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The fundamentals that decide a diamonds value
are CUT, COLOUR, CLARITY and CARAT WEIGHT - the 4C’s for
short. The 4C’s are a universal and effective communication
tool used to judge the quality and value of all diamonds. We’ll
help you discover why diamonds from the Antwerp Diamond Company
have superior beauty and value.
Understanding Diamond Cut
A good cut can unlock the extraordinary and unique beauty of
a diamond. At the Antwerp Diamond Company, we believe this is
the most important - though most misunderstood - of the 4 “C”s
that determines a diamond’s quality and value. Even if a
diamond has perfect colour and clarity, a poorly cut diamond will
lose sparkle, beauty and value.
Cut refers to the execution of a diamond’s design, the
skill with which it was cut, the quality of its polish and the
overall symmetry of the stone. The cut affects brightness (how
much white light is reflected), fire (display of spectral colours)
and scintillation (flashes of moving light or sparkle).
The quality of a diamond’s cut is characterised as Excellent,
Very Good, Good, Fair or Poor. Diamonds with an Excellent, Very
Good or Good cut have superior brightness, fire and scintillation.
These diamonds have an extremely lively and beautiful appearance.
Fair and Poor cut diamonds have considerably less brightness because
they loose most of the reflected light out of the sides and bottom.
Fair and Poor cut diamonds appear dull and lifeless.
The Antwerp Diamond Company specialise in precision cut diamonds
that provide breathtaking displays of brightness, fire and scintillation.
Here you’ll find the very best cut grades of Excellent,
Very Good and Good. These grades offer superior beauty and presence
for your diamond.
Finding the Right Shape
When most people think of diamonds, what comes to mind is the
modern round brilliant cut. There are many types of fancy diamond
shapes for those who want something a little different. The Antwerp
Diamond Company specialise in fancy diamond shapes and cuts in
a wide range of carat weights and sizes. If we don’t have
the diamond shape you are looking for in stock, email us and we’ll
find it for you.
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Brilliant - The round brilliant offers an
excellent display of light performance due its perfect symmetry.
It’s the shape everyone thinks of when they picture a
diamond. It’s a timeless classic. |
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Emerald - Many people associate emerald cuts
with elegance. Their simplicity of design and bold, geometric
symmetry emphasise the diamond’s transparency. |
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Oval - Oval cuts look larger than round brilliant
diamonds of equal carat weight. They’re a good alternative
to the round brilliant without being too unconventional. |
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Marquise - Like other fancy shapes, marquise
cut diamonds can appear larger than round brilliants of equivalent
carat weight. The marquise can complement a long finger. |
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Pear - Pear shapes look graceful and stylish.
Their tapered shape can be flattering to the finger and hand.
They’re often the shape of choice for large diamonds. |
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Princess - An excellent alternative to emerald
cuts for people who like the modern square style but want the
look and sparkle of a brilliant cut. |
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Heart - An ideal choice for romantics. |
Understanding Diamond Colour
Colour refers to the presence or absence of colour in diamonds.
White is the colour that attracts the human eye. The whiter the
diamond, the greater its beauty and value. Even a slight tinge
of yellow or brown has a significant impact on a diamond’s
beauty and value.
Most diamonds are graded on the GIA colour scale that begins
with “D” (Colourless) and continues all the way down
to “Z” (Yellow). The yellow tint becomes more visible
as you move down the alphabet.
Stones in the D-F colour ranges are considered the most beautiful
and valuable because they are the rarest. The best way to see
the true colour of a diamond is by looking at it under natural
daylight and comparing colour grades alongside each other. Even
the untrained eye can see the difference.
The Antwerp Diamond Company offers the best colour grades of D
(Colourless) – H (White). These colour grades offer superior
brightness and presence for your diamond.
Understanding Diamond Carat Weight
The term “Carat” refers to the weight of a diamond.
It is derived from the carob seeds that were used to balance scales
in ancient times because of their uniformity of weight and shape.
All properties being equal, larger diamonds are rarer and more
valuable than smaller diamonds. When it comes to diamonds, size
isn’t everything. Other factors such as Cut, Colour and
Clarity come into play as well, in determining a diamond’s
beauty and value. A smaller diamond of superior Cut, Colour and
Clarity can more beautiful and valuable than a larger stone of
only average quality in these areas.
The Antwerp Diamond Company holds the widest range of carat weights
in all diamond shapes from 0.15cts up to 4cts available in stock.
The Antwerp Diamond Company provides you with maximum choice of
superior quality diamonds.
Understanding Diamond Clarity
Diamonds were naturally formed up to 3.3 billion years ago below
the earth’s surface, as a result of unimaginable heat and
pressure placed on carbon crystals. When the diamonds are formed,
tiny “inclusions” remain inside the diamond. These
natural inclusions serve as the “fingerprint” of a
diamond and make each one unique.
Clarity refers to the presence of surface or internal flaws
within a diamond caused during its formation. Truly flawless diamonds
are extremely rare and many times more valuable than those with
small clarity characteristics. It is possible to find clarity
characteristics in almost every diamond. However, large inclusions
interfere with the passage of light through a diamond, diminishing
its sparkle. The fewer or smaller the clarity characteristics,
the more beautiful, rare and valuable the diamond.
Clarity gradings range from “Flawless” (FL) or “Internally
Flawless” (IF) to “Imperfect” (I or P). Here
are the clarity grading ranges:
The Antwerp Diamond Company specialise in the rarest clarity grades
between IF (Internally Flawless) and SI (Small Inclusions). These
clarity grades offer superior sparkle and beauty for your diamond.
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| 18ct white gold diamond cluster ring 0.73cts |
| View Details |
£995 |
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| 18ct white gold half hoop diamond ring 0.37ct |
| View Details |
£595 |
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| 18ct white gold diamond four claw earrings 1.00cts |
| View Details |
£1295 |
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