The Diamond Guide- Design the Dream with Aurus London

[caption id="attachment_536" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Bespoke engagement ring design service[/caption]

If you have started your engagement ring search, you may know by now about the 4 C's and maybe even what they are. For all of you who do not know, or need a re-cap we are here to break it down and help you understand diamond characteristics, and why they are important. The majority of the price of an engagement ring will be held in the central stone, more often than not it is a diamond, and because every diamond is unique, you need to know what you are buying and to be confidant in your stone.

So we have broken down the 4 C's for you with a few extra details that will come in handy!

Diamond Cut

With diamonds, cut can mean two different things- the shape it is cut into, and how well the diamond is cut to refract light.

The shape aspect is aesthetic, and depending on the style of engagement ring you want to go for you will be drawn to specific cuts. Emerald cut diamonds are found in vintage engagement rings and antique engagement ring designs, creating an art deco style. Pear cut diamonds and Marquise cut diamonds are generally found in contemporary engagement rings, with halo diamonds around them, which really defines their unusual shape. Oval cut diamonds in engagement rings are beautifully flattering on the finger, they elongate and look very elegant on an engagement ring. Round cut diamonds are also known as Brilliant cut diamonds, and are the most sought after, for this reason, round diamonds are more expensive than 'fancy' cut diamonds. So bare this in mind when budgeting for your engagement ring.

The other type of cut references how well the diamond has been shaped in the workshop, the better the cut, the better the sparkle. At Aurus London we always work with either good cut diamonds or very good cut diamonds, as these are the best quality for an all round beautiful diamond, they are ideally cut so they capture the light and refract it all, rather than trapping it inside, as some less well cut diamonds do.

[caption id="attachment_457" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Diamond shape guide[/caption]

Diamond Colour

Now this one is a strange one, diamonds are measured in their whiteness, and the chart starts a 'D colour diamonds' they then work themselves down to Z colour. A good diamond colour to look for is in the E F G range, this means that they are in the colourless range and will look absolutely incredible when set in your chosen metal.

[caption id="attachment_456" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Diamond colour guide[/caption]

Diamond Clarity

Now this is a technical one, and not really something that you will see with a naked eye, but clarity is the natural birthmarks you find in a diamond. These are measured under a 20x magnifying loop, with this in mind, we always recommend staying around the VS (very slightly included) range, this means that there are birth marks but not visible to the naked eye. If you stay in this range, you can insure that your sparkle will not be impaired by any marks.

[caption id="attachment_455" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Diamond clarity guide[/caption]

Diamond Carat

Now you may know this one, carat is the weight of the diamond, and shows mainly in size. Diamonds are not measured in mm or cm because cuts vary, if the diamond is not ideally cut, it will not have the depth or refraction qualities of an ideally cut diamond, but will have a larger surface area on the table (top) of the diamond.

Depending on your partners hand-size and personal preference you can tailor the diamond size to suit. Your diamond carat weight can be tailored to suit your budget, but be warned, once you hit the 1.00ct size the price increased exponentially.

[caption id="attachment_454" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Diamond Carat size Guide[/caption]

Diamond Certificate

Now this is an official 'C' but we know that this aspect is important, and you need to know that what you are buying is genuine and without a certificate you cannot guarantee anything.

The type of certificate is also important, if a retailers says that the ring comes with a 'jewellery cert' this means that they have written it themselves, and does not guarantee quality, the way that you can know your diamond is by ensuring you have a GIA IGI or HRD certificate. The universal nature of their grading ensures that it is recognised internationally and is true.

[caption id="attachment_503" align="aligncenter" width="625"] GIA certificates for diamond engagement rings[/caption]

Now that you have had your crash course, the next step is to book your appointment with our Engagement Ring designer Sophie to design your dream engagement ring! Our London showroom  is based near Hatton Garden and house sample engagement ring designs for you to build your ideas upon.

Simply follow this link to book your appointment.