Diamond Jewellery Buyers Guide
Quality, Beauty, Confidence. The words that describe your choice of diamond jewellery from Hancocks Jewellers for you, or for that special person in your life. And as everyone knows, the more exquisite the jewellery, the more you notice the person wearing it. So how can you make the right choice in Hancocks diamond jewellery? And because diamonds are so personal and precious, especially in handmade and exclusive jewellery, how can you match price, quality and style in the best possible way?
We’ve created this Buyers Guide to help you with some of the concepts and terms of what makes fine diamond jewellery a cut above the rest. It’s designed to give you information that will be useful in making your choice, both in terms of budget and also of selecting a piece that truly suits the person for whom you are buying it. You’ll find it even easier to understand the descriptions of different jewellery, whether your interest lies in white diamond jewellery such as earrings with brilliant cut diamonds (90/281), or a single-stone diamond ring of over 4 carats (2/956).
Hancocks diamond jewellery is made to be timeless and to reflect the passion of the master craftspeople who make dreams come true. Let’s start with some of the fundamentals in high quality jewellery. Knowing how to appreciate a diamond at its real value and at the right price becomes a lot easier when you know about the “4 C’s” method of rating different diamonds that we use at Hancocks Jewellers. Understanding these precious stones unlocks a whole new world of understanding of the beauty of the rings, bracelets and pendants that we fashion as settings of quality and lasting beauty for your diamonds.
Understanding Diamond Quality and Cuts
Cutting diamonds
The cutting and polishing of a diamond is what releases its inner fire and brilliance. Step cuts, or parallel cuts around the edge of the diamond, give it glassy elegance, such as the single stone emerald cut diamond set in a platinum ring (2/328). Brilliant cuts are triangular cuts on the surface to increase the brilliance of the diamond. The original shape of the diamond also plays a part. For example, if you want diamond jewellery with a maximum of fire and brilliance, then choose a round stone, such as the single stone pendant (49/059). But take a look as well at other Hancocks Jewellery, such as diamond pear rings (2/230), pear shaped diamond pendant (49/340), and princess (49/271) and heart (2/350) diamond cuts. They are all examples of white diamond jewellery that demonstrate the wide choice available.
White diamonds – the colour of choice
Ideally, diamonds should be perfectly colourless. When we make white diamond jewellery, our aim is the perfect marriage between pure diamonds with fire and brilliance, and platinum as a perfect backdrop. It’s what sets our three stone diamond jewellery (30/110) and diamond wedding rings (14/071) in a class of their own, amongst other white diamond jewellery pieces. Diamond coloration is indicated by a letter that grades the diamond: “D colour” is the purest, whitest diamond there is; “E colour” is almost perfect, and so on. Diamond coloration visible to the naked eye may only begin at around “h” or “i”. You’ll see indications for certain jewellery pieces that we create; for example, a three stone diamond ring (30/205), graded as “g” which is close to the top end for this kind of jewellery.
Diamond clarity
Although Hancocks Jewellers are perfectionists at heart, and our quest is always for the best quality diamonds for our pendants, bracelets, rings, earrings and so on, even we have to recognize that the completely flawless diamond is a very rare occurrence. Yet good quality diamonds can be expertly cut on ways that favour their inherent beauty and that minimise any internal flaws. Be aware also that while some imperfections, detectable only under the microscope, may affect the price of a diamond, they may also be literally imperceptible to the naked eye. Hancock jewellery such as diamond necklaces and diamond earrings become eminently more accessible, without sacrificing visual impact and while remaining high quality jewellery. We also grade our diamonds in this way, to prove their relative excellence; for example, a man’s platinum wedding ring with diamonds (11/154).
Diamonds and Carats – is bigger really better?
Diamonds are weighed in terms of carats and points. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams, and one point is equal to 2 milligrams. Bigger diamonds are rarer. So their price is not just automatically double that of a diamond of the same quality that is half the weight. It may be much more. However, if a diamond weighs more, but is poorly proportioned, it may be difficult or impossible to cut it so as to make it as desirable as a diamond of less carat weight, but better proportioned. And for a given price, the bigger the diamond, then necessarily the lower the quality in one or more of clarity, cut or colour.
Which diamond jewellery will suit me or my special person best?
Even if studies have been done that link the different shapes of diamond with different personality traits, the answer is to start with personal preference and to see which diamonds you like best. Perhaps you will find that as an independent, creative person you favour oval shaped diamonds, such as our oval three stone diamond ring (3/628). Or perhaps your family-oriented or romantic character make the round diamond or the heart-shaped diamond particularly attractive in your eyes, and your choice will be for a single stone heart shaped diamond ring (2/350).
Talk to your Hancocks Jewellers expert about what suits you best personally. If we have a solid reputation built up over more than a century, it’s because our customers come back to us time and again for our advice as well as our jewellery. We know that diamonds and people have at least one thing in common: each and every one is individual and distinct. No matter what your personality, we know that there’ll be a diamond to suit you and your pocket.
What should diamond jewellery cost me?
The price of high quality diamond jewellery, whether single stone or three stone diamond rings, diamond pendants, necklaces or earrings, will be determined by the “4 C’s” explained above. For a diamond engagement ring for example, a smaller diamond that is purer, clearer and better cut may be worth considerably more than a larger diamond which falls short on one or more of these counts. High quality jewellery is sometimes a case of less being more.
To really understand your options in terms of budget, Hancocks jewellers are there to help you to select the diamond jewellery that best suits you. Shape, mounting, and clarity all play a part; within a certain budget range, it may be possible to vary one or other of these aspects to have different kinds of diamond available to you at the same price.
Remember also that diamonds are forever – so whatever your investment, the quality and beauty of the diamonds in your high quality jewellery will remain undiminished by the passage of time.
How can I be sure of the quality of my diamond jewellery?
For investments above a certain level a diamond certificate, prepared by certified gems experts from independent laboratories, may be advisable. This certificate is a precise, factual document that accurately describes a unique jewel in the high quality jewellery that you purchase. At Hancocks Jewellers, you can ask to have any parts explained that you would like to have clarified. Your diamond grading report is also an important record for insurance purposes. Any shape of diamond can benefit from a certificate, such as the single stone marquise cut diamond ring with its certificate describing the 3.01 carat diamond (2/969).
