EDUCATIONAL FAQ'S
What are Melee diamonds?
The term Melee is used to describe small stones measuring between 0.025ct - 0.07ct. Sizes below 0.02ct are referred to as Stars.
What is Brilliance, Dispersion (fire) & Scintillation?
Brilliance is the white light reflection from the inside and surface of the diamond.
Dispersion (often referred to as fire) refers to the flashes of colour refracted from the diamond.
Scintillation is the flashes of light you see when the diamond is moved (the sparkle).
What is Luster?
Luster is defined as,' the appearance of a materials surface in reflected light' (the quality of the shine). For example a mirror has very good luster.
What is a Facet?
A facet is the flat polished surface on a stone. A round cut diamond has 58 facets.
What do the terms brilliant cut and step cut refer to?
These are the different cutting styles used to cut diamonds.
Brilliant cut is the most common style for cutting diamonds, with the most common being the round brilliant cut which consists of 58 facets. This style creates triangular-shaped facets.
Step cut refers to the cutting style used to cut Emerald and Asscher shaped stones. With this method the facets are elongated and placed in rows.
Some styles like the Princess cut are a mixture of both, these are called mixed cuts.
Each cutting style has its own unique style and light-reflecting properties.
What is a fancy shape diamond?
A fancy shaped diamond, is any shape that is not round. In addition a fancy colour diamond is any diamond colour that is not white.
Why do gemstones of the same type and size vary in price?
Gemstones vary in price, for example two, 1 carat Rubies could be 10 times the price difference. This is because of the quality of the stones. The quality of the stones are determined by the following factors. Colour, symmetry, luster and transparency.
What is the Mohs Scale?
The Mohs scale measures a gemstones hardness. Most people think hardness and toughness are the same thing, but in gemmology they actually have separate meanings.
Hardness is how well a gemstone resists scratches and abrasion.
Toughness is how well a gemstone resists breaking and chipping.
Diamonds are one of the hardest materials know to man. Only another diamond can scratch a diamond. On the other hand however, diamonds are not the toughest material know to man so can easily be fractured with a blow in the right place.
Diamonds are the hardest material on the Mohs scale, 10 times harder than the next gemstone, Corundum (Ruby and Sapphire).
