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CARAT
It is important to understand that a 2 carat diamond is not twice the size in diameter of a 1 carat diamond. This is because diamonds are measured by weight, not size – something that is often mistakenly ascribed. Carat weight is not the same thing as size; a one carat diamond weighs 0.2g, so a two carat stone would weigh a 0.4g, yet the dimensions would be 6.5mm and 8.0mm respectively. How large a diamond appears is also dictated by other factors such as shape and cut, so it is important to check the dimensions in millimetres (not just the carat weight!) before deciding which carat weight suits you best.
Stones of the same carat weight could be different sizes, depending on their depth and cut. An emerald cut stone appears larger than a round cut stone of the same carat, for example, as it is shallower.
We have a diamond size and colour chart for you to download if you would like more information.
CLARITY
When diamonds are formed, deep underground and under extreme pressure and heat, imperfections in the crystal structure can form and mineral impurities become trapped inside the stone. The size of these impurities and imperfections determine the clarity grading of a diamond. Diamonds without such impurities are very rare.
The grading scale starts from Flawless / Internally Flawless (FL/IF), Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1/VVS2), Very Slightly Included (VS1/VS2), Slightly Included (SI1/SI2) to Included (I1, I2 and I3).
The more inclusions (also known as natural birthmarks) a stone has, the weaker the lattice structure, which can cause the diamond to fracture. More expensive diamonds have less inclusions.
IQ Diamonds are different, however. Because they are created in a lab, there is full control over the carat, cut, colour and clarity, and therefore they are all of the very best standards. There are no compromises to be made and no disappointing flaws. All you have to do is choose the carat size.
CUT
As the only characteristic not influenced by nature, the cut determines the light dispersion of the diamond which has the greatest influence in overall appearance and sparkle and is far more than simply what shape a rough diamond has been polished into.
HEARTS AND ARROWS DIAMONDS
During the 1980s in Japan, it was discovered that when a round brilliant diamond with exceptional symmetry was viewed from the bottom through a special viewer a pattern of hearts could be seen, and when viewed from the top showed eight grey arrowheads. Diamonds displaying such exceptional symmetry account for less than 1 % of all diamonds cut. The highest grades of polish, symmetry and perfect cutting angles allow it to reflect more light than a standard cut diamond and these (H&A) diamonds are considered to be the Rolls Royce of perfectly cut round diamonds.
All round brilliant cut diamonds are consistently cut by hand to the ideal ‘Hearts and arrows’ cut, which is just about the best you can get in terms of sparkliness.
COLOUR
For white or colourless diamonds, the diamond industry has adopted an alphabetical colour scale from D to Z, with D as the highest grading. These grades actually refer to a lack of colour in a diamond, with the whitest grade being D, and that’s D for most desirable and most expensive.
As you go down the scale, the diamond starts to develop a yellow or brown tint and are both less desirable and cheaper.
Every IQ Diamond is graded as E and are consistent in colour, regardless of the cut or size. This is one grade down from D.
CERTIFICATION
The IQ Diamond is composed of pure diamond mantle grown under the CVD process. As with laboratory-grown diamonds, the CVD process creates gemstones which are of the highest quality, colour and clarity. Optically identical to a mined diamond, the IQ Diamond matches it for brilliance, hardness and longevity and each stone is certified independently by The Global Gemological Research Institute, a grading authority using international standards.
