DIAMOND QUALITY

Diamonds are truly one of nature's most precious and beautiful creations. They are formed from pure carbon that is crystallized under intense heat and pressure deep below the earth's surface. Although diamonds are the world's hardest substance, their appeal goes far beyond their durability.

Over the years, diamond professionals have developed universally standardized criteria for assessing a diamond's value. Beauty, rarity and price depend on the interplay of the 4 Cs: cut, clarity, color and carat. Diamonds with the highest rating in each of these categories are increasingly rare and more expensive. No one characteristic is more important than another in terms of appearance and quality.

CUT

Cut refers to the the make of the diamond -- the angles, proportion and symmetry. A well-cut diamond reflects maximum light and thus sparkles the best. Cut can also refer to the shape of the diamond. Shapes include round, oval, emerald, asscher, heart, square, pear, marquis, princess, trilliant and radiant. The diamond shapes used in La Collection de Bijoux are round-brilliant, heart and pear. The 58-facet round-brilliant cut is the most optically brilliant because of its 360-degree symmetrical shape. The complex heart shape is the ultimate symbol of love, and requires skilled cutting to ensure proper brilliance. The fancy pear-shaped cut is a variation on the round-brilliant cut, with one round end and the other tapered to a point, like a teardrop.

CLARITY

Clarity refers to the presence of internal inclusions ("blemishes") in a diamond. It indicates a stone's relative position on a "purity" scale.