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The smart consumer's diamond buying guide.... |
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Diamond Buying Made Easier > Diamond Glossary > Diamond Glossary- CDiamond Glossary - Carat, Clarity, Color, Cut, CerttificateThis is our diamond glossary of terms used in the diamond jewelry business.... facts about diamonds-  Click a letter to view terms - Diamond Glossary - CCanary Diamond: Fancy color diamonds with an intense yellow hue similar to that of a canary bird. The yellow may be very slightly greenish or slightly orangey.Cape: An outdated diamond color term referring to diamonds with a yellowish body color. This term originally referred to the Cape of Good Hope, referring to South Africa. The body color of diamonds produced by the South African mines was distinctly more yellow than the average diamond body color of Brazilian diamonds. This term is almost never used anymore because it is very inaccurate. Carat Weight: The measurement unit for the weight of gemstones. The origin of the word carat is from the seeds of the carob bean that were used to balance scales in ancient times. In the early 1900s the metric carat was standardized as one carat equaling 200 milligrams. When you buy a diamond the weight of a diamond is measured out to the hundredth of a carat (2 places to the right of the decimal point). It is expressed as "ct." or "Ct.", for example 1.23ct. One carat can also be divided into 100 "points", just like one dollar has 100 cents. A 0.75 carat diamond is the same as a 75 pointer, a 75 point diamond, or 3/4-carat diamond. The weights of all the diamonds in a piece of jewelry can be added up to arrive at a "total carat weight" of the diamonds... this is can expressed as "ct.t.w." or "ctw.", as in 0.85ct.t.w. or 0.95ctw. This should not to be confused with the term "karat", which refers the purity of gold. Carbon or Carbon Spots: This is a term used by some people in the jewelry industry to describe the appearance of certain diamond inclusions that appear black... typically a dark included crystal. Diamonds are 99.95% pure carbon; but 25 other different mineral inclusions or small crystals, have been found within diamond as well. These are not carbon spots, but rather small crystals that were trapped within the host diamond as it was forming in nature. Sometimes, they just happen to be dark in color. The most common mineral found within diamond is diamond. Cavity: An inclusion consisting of a large or deep opening in the diamond. Center Stone: The main stone in a piece of jewelry with multiple stones. This stone is usually the largest and most prominent. Certificate or "Cert": Another term for a Diamond Grading Report. A document produced by a disinterested 3rd party (typically a Gemological laboratory) that describes a diamond's characteristics. This report should only list the characteristics of the diamond and not refer to any prices. Certified Gemologist: A title awarded by the American Gem Society to qualified members. To qualify, a person must study colored stones and their identification, along with diamond grading and appraising. Also they must prove proficiency with several written examinations and a diamond-grading examination. Champagne Diamond: A diamond that has a color similar to... you guessed it, champagne!  Channel Setting: Diamonds set into a row where the diamonds are held into place by grooves cut into a strip of metal along the edge of the piece of jewelry. Used quite often for wedding and anniversary bands. Chip: A chip is a shallow opening on the surface that is the result of damage that occurs after cutting. Clarity, Diamond Clarity: Diamonds have internal features, called inclusions, and surface irregularities, called blemishes. Together, they're called clarity characteristics. A diamond clarity grade is determined by the relative absence of clarity characteristics. The Diamond Clarity Grading System was developed by GIA (Gemological Institute of America) in 1953 and is now the common international language when we talk about diamond clarity. The 11 diamond clarity grades are as follows- Flawless (FL): no blemishes or inclusions when examined by a skilled grader under 10X magnification. Internally Flawless (IF): no inclusions when examined by a skilled grader, and only insignificant blemishes under 10X. Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2): contain minute inclusions that are difficult for even a skilled grader to locate under 10X. VVS1: extremely difficult to see, visible only from the pavilion or small and shallow enough to be removed by minor repolishing. VVS2: very difficult to see. Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2): contain minor inclusions ranging from difficult (VS1) to somewhat easy (VS2) for a trained grader to see under 10X. Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2): contain noticeable inclusions which are easy (SI1) or very easy (SI2) to see under 10X. In some SIs, inclusions can be seen with the unaided eye. Included (I1, I2, I3): contain inclusions which are obvious to a trained grader under 10X, can often be easily seen face-up with the unaided eye, seriously affect the stone's potential durability, or are so numerous they affect transparency and brilliance. Clarity Enhancement: Any process used to improve the apparent clarity of a diamond. This is a relatively complex subject... please refer to the following page on the subject- Clarity Enhanced Diamonds. Clean: A trade term to refer to a diamond that relatively free of any inclusions... typically a grade of SI1 or higher. It is not a standardized term, so one person's clean diamond is another person's not clean diamond. It is a term that is prohibited by the American Gem Society for use by its members. It is also prohibited by the Federal Trade Commission, unless the diamond meets the FTC′s definition of the term perfect. There is another term "Commercially Clean" which would be a grade lower than "Clean", about SI2 to I1.... again, this is not a standardized term. Cleavage: The property of some crystalline minerals, such as diamond, to split along certain planes when struck by a blow. These cleavage planes result in a clean flat surface that looks very much like they are a polished facet. Cleavage Crack: A break parallel to a cleavage plane. It is characterized by a two-dimensional nature; intersections with facets are usually straight lines. It is generally the most dangerous characteristic in a diamond, if it is present, since it could affect the durability as well as the diamond's beauty. Closed Culet: A culet, the small facet on the bottom of a diamond, that is too small to be resolved with the unaided eye and that can be seen only with difficulty under 10x magnification. Closed Table: A trade term used to designate a small table diameter. However, its interpretation and use varies. It may refer to a diameter less than the American cut 53% (of the girdle diameter) or, more frequently, to a table smaller than about 60%, because so many of the stones cut today have tables well over that 60% figure. Cloud: A group of extremely tiny inclusions that are too small to be distinguishable from one another, even under high magnification. The result is that, under a microscope, this grouping often looks like a soft transparent cloud inside the diamond. Wow.... a cloud inside of your diamond!, cool!!!  Cluster Setting: A type of diamond setting with many diamonds in a single group. Coated Diamond: A diamond with a surface coating which masks the true body-color. The coating may be extensive (entire pavilion, for example), but is more often limited to one or two pavilion facets or a spot on the girdle. Color Grading: Determining the body color of an unmounted (loose) diamond when compared to the known colors of a "master set" of diamonds. This needs to be done under a controlled lightning environment by someone who is trained in the grading system. Color Origin: A determination of the cause of color in Natural Fancy Color Diamonds. Diamonds that are naturally colored are very rare and expensive. Fancy Diamonds are also available as Color Enhanced Diamonds, where the color has been induced by artifical means. A Gemological Laboritory is able to determine the cause of the color in a Fancy Color Diamond. Colored Stone: All natural gemstones other than diamonds. Critical Angle: The largest angle measured from the normal at which light can escape from and optically dense substance, and the smallest angle to the normal at which light is totally reflected within the dense substance. Pretty simple, huh! Crown: The upper portion of a faceted diamond, which lies above the girdle. 
Crown angle: The angle of a diamond's bezel facets (or, on emerald cut diamonds, the row of concentric facets) as measured from the girdle plane. This gentle slope of the facets that surround the table is what helps to create the dispersion, or fire, in a diamond. White light coming up from the pavilion exits the diamond in the crown area... exiting at different angles which breaks up the white light into its spectral colors, creating a beautiful play of color inside the diamond. Crown Height: The height of the diamond that is above the girdle. Measuring from the girdle to the table facet. Crown Height Percentage: The crown height expressed as a percentage of the average girdle diameter of a Round Brilliant Cut diamond or the width of a Fancy Cut diamond. Cubic System: A crystallographic system, the crystals of which may be described by reference to their axes of equal length, each situated perpendicularly to the plane of the other two. Diamond belongs to this system. Another bit of useful information! Culet: An eight sided facet on the bottom of a diamond. This facet may or may not be present... its purpose is to protect the tip of the pavilion from being chipped or damaged. If it is present, it is he smallest and the 58th. facet of a full-cut diamond. The grades of the culet are- None, Very Small, Small, Medium, Slightly Large, Large, Very Large, and Extremely Large. Cushion Cut Diamond: A square or rectangular shaped brilliant cut diamond with rounded corners. The overall shape is similar to a pillow or cushion. It is a modern version of an Old Mine Cut diamond. Cut: Cut refers to the angles, symmetry, and proportions a diamond cutter uses in transforming a rough diamond into a polished diamond. One of the 4Cs used to evaluate a diamond, see Diamond Cut 
Cutting Style or Faceting Style: this refers to the shape, size, and arrangement of the facets on a diamond. It can be categorized into the following three basic types:Step Cut Brilliant Cut and Mixed Cut. CZ (Synthetic Cubic Zirconia): A widely used diamond simulant. See Diamond Simulants. 
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