Over 3 billion years ago, deep within the earth’s crust, Diamonds formed under intense heat and pressure. Diamonds are a natural phenomenon - no two stones are the same, making each uniquely beautiful.

Diamonds are graded and valued based on four factors – Carat, Clarity, Colour and Cut. Simon Curwood Jewellers diamond guide is based on GIA (Gemological Institute of America) standards. GIA is the largest, most respected non-profit source of gemological knowledge in the world. 

Clarity is often described as the character of the stone with all diamonds being imperfectly perfect. The characteristics, or inclusions, may look like crystals, feathers, clouds or dark spots. Diamonds with very few inclusions (FL, IF and VVS) are rare. VS diamonds and SI diamonds are superior in quality and generally consist of inclusion not visible to the naked eye.

Diamonds are sold by the carat (ct), which is actually a unit of weight. A carat is equal to exactly 0.2 grams. The higher the carat weight of a diamond, the more rare and valuable the stone.

To an untrained eye, most diamonds will appear colourless or white when in actual fact all diamonds have subtle yellow to brown tones. This is a natural occurrence in the formation of the diamond while buried deep within the earth’s crust. Colourless diamonds are extremely rare making up 0.001% of the world’s diamonds.

This refers not to the shape of a diamond (round, princess, pear) but to its symmetry, proportion and polish. Diamond cuts are graded on a scale of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. The biggest factor in the score is based on the width of the table, height of the crown and the depth of the pavilion in each diamond. A complex analysis, there are three primary classifications in defining the cut of a diamond;

Brilliance refers to the brightness (white light reflection off the diamond into the depths of its pavilion). Fire, dispersion of light into visible spectrum of colour (flashes of colour). Scintillation is the sparkle (light to dark flashes when a diamond is moved).