The trend, “Diamonds are Forever” remains the same. Most people consider diamond jewelry an appropriate accessory for special occasions, but diamonds are versatile. You can incorporate your favorite types of diamonds into your everyday razzle-dazzle.
Diamond cuts are present in countless designs, shapes, and colors. They can add sparkle to your everyday outfits and personal style.
In this post, we’ll talk about:
- Diamond, and its types
- Which diamonds go with different fashion styles
- Finding the right diamonds and using them on special occasions
Diamond
“Diamond” is derived from the Greek term “Adámas,” meaning unbreakable. It is a prestigious stone composed of pure carbon arranged in crystal lattice form.
- It contains a strong covalent bond, making it almost unbreakable
- It has the highest thermal conductivity.
The two properties make it perfect for industrial cutting tools.
On the other hand, its sparkling and crystal-clear appearance makes it the most sought-after gemstone for jewelry. This is why diamond stud earrings and tennis bracelets have been part of modern-day wedding jewelry.
Clarity, sparkle, and color significantly determine the diamond’s worth. Here are the key factors that impact a diamond’s value or price:
- Cut: High-precision cuts mean high-quality, adding more value to the item
- Color: Colorless diamonds may have light yellow or light brown hues; fancy diamonds come in blue, red, and pink
- Clarity: Inclusions and blemishes affect the clarity of the diamond and its overall value
- Carat: Diamond is weighed in carats. A carat is further divided into 100 points to give you the actual weight of the piece.
Types of Diamonds
There are two types of diamonds and each type consists of different cuts, shapes, price ranges, quality, and properties. These are:
- Natural Diamonds
- Lab-grown Diamonds
Natural Diamonds
Natural diamonds are typically those that everyone imagines whenever they think about diamonds. However, these diamonds are extremely rare and expensive.
Natural diamonds, as the name implies, are produced by Mother Nature. They are made from carbon. They are created over long periods of time. Natural diamonds are typically found below 85 miles of the earth’s mantle.
Due to very high temperature and extreme pressure within the mantle, these diamonds are the hardest naturally-occurring substance. Natural diamonds are often rare, expensive, valuable, and finite.
These diamonds are often used in making luxurious accessories, such as:
- Proposal rings
- Earrings
- Studs
- Wedding bands for women, and more.
Moreover, they are also used to create high-quality semiconductor devices, cutting tools, and optical components.
Lab grown Diamonds
Unlike natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds are created in a controlled environment. These labs are equipped with special equipment meant to provide the right pressure and heat necessary for a diamond seed.
This is why they are also called “man-made diamonds.” Most people assume that lab grown diamonds are not as valuable as natural diamonds. However, that is not true. They are as valuable as real diamonds.
Lab created diamonds share the same optical, structural, and chemical properties as natural diamonds. They are manufactured in factories with the same techniques used in the 1960s to replicate natural diamonds.
Lab grown diamonds are an affordable alternative to natural diamonds. These diamonds are ideal for making abrasive grains for drilling, cutting, and polishing tools. Not only that, but you can also use them as jewelry accessories, just like natural diamonds.
From tennis bracelets to engagement rings, earrings, necklaces, cufflinks, and tie pins, lab grown diamonds can be used on all accessories.
Understanding Diamond Cuts
It’s considered a huge investment. It is important to consider and understand diamond cut to ensure you receive great value in exchange for your hard-earned money.
Most people take diamond cuts as their shape (round, cushion, pear shape, etc.). However, the diamond cut refers to the diamond’s ability to transmit light and shine brightly. The cut demonstrates how well the diamond’s surface reflects the lights.
A diamond cut shows the dimension, internal surface, and symmetry. In easy words, the quality of the cut makes the gemstone’s appearance bright or dull, and more luminous or less luminous.
Here are some diamond cuts to consider:
1. Round Cut
The round cut is among the rarest and sparkliest diamond cuts. It is mostly used to make great, expensive wedding sets, especially engagement rings.
Round cut diamonds are extremely expensive due to their high value. Natural round-cut diamonds are not carved into any shape or structure; they are polished to achieve a beautiful circular shape. This cut has an incredible internal reflection from 58 facets, perfect for a diamond. A diamond with 58 facets offers maximum refraction to light, which is why it has the brightest appearance.
2. Oval Cut
With a similar structure to a round-cut diamond, this cut can be an excellent choice if you are looking for slightly unique and different wedding ring shapes than a circle. An oval-cut diamond is more durable than the round one due to its sharp edges.
Oval-cut diamonds are less in demand and are not as costly as other diamond cuts. Moreover, oval-cut diamonds can make beautiful and sparkly earring studs.
3. Princess Cut
Introduced in the late 70s, the princess diamond cuts contain various ranges of facets that offer brilliant sparkle. The pointed edges of a princess-cut diamond can make up for exceptional wedding jewelry. In fact, the princess cut’s unique square diamond shape appeals to people who prefer minimal wedding jewelry.
You can find princess-cut diamonds in many items, such as:
- Tennis bracelets
- Necklaces
- Pendants
- Small earrings, and more.
The princess cut diamonds can be affordable compared to the round cuts. Plus, they offer a higher level of brilliance and sparkle as compared to round-cut diamonds.
4. Emerald Cut
An emerald-cut diamond displays an elongated square or rectangular shape with chiseled step cuts and parallel linear facets. To prevent the fracture of reflection, the corners of emerald-cut diamonds are mostly cropped.
For anyone looking for large noticeable proposal rings or diamond studs, emerald-cut diamonds can be an excellent choice. Moreover, choosing an emerald diamond cut means getting a large gemstone with an affordable price tag.
5. Cushion Cut
A unique combination of round edges on a square-shaped diamond is known as a cushion cut. The soft round edge delivers a classic and timeless appeal to the wearer. If you desire a colored flash of light and full dispersion of sparkle, cushion-cut can make up for beautiful diamond engagement rings.
The cushion-cut diamond comes in rectangular and square shapes. Apart from the broad dispersion of light, the cushion-cut diamond has one downside. The deeper cuts of the cushion often provide a smaller surface. You must choose a cushion cut of a 3-carat diamond.
6. Pear Cut
A pear cut has a droplet shape with one fine pointed edge that creates a subtle elongated effect. It’s a brilliant diamond shape by combining oval and marquise diamond cuts. A pear-cut diamond can make one-of-a-kind proposal rings or other wedding jewelry pieces.
Wedding rings with pear-cut diamonds are great for making the short or wide fingers look slimmer and longer. It can also make a shiny pair of diamond earrings. The pointed edge of the pear-cut diamond can display an appealing and subtle sparkle.
Conclusion
A diamond wedding jewelry can become an heirloom if you keep it protected from substances that may cause chipping and cracking. But before you buy diamond wedding jewelry, a tennis bracelet, or an engagement ring, make sure it goes with your style. Beautiful jewelry photography will help you pick the perfect jewelry piece.
This is why contemplating different diamond cuts is so important. Each cut has its own significance that goes a long way to making a unique impression.
Now that you have learned about fashion diamonds, you can make the right choice based on your style and taste.
