in a diamond, the greater the clarity and the more valuable it is. S11-S12 Slightly Included Each diamond has its own individual characteristics. 22 Included 11-12-13 CARAT Carat is the weight of a diamond and not its size. A diamond may look bigger than another but, in fact, weigh less. Larger carat weight diamonds are more valuable than lower carat weights, but the other 3 c's (cut, colour and clarity) also contribute to its value. 0.5 0.75 1.5 If a piece of jewellery contains more than one diamond the carat weight reflects the total weight of all the stones together. carats carats carat carats ADDING ALL 4 C'S TOGETHER GIVES YOU THE FINAL C! COST Cost is not always mentioned but is very important. When buying your perfect diamond you will need to balance the 4 C's - colour, rity, £ ¢ $ € ¥ and carat - to your budget. CONFLICT DIAMONDS There has been increased awareness and concern within the diamond industry and in the world at large regarding the supply of diamonds from war-torn countries in Africa. Rebel groups fighting a gainst legitimate governments have been funding their military activities through the illicit trade in diamonds and this has resulted in what is commonly known as the Kimberley Process, a joint government and industry initiative to ensure that only diamonds from legitimate sources find their way into the market. We at BiJour guarantee that our diamonds are conflict-free based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by the supplier of our diamonds. To find your perfect diamond visit www.bijourjewellery.co.uk now