Choosing a diamond may seem really scary, but it doesn’t have to be! We’ll help you find the perfect stone for that special person. As you may know, the clarity, colour, cut and shape will influence the price of a diamond dramatically. It’s best to decide on how much you want to spend beforehand, so we can shop for stones that fall within your budget. Here at Raimondo we encourage you to come view the stones as we believe it's important to see the stone in the flesh. While two diamonds may seem identical on paper, they can actually be very different when viewed in person. If you are unable to pop in, we’d be happy to send you images, videos and descriptions.
What is a diamond?
A diamond is millions of years old. Consisting of virtually pure carbon, it is the only gemstone composed of a single element. Diamonds are therefore not only the hardest natural substance known to man, but also the purest of the earth’s treasures. What makes this stone so beautiful is that when skilfully cut, it has a unique ability to reflect light back in an explosion of sparkle and fire. Browns quality diamonds are also exceedingly rare. It is this combination of antiquity, purity, endurance, beauty and rarity that have captivated people for so long and which continue to make diamonds so desired and sought after.
The 4 C's of a Raimondo Diamond
The four C's are also applied to a lot of other precious and semi-precious stones, so you can keep them in mind when looking companion stones as well.
Colour
Colour quality is critical because usually the more colourless the diamond, the greater its rarity and value. A single increase in colour grade can boost a diamond's value by thousands of dollars, depending on the stone's size. Although many diamonds may appear colourless to the untrained eye, the majority contain very slight traces of yellow, brown of grey. It should be noted that diamonds also occur by rare accidents of nature in shades and intensities of yellow, pink, blue, green and red.
Clarity
Virtually all diamonds have imperfections called inclusions or blemishes. A diamond is said to be "flawless" if no inclusions or superficial blemishes can be seen under a standard 10-power jeweller’s loupe, truly flawless diamonds are extremely rare and priced accordingly.
Carat
A "carat" is the gemologist's standard measure of diamond's weight. It is important to note that the size alone is almost meaningless unless you consider cut, clarity and colour. A large stone holds little value if it lacks brilliance, purity and high-grade colour. However, size does increase the value of a good quality diamond for the simple reason that large stones are rarer than small ones.
Cut
The cut refers to the faceting proportions on the surface of a diamond. A diamond cutter must place each of the stone's facets and angles, which act as light dispersing mirrors, in exact geometric relation to one another. More than any other factor, the precision of these facets determines the brilliance of the diamond. On a classic round, brilliant cut diamond, for instance, fifty-seven facets must be precisely aligned.
There are of course what are called fancy/unusual diamonds. This refers to diamonds that are an unusual shape, cut or colour or a combination of all three. We love working with these unique stones and can source a variety of different options for you.
If diamonds aren't your thing, there are endless possibilities when it comes to stone hues and colour tones – I truly believe that your ring should suit your personality over social norms.