CUT

A cut of the diamond determines the brilliance of the diamond. Cut describes the finish, proportion and polish of the diamond. These factors determine the fire and brilliance of a diamond.

When a Diamond is held in light, the amount of light entering and reflecting back is known as the brilliance of the diamond. A well-cut diamond always reflects out light. Simply put, more light reflected, better the brilliance of the diamond.

When a diamond is not well cut it allows light to flow through it without reflecting it back. When light percolates through the diamond either through the bottom or through the sides, the diamond’s fire is dampened and there by brilliance muted. Sometimes when the clarity and colour of the diamond are superior and yet the diamond appears gloomy, it is most likely that the cut of the diamond is not superior.

Different Cuts of Diamonds: Do not confuse shape of a diamond to a cut of the diamond. Cut of a diamond refers only to the amount of light reflected back. Heart and Arrows, Excellent cut, Very Good cut, Good cut and Fairly cut diamonds.

COLOR

Most diamonds are white in colour and diamonds are graded based on presence or absence of colour.

The GIA’s colour grading begins with D colour. Colourless diamonds are rare and hence considered to be beautiful. While D E and F colour diamonds are almost colourless, G H I and J Diamonds are known to be nearly colourless.

Often gemologists advise that D- F colour diamonds should be set in white gold or platinum rather than in yellow gold. It is believed that yellow gold negates the diamond’s colourless effect.

Only loose stones can be graded. Once set on a metal, the colour of the metal can reflect on the stone thereby affecting the correct colour grading.

Loose stones are placed under a 10x lens and viewed under precise lighting for colour grading.

CLARITY

Diamonds usually contain flaws. These are also called inclusions. Usually only trained gemologists can determine the Clarity of a Diamond. The best diamonds are usually flawless. However, to find such diamonds is a rarity. Diamond buyers will sometimes choose a gem with some inclusions, as long as they are not visible to the naked eye.

The highest clarity grade is FL or IF. These stand for Flawless and Internally Flawless. These diamonds have no imperfections seen under 10x magnification.

The next two grades grouped together are VVS1 and VVS2. These diamonds are defined as Very Very Slightly Included. The imperfections in these are so tiny that even a trained grader might have difficulty locating the inclusions. They are usually a minor pinpoint or a few pinpoints as seen under magnification.

Next are the VS1 and VS2 clarity grades. These diamonds are defined as Very Slightly Included. Small pinpoints and feathers might be found in these grades but they are still small relative to the size of the diamond.

CARAT

Refers to the weight of the diamond. A carat equals 200 mili grams. The larger the carat, the pricier is the diamond, although the other "C's" can influence the final price significantly. The practice in India is to consider the brilliance of the diamond rather than the carat alone.

Carat weight only determines the weight or size of the diamond and hence does not have any significant influence on the quality of the diamond.

However, larger good quality diamonds are difficult to source and thereby cost more. Smaller diamonds may cost less. For example, a two carat diamond of considerable quality will always be more expensive than two single carat diamonds of the same quality. It is believed that one in a million rough stones are large enough to produce a finished 1 carat diamond.

Carat weight is not the same as karat of gold which refers to purity. Every carat can be divided into 100 cents. And the size of the diamond is equal to the carat-weight of diamond. For example: Half carat diamond is also called 50 cents

Diamond Certification

Zaamor Diamonds comes from the house of VBJ. We draw inspiration from this 112-year-old company which resonates quality.

Therefore all our jewellery products are accompanied by genuine and valid certificate from an Independent international labs attesting to the quality of the stone used. The certification is an assurance of the quality of the diamond.

We use certification from GIA (Gemological Institute of America), IGI (International gemological institute), HRD (Hoge Raad Voor Diamant), etc.

An authentic report from the best and reputable labs is the best assurance anyone can give you with regard to the quality and purity of the jewellery and stones used.

It is recommended that you understand various certification grades as they define the stone you are planning to buy.

GIA Known to be one of the best certifications, GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America) grading reports contain every single detail about the diamond you purchase. It grades every single detail of the anatomy of the diamond therefore making it easy to buy the stone. A not for profit organisation, GIA was established in 1931.

IGI Yet another standard, International gemological institute certifies diamonds based of the characters of the diamond. Grading the 4Cs of the diamond, grading them, makes this certificate a highly acknowledged one.

HRD HRD: Considered to be one among the industry leaders, this certificate comes from Belgium’s diamond institute- Hoge Raad Voor Diamant. It is also known as the Diamond High Commission.

HOW TO READ A CERTIFICATE

Date: While reading a certificate, it is always good to check the date of certification first. If the certificate is old, the diamond would have gone through many changes and therefore would require to be certified again.

Certification number: This is also an important factor. This is a unique number given to the diamond. In most cases, this number is engraved in the diamond’s girdle. The number of the certificate must match the number on the girdle.

Usually, the certificate will provide an ideal measurement for reference and the actual measurements of the diamond. It is always good to pick diamonds which are in closer range to the ideal measurements given in the certification.

The certificates also contain details about the diamond such as, inclusions, symmetry and polish.

If there are inclusions, the certificate will provide details of the inclusions as well.

It also provides details on Flourescence. Some provide the level of flourescence also.