Black diamond

Historically, diamonds have been highly regarded and believed to possess magical powers that bestowed strength and invincibility upon the fortunate few who possessed them, perhaps due to their seemingly indestructible nature. Today, the has evolved into a symbol of eternal love for many, and is available in a variety of cuts. Here you will find an overview of common shapes that are commonly used in jewelry design.

Round: The round cut is the most popular choice for jewelry such as diamond rings, with the circle commonly representing never-ending love and harmonious balance. Creating a finished round shape requires sacrificing more rough than any other cut.

Marquise: A marquise shaped is elongated, typically half as wide as it is long, with pointed ends. Said to be inspired by the smile of a mistress of King Louis XIV named Marquise de Pompadour, the marquise shaped has royal insinuations.

Pear: The pear cut diamond, also known as the drop cut, appears to be a cross between the round and marquise shapes. A pear cut may appear wide on the rounded end or may have a more elongated shape.
Heart: The heart shaped requires considerable skill to produce. The heart cut is similar to a pear cut diamond, but incorporates two connected rounded edges where the pear shaped cut has one.
Oval: An oval shaped looks just as you may imagine, like an elongated round cut diamond. The longer length causes an oval cut to appear larger than a round cut with the equivalent carat weight.
Princess: Only around since 1980, a princess shape is a perfect square with ninety degree angled corners. A minimal amount of rough is lost in cutting and polishing a princess shape diamond.
Baguette: Baguettes can be fashioned in a variety of shapes, but typically appear like a rectangle with one end disproportionate to the other.

Emerald: An emerald cut is reminiscent of the way emerald gems are typically cut, and appears like a shortened rectangle with beveled corners.

Triangular: Triangular cut diamonds, also called trilliants, are three sided and shaped as the name indicates, like a triangle. A trilliant may have linear or rounded sides, and the corners may be sharp or rounded.

Asscher: Invented by cutter Joseph Asscher, Asschers can be square shaped or rectangular with the corners cut at angles. Looking straight into an Asscher cut will reveal the unique illusion of a passageway of mirrors.

Cushion: The cushion shape has been around since the 1800s, but has experienced a recent surge in popularity. The square shape rounded on the sides and corners is renowned for its vintage appearance.

Diamond Ring

Diamonds are popular for jewelry such as diamond rings, eternity rings and necklaces, but many people are unaware of the factors that contribute to the wide price range that diamonds fall into. The price of a is derived from an evaluation of its color, cut, clarity and carat weight. The less color that is visible in a diamond, the more valuable it is deemed to be. Some people perceive diamonds to be colorless, however many diamonds appear to have a normal brownish or yellow tint. A diamond’s cut, which is a significant factor in a diamond’s brilliance, is related not just to the shape of the diamond, but its polish and proportions as well as symmetry. Clarity is a relative measure of a diamond’s blemishes and internal characteristics (inclusions), where a with less irregularities and inclusions will exhibit more brilliance, thus affecting a higher purchase price. Carat weight refers to the actual weight of a diamond, measured in carats, which is abbreviated “ct.” While each of the above factors contributes to the determined value of a diamond, here we examine what is meant by the fourth factor in determining a diamond’s value, carat weight.

The carat weight is simply how much a weighs, but it must be measured in an industry specific way. A carat is a metric measurement that is equivalent to slightly more than seven thousandths (0.007) of one ounce. weights are measured with the accuracy of a thousandth of a carat but are given a weight that is rounded to the nearest hundredth. Diamonds weighing over one carat are designated as a decimal number up to the hundredths, such as “1.23 carats.” Such a weight would be expressed as “one carat and twenty three points.” A weighing less than one carat is also represented as a decimal, such as 0.72, in which case it would be said to weigh “seventy two points.”

Though a diamond’s value is determined by its weight in carats, a two carat would cost more than two times the amount that an equivalent one carat would cost. Diamonds with adequate quality to be used in jewelry are rare finds, with larger diamonds being even less commonly discovered than smaller ones. As economics demonstrates, the more limited the supply a valuable product, the higher cost it will claim. As such, there is no defined measurable rate representing a diamond’s cost per carat. Rather, larger diamonds fetch an exponentially higher price per carat than the more common smaller ones.