Diamonds Glossary

Brightness

Also called brilliance, is the level of light that radiates up from within the diamond just as a spot light gets brighter by twisting its dimmer switch. Brightness is best be understood by viewing a diagram of a diamond’s silhouette.

Carat weight

Carat weight is the weight of measure for a diamond. One carat equals approximately one-fifth of a gram.

Grading Report

It's a document that is provided with a loose diamond containing the diamonds attributes. GIA is the gold standard for grading reports.

Clarity

These are the natural birthmarks that are formed within the diamond as nature transforms it from a lump of coal (carbon) into a magnificent crystal.

Color

It is the absence of body tone. Graded on a scale of D-Z, the "best" color for a diamond is D "Colorless".

Culet

The very bottom facet of a diamond. If the bottom of the diamond comes to a complete point then there is no culet. If the diamond has a very small flat surface on the bottom (almost imperceptible) then it has a culet.

Cut

The level of design and craftsmanship when transforming a diamond from a raw crystal to a polished gem.

Design

Describes the brightness, weight-ratio, fire and scintillation of round shaped diamonds. For other shaped diamonds, design also includes proper scale of the overall shape.

Durability

Describes he diamond's likelihood of resisting chipping or breaking.

Fancy-shape

Refers to diamond shapes other than round.

Fire

Also called dispersion, describes the colors-of-a-rainbow that appear in a diamond.

Fluorescence

The blue-ish "glow-in-the-dark" effect that some diamonds have when exposed to ultraviolet light just like the posters near "black-light" lamps.

GIA

Gemological Institute of America; Established in 1931, it is the world's largest and most respected nonprofit institute of gemological research and learning.

Hue

GIA specifies 31 gemstone hues for fancy colored diamonds. They include terms such as blue, slightly greenish-blue, very slightly greenish-blue, bluish-green, etc.

Polish

Polish describes the quality and condition of a diamond’s surface. A diamond’s individual surfaces must join invisibly, with seamless edges, so that the diamond appears as a solid mono-lithe so that polish lines disappear.

Scintillation

Describes the sparkle or twinkle effect given off as diamonds are moving about. The effect looks as if you are seeing bright white flashes of mini-fireworks within the diamond.

Shape

Describes the pattern of a cut diamond when viewed from the top.

Silhouette

Describes the shape you see when viewing a diamond from the side.

Symmetry

Describes he alignment of the diamond surface (facets).

Weight-ratio

Describes the relationship between the diamond size (viewed from the top) and its weight.

Workmanship

Describes a diamond’s symmetry, polish, and durability of the diamond.