Diamond Guide
Choose with confidence, not with a spreadsheet.
What you see is selected, not limited.
Our diamond collection is intentionally filtered to our own standards, so you see considered stones rather than an endless list. A considered selection. A world of possibilities.
If you want something outside it — a particular size, shape, colour, certification or specification — we can personally source it. Tell us what you're looking for. We'll source it for you.
Exceptional without excess.
Natural vs. Lab-Grown
A natural diamond formed deep in the earth over an immense span of time. A lab-grown diamond is created above ground under comparable conditions. Both are real diamonds: the same carbon crystal, with the same hardness, fire and sparkle. Neither is a simulant.
The difference is origin, and what origin means to you. Natural diamonds are finite and carry the romance of rarity; lab-grown diamonds generally cost considerably less for the same size and appearance. Grading reports state which one a stone is. There is no wrong answer — only the one that suits you.
Cut
Cut is how well a diamond's facets are proportioned and finished — and it is what makes a diamond come alive. A well-cut stone returns light as brilliance and flashes of colour; a poorly cut one looks glassy or dark, whatever its other grades.
If you prioritise one thing, prioritise cut. It is the grade you notice from across a room. Many people happily trade a step of colour or clarity to keep cut excellent.
Color
White diamonds are graded on a scale from D (colourless) downward, with each letter adding a faint warmth. The differences between neighbouring grades are subtle and usually invisible once a diamond is set and worn.
Setting matters: yellow or rose gold flatters slightly warmer stones, while platinum and white gold show colour more readily. The highest grade is beautiful, but not necessary to look exceptional.
Clarity
Clarity describes the tiny internal features (inclusions) and surface marks (blemishes) nearly every diamond carries. Grades run from Flawless through Very Very Slightly and Very Slightly Included to Included.
The useful question is whether you can see anything with the naked eye. Many diamonds in the middle of the scale look perfectly clean on the hand. Step-cut shapes such as emerald and asscher show more of the interior, so they reward higher clarity.
Carat
Carat is weight, not size. Two diamonds of the same weight can look different depending on cut and shape — elongated shapes such as oval, pear and marquise tend to look larger face-up for their weight.
Prices tend to step up at round numbers such as one carat. A diamond just under a popular weight can look almost identical for less. Choose the presence you want on the hand, then balance the other grades around it.
Diamond Shapes
Round brilliant is the most fiery and the most classic. Oval, pear and marquise are elongated and flattering on the finger. Cushion is softer and romantic; princess is crisp and modern. Emerald and asscher are step cuts — less sparkle, more architecture, a hall-of-mirrors depth.
Shape is personal. It says more about the wearer than any grade does.
Certification
A grading report from an independent laboratory records a diamond's measured characteristics — its weight, colour, clarity and, for round stones, cut — and whether it is natural or lab-grown. It is the diamond's identity document.
Reports from different laboratories are not always graded identically, so compare stones graded by the same laboratory where you can. If you want a particular laboratory, tell us.
Fluorescence
Some diamonds glow, usually blue, under ultraviolet light. That is fluorescence. In most stones it has no visible effect in everyday light; in a small number of strongly fluorescent stones it can make the diamond look slightly hazy.
Faint or medium fluorescence is rarely a concern and can make a warmer diamond appear a touch whiter. If you are considering a strongly fluorescent stone, it is worth asking us to look at it for you.
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