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H I S T O R Y

Diamonds have long been regarded for their exceptional beauty and have been used to symbolise love and devotion throughout history. Creating a source of fascination for centuries, diamonds are the most precious and enduring of all gemstones. It is only when a diamond reaches the earth's surface, after billions of years in the making, that the true brilliance of each individual stone is known. With only a small number of stones surviving this long and with a difficult journey, even fewer will be suitable to be made into exquisite pieces of jewellery.

 First used as a symbol of marriage over 500 years ago when the Archduke of Austria gave a diamond to Mary of Burgundy, diamonds are still the most popular of all gemstones to be used in engagement rings today. Found in varying deposits around the world including Australia, Ghana, Russia, the USA and Brazil, large scale mining and the development of effective cutting techniques has led to diamonds becoming a luxury affordable by all.

L E G E N D  &  L O R E

Their exceptional beauty and rarity has lead to diamonds being surrounded by legend. Believed by many to possess magical powers, diamonds are said to protect the wearer against ghosts and magic.

Diamonds were also said to have great healing abilities, used to cure stomach aches and commonly used to detect and cure poisoning.

Derived from the Greek word “adamas” meaning “indestructible”, diamonds are thought to represent strength and courage and their purity and everlasting beauty quickly made them a popular gift of love and a welcome gift for all occasions.

The 4 C's

When shopping for diamond engagement rings, most customers want to gain an understanding of the Four C’s. The Four C’s provide a guideline for the quality of your diamond and can be split into the categories of clarity, cut, colour and carat. These four aspects provide a better way to understand your diamond and will normally be recorded on your diamond certificate.

1. COLOUR

The colour of a diamond has a dramatic effect on its value - the better the colour, the higher the price.

At Chapelle we use the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) scale, this grades the stones from D (colourless) to Z (yellow/brown tinted). Although diamonds graded D are most desirable, shades near this grading are excellent quality with the added benefit of being a little gentler on the bank balance!

Diamonds with distinct colours, such as very yellow or deep brown tones, are classed as 'fancy diamonds' and are graded separately to clear diamonds.

2. CLARITY

All diamonds are unique and will contain naturally occurring inclusions or small flaws – we like to think of these as added character!

Often minor and formed when the diamonds were created in the earth, some inclusions are hardly visible to the naked eye however the clarity of your diamond is always worth considering.

Clarity is also graded on a lettering scale from FL (flawless) to I3 (inclusions 3). It’s important to note that diamonds lower down on the clarity grading scale shouldn’t be written off on your search, when well set within jewellery the inclusions can be hidden and appear less noticeable.

3. CARAT

A common misconception is that the carat indicates the size of the diamond – instead, it indicates the weight.

Depending on the cut and setting of the diamond, it can appear a lot larger than its actual carat weight. However, carat represents the true diamond weight.

Often, in cluster rings or jewellery with multiple diamonds, the carat weight indicates the combined weight of all of the diamonds set within the piece.

The weight can be graded in carats or points, a 10pt diamond is given a carat weight of 0.10ct and a 3/4ct diamond will be written at 0.75ct etc.

4. CUT

Cut refers to both the style and shape the rough crystal is skillfully crafted into.

A good diamond cut can bring out the brilliance of a stone, taking into consideration symmetry and proportions to ensure the light is reflected throughout the diamond. Different shapes and cuts create different effects, but a well-cut diamond will noticeably sparkle as it catches the light. Each cut has been carefully designed to accentuate a different feature of the diamond and can work well in a number of ring styles.

Popular cuts include:
Classic round brilliant cut, which works beautifully in the recognisable solitaire engagement rings.
Princess cut diamonds, offering a contemporary square shape that works well as both a focal point or set along a band.
Cushion cut diamonds are most frequently seen with fancy diamonds. This is a curved rectangular or curved square design, designed to draw light into the diamond and show off its gorgeous colour.
Other cuts include marquise cut diamonds, emerald cut diamonds, heart cut diamonds and pear cut diamonds.

C A R E  &  C L E A N I N G

Diamonds are extremely tough, hard wearing natural gemstones which retain their high polish and lustre well, making them easy to look after.

Diamonds are so hard that they can only be cut or polished by other diamonds, so it is for this reason diamond jewellery should not be stored where it can rub against other gemstones as this could cause wear and scratching of other gemstone jewellery. The Mohs’ scale measures a gems relative hardness on a scale of 1 to 10 based on the stones “scratchability”. Diamond is the hardest at 10, sapphire and rubies measure 9, with pearl at around 3 ½ and amber at 2 ½

Diamond jewellery can be cleaned with any conventional jewellery cleaner, a toothbrush and diamond polishing cloth to clean away any dirt, grease or daily signs of wear and tear. Specialist ultra sonic cleaners found in jewellery stores can also be used without damaging the stone.

C E R T I F I C A T I O N   B O D I E S

A large range of diamond jewellery we sell is supplied with a certificate or diamond warranty which, after the diamond has been independently assessed by a qualified gemmologist, provides an accurate record of the diamonds cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. As these certificates are unique to each individual diamond in a piece of jewellery this provides peace of mind that the diamond you have purchased is of the quality stated.


Now you're in the know, click here to view our stunning range of diamond engagement rings.

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