What you need to know about the 4c's...

Posted on 1:02pm Tuesday 13th Aug 2013

Rivoir Ring

The 4c's are a universal grading system for diamonds that is in place to keep consistency within the diamond industry. Developed by the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA), diamonds purchased within jewellers often come with a GIA certificate describing the diamond in terms of the 4c's.

Colour

GIAColorScale_2014_636x200

The less colour, the higher the value

This of course refers to 'colourless' diamonds and not to fancy-coloured diamonds (pinks and blues) that lie outside of the colour scale discussed here. The scale refers to body colour of the diamond which may be completely lacking in colour (the ideal) or may feature hints of yellow or brown. The scale runs from D to Z, with D being completely colourless and Z exhibiting light colour. Even though the colour difference may be subtle it does have a profound impact on the value of the stone.

Clarity

Natural imperfections

Diamonds are formed within the mantle of the earth and pushed to the surface during volcanic eruptions. A diamond completely free from inclusions or blemishes is quite rare and the clarity grade refers to the size, nature and location of these imperfections.

Flawless-Internally Flawless (FL - IF) no inclusions are visible using a 10x lens, very rare

Very, very slight inclusions (VVS1 – VVS2) difficult to see inclusions with 10x lens, excellent quality

Very slight inclusions (VS1 – VS2) difficult to see inclusions with 10x lens

Slight inclusions (SI1 – SI2) easy to find with 10x lens but difficult to see with naked eye

Inclusions (I1 – I3) may be seen by naked eye

Carat

1 carat = 0.2 grams

Carat is the unit of weight that is used for diamonds, it is not necessarily representative of it's size. A small difference in carat weight can greatly affect the price of the diamond.

Cut

The cut for a diamond has been mathematically pre-determined

Diamonds have a complex relationship with light, cut too shallow the light falls straight through, cut too deep and the light struggles to reflect back to the eye, generally moving out of the side of the stone. Diamonds have optimum angles that they must be cut at to produce maximum brilliance and dispersion – this is what gives them their sparkle!

Cut grades are classified as:

Excellent - Very Good - Good – Fair - Poor

At Nude Jewellery we can source a variety of diamonds for your bespoke commission. For information on bespoke diamond pieces or for general advice regarding diamonds please call our customer service advisors on 07957 371 254

What you need to know about the Mohs scale of hardness...

Posted on 10:59am Tuesday 13th Aug 2013

Invented by Friedrich Mohs, a German mineralogist, in 1812, the mohs scale of hardness is primarily used to assist in the identification of minerals. Offering a scale of 10 minerals varying from the very soft (talc) to the very hard (diamond), the scale can be useful within jewellery to determine what the gemstone can be used for:

ie is a certain gemstone too soft for everyday wear in a ring?

Can two gemstones be set next to each other without damaging the other?

The idea is that each mineral listed on the scale has the ability to scratch the stones poistioned below it, or to be scratched by the stone in the position above.

So, diamond can scratch all stones positioned 1-9 as diamond is the hardest mineral. Topaz will not scratch corundum or diamond but it will scratch any stone positioned between 1 and 7.

Below is a table breaking down the 10 minerals and the common substances that they are similar to with regards to hardness.

Position	Mineral	Similar to
1	Talc	Fingernail
2	Gypsum (amber)
3	Calcite (ivory)	Copper Coin
4	Fluorite (pearl)
5	Apatite (obsidian)	Glass
6	Feldspar (labradorite)	Steel File
7	Quartz (amethyst, citrine)
8	Topaz
9	Corundum (ruby, sapphire)
10	Diamond

It is worth noting that this scale of hardness is not linear. The difference in hardness between corundum and diamond is not the same as the difference between talc and gypsum. Also, minerals within the same position can still scratch each other.

For further information or for advice on gemstones please call our customer service team on 07957 371 254

Nude Loves.... Rose Gold

Posted on 1:27pm Tuesday 6th Aug 2013

.....Rose gold has become increasingly popular in the past year, not only is it a big trend in fashion jewellery but it's also the gold of choice for fine jewellery and was a central theme in watches at Baselworld 2013.