Zasha wants you to understand what you're buying. The four most popular factors
used to measure diamond quality are cut, color, clarity, and carat weight.
Shape
A diamond’s cut and shape are sometimes easily
confused. The ”cut” describes a diamond's performance in light, dimension and
finish. The overall outline of the diamond when viewed from the top is it’s
“shape.” Round is the most popular diamond shape, followed by squared shapes
such as princess, Asscher, and emerald. Zasha primarily uses round and
squared-shaped diamonds, with a variety of settings.
Round diamonds
The round, or “brilliant cut” diamond is by far the
most popular diamond shape available today. For almost 100 years, diamond
cutters have been using advanced theories of light behavior and precise
mathematical calculations to optimize the brilliance in a round diamond. A round
diamond will typically give you more flexibility in terms of balancing cut,
color, and clarity grades while still getting the fire and brilliance you want.
Zasha uses round diamonds throughout our hoop and charm designs.
Squared
The square diamond takes many shapes, including the
Princess, Asscher, Emerald, and Radiant.
Princess
This is a very popular non-round diamond. Its
beautiful brilliance and unique cut makes it a favorite for engagement rings.
The princess has pointed corners and is traditionally square in shape. When
choosing a color grade, consider that while the price of a J-color non-round
diamond is exceptional, color may be slightly visible in its corners. Also,
princess-cut diamonds can vary greatly in how square or rectangular they are.
Asscher
Invented in the early 20th century by the Asscher
Brothers of Holland, an Asscher cut is a modification on the cushion cut, which
was popular in the 19th century. The brothers invented a square to rectangular
cut with a flat tabletop surface, many small “step cuts” along the top area, and
larger longer facets underneath the diamond. Asscher cuts are parallel to each
other, and unique in that attention to the exact ratio between the diamond's
depth and the table sizes is key to brilliance. The newest interpretation of the
Asscher cut has 74 precisely placed facets that truly reveal an unsurpassed
depth and beauty.
Emerald
The “pavilion” makes this shape different. It is cut
with rectangular facets to create a unique optical appearance. Due to its
larger, open table, this shape highlights the clarity of a diamond. Emerald-cut
diamonds can vary greatly in how rectangular they are. If you'd prefer an
emerald cut with a squared outline, look for an Asscher-shaped diamond.
Radiant
Trimmed corners are the signature of this diamond, and
they help make the radiant-cut a popular and versatile choice for jewelry. A
radiant-cut looks equally beautiful set with either baguette or round
side-diamonds. Radiant-cut diamonds can vary in their degree of rectangularity
Cut
A diamond's cut is considered to be the most important
of the four Cs. It is important to understand how a diamond's proportions and
the relationship between them affects its sparkle or brilliance. A diamond gets
its brilliance by cutting and polishing the diamond facets to allow the maximum
amount of light that enters through its top to be reflected and dispersed back.
When all the angles are correct, the light that enters is dispersed back through
the diamonds top facets. Zasha Jewelry carries only the highest grades of
diamond cut to ensure maximum brilliance.
While there are a number of factors by which a diamond’s cut is characterized,
the cut is often graded by two key measurements: depth and table percentage. Its
depth percentage is a measurement of the height vs. the width of the stone, and
its table percentage is a measurement of the diameter of the top facet of the
stone vs. the stone's average width.
Experts express differing opinions on the best table
size (the diameter of the largest facet on the top of the stone) and the best
depth for a diamond, because these factors alone are not sufficient to
accurately judge its cut.
Other factors - crown angle, girdle thickness,
pavilion depth-percentage (the ratio of depth to girdle diameter), culet size,
polish and symmetry - also play a role in judging a diamond's overall cut
quality.
Clarity
Diamonds with few flaws, or inclusions, are very rare
and highly valued. The clarity is graded based on the number, location, size,
and type of the inclusions found in a diamond. Diamonds that are absolutely
clear are the most sought-after and therefore the most expensive. However, many
diamonds have inclusions — scratches, trace minerals or other tiny
characteristics that may impede the clarity of a diamond.
Color
Diamond color is one of the most important factors to
consider, as it is noticeable to the "naked" eye. A diamond's color is graded by
GIA on an alphabetical scale from D-Z, with D being absolutely colorless and Z
being light yellow.
Beyond "Z", a diamond is considered to be a "Fancy"
color. Although many diamonds appear to be colorless, the many of them have at
least a hint of body color. “D” diamonds with very little color are the most
highly valued and are priced accordingly.
Weight
Diamond weight is measured in carats, and each carat
is divided into 100 “points.” A half-carat stone may be referred to as a
"50-pointer" or "50-points". Carat weight is the easiest of the 4 C's for
gemologists to determine because of the use of sophisticated measuring
equipment.
Two diamonds of equal carat weight might vary greatly
in value depending upon their cut, color and clarity. This is important because
when mounted, one diamond may appear larger than the other, although they
actually weigh the same. Because large diamonds are rare, they generally have a
greater value per carat. For example, the price of a two-carat stone will be
several times higher than four half-carat diamonds of equal quality.
Since larger diamonds are more rare than smaller
diamonds, diamond value tends to rise exponentially with carat weight. When
diamonds are mined, large gems are discovered much less frequently than small
ones, which makes large diamonds much more valuable
Care
Diamonds are extremely hard and resistant to damage.
However, everyday wear can take a toll on your diamonds. They are uniquely
resistant to damage by heat or scratching, and can be cut or polished only by
another diamond — but an extremely hard blow to the girdle can cause a diamond
to chip. Ordinary wear, including the use of hand lotions and hair care products
and simple household work, can all cause buildup that can leave a hazy film on
your diamond. This buildup will eventually cause your brilliant and gorgeous
diamond to appear dull. To keep your diamonds looking their best, they require
the proper attention and care.
Exposure during ordinary wear to perspiration and
household chemicals, like soap, shampoo, chlorine and hairspray, can cause
buildup that dulls the surface of a diamond. We suggest periodic cleanings to
keep your diamonds brilliant and beautiful!
