Blemish
A flaw on the exterior of a diamond, such as a scratch, abrasion, nick or chip.
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Blue-White
Refers to a diamond that glows (fluoresces) blue under ultraviolet light.
Such a diamond would look oily and milky in sunlight.
However, Blue-White diamonds are not always oily and milky in daylight. In
fact, there are two kinds of fluorescence, good and bad. "Good" (blue)
fluorescence makes a faint yellow diamond look whiter because it cancels
some of the yellow appearance. In a white diamond, it makes it look more
crisp, like adding a "bluing" agent to a white shirt. Hence, a blue-white
diamond used to be prized and in great demand. The term was misused so
extensively, however, that the FTC banned its use by the trade. "Bad"
fluorescence does detract from the beauty of a diamond.
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Brilliance
Internal and external reflection of white light to the eye from a gemstone.
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Brilliant
A round diamond with 58 facets.
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Carbon
The raw material of which diamonds are made. Occasionally a diamond will contain tiny pockets of carbon which can be seen as black spots within the stone.
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Carat-Weight
Standard measurement for diamond size equal to 200 milligrams. In ancient times one carat was equal to one carob bean or four grains of rice.
Early derivations are from the Greek word "keration", meaning a carob bean, and a
small weight; later the Latin "carratus," and later still, the Arabic word
"qirat," meaning 'bean pod' or a 'small weight.' The Locust tree which
bears the carob bean as its fruit commonly grows in the semi-arid regions
around the Mediterranean Sea. The international metric carat (MC) was
standardized in 1913 by the U.S. government (some other nations had adopted
it as early as 1905) as equal to 200 milligrams. This carat
was formerly subdivided into quarters, called "carat grains", but since the
adoption of the international standard, it is divided decimally; one
one-hundreth of a carat is usually called a "point". In the trade, however,
it is still common to refer to a one carat diamond as a "four-grainer", a
three quarter carat diamond as a "three-grainer", etc.
Not to be confused with karat which is used for gold.
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Clarity
The degree to which tiny marks of nature, called inclusions, are present in the diamond.
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Cloud
A cluster of small inclusions, or internal flaws, within a diamond.
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Color
Diamonds range from colorless - the rarest and most valuable - to yellowish, with a spectrum of shadings in between. Read more about Diamond Color
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Crown
Top part of the diamond above the girdle.
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Cut
Not to be confused with the shape of a diamond.
Cut refers to the arrangement of a diamond's facets.
A diamond which is "ideal cut" captures and releases the maximum play of light.
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Cutlet
The bottom facet of a diamond, usually very small.
If it is too large, when you look straight down through the table it will look like the diamond has a hole in the middle.
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Dispersion
Dispersion is the ability to create spectral colors as light exits the diamond.
Eye-Clean
Refers to a diamond that has no inclusions or blemishes visible to the naked eye.
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Facet
A polished surface on a diamond.
A round, full-cut diamond usually has 58 facets, 33 on the crown and 25 on the pavilion.
On a well-proportioned stone, these facets will be uniform and Symmetrical. If they are not, the diamond's ability to refract and reflect light will suffer
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Fire
Flashes of different rainbow colors resulting from the dispersion of light.
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Flawless
Diamond without external or internal blemishes or inclusions seen under 10X magnification.
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Fluorescence
A diamond's reaction to ultraviolet (UV) light, causing the stone to glow in various colors.
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Full-Cut
A diamond with 58 or more facets.
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Gemologist
A person who has been trained and certified in diamonds and colored stones.
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GIA
Gemological Institute of America, an independent, non-profit organization which sets and upholds standards for grading diamonds and other precious stones.
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Girdle
Circumference of a diamond which is usually held by prongs of a setting and separates the crown and pavilion.
The purpose of the girdle is to protect the edge of the stone from chipping.
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Head
The prongs which hold a diamond in its setting.
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Inclusions
Natural impurities in a diamond which were formed during the crystallization process.
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Karat
The measure of the purity of gold; 24-karat being pure gold.
Jewelry is made from 18K and 14K gold, which contain other metals for strength.
Not to be confused with carat-weight which is used for diamonds.
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Laser-Drilled
A diamond that has been treated with a laser to remove carbon spots.
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Light Return
Dispersion is the ability to capture and reflect light to the viewer, with minimal leakage through the pavilion (bottom) of the diamond.
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Loupe
A small magnifying glass used to view gemstones
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Off-Make
A poorly proportioned diamond.
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Pavé
A method of setting diamonds very closely together, giving the illusion of one or more larger diamonds.
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Pavilion
The bottom part of the diamond below the girdle.
The angle of the pavilion for a round diamond is ideally 40.75 degrees.
The pavillion acts as a very highly polished
and precise mirror much like the Hubble telescope. It is the engine which
drives the beauty of the diamond back up throught the crown and table.
Because of this, along with its extraordinary polish and symmetry, when a
Hearts On Fire diamond is viewed... beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder!
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Point
One-hundredth of a carat. A diamond weighing one-and-a-half carats weighs 150 points.
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Refraction
Refraction refers to the bending and slowing of light as it passes at an oblique angle from the medium of one optical density (such as air) into a medium of greater optical density (such as a diamond).
The strength of refraction depends on the angle at which the light passes between the two and the degree to which the second medium reduces its speed.
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Semi-Mount
A setting which is complete except for the main stone, which will be selected separately.
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Shape
Not to be confused with cut, shape means the geometric for of the stone.
Popular shapes include the round brilliant, marquise, emerald cut, pear and oval.
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Single-Cut
A diamond with only 16 or 17 facets.
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Sparkle
Flashing effect produced when a diamond is moved in the light.
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Symmetry
Symmetry is the quality of efficient light reflection and return.
It is a function of proper attention to cutting angles.
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Table
Top, largest and most important facet in a diamond.
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Tiffany
A simple, elegant 2-3mm ring setting with a head with prongs that holds a single diamond.
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Transparency
The degree to which a material transmits light and the degree to which objects beyond the material are visible is called "transparency".
Internal characteristics, degree of polish and coatings all affect a material's transparency.
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