Loose Stones
Loose Stones & Diamond Price List
With his extensive collection of certified and non certified diamonds, Colin Daniels takes great pride in providing the very best diamonds to retailers and private clients. Please click here to view our up to date wholesale diamond price list
Selecting The Perfect Diamond For You
Before choosing your diamond, we want you to have all the necessary information regarding 'The Four Cs', because the more you know, the better prepared you are to make an informed decision regarding your purchase.
The 'Four Cs' Explained
Colour
Diamond colour is graded according to the GIA Grading scale and are based on the amount of yellow that is visible when viewing a diamond facedown on a white diamond colour card using daylight equivalent fluorescent lighting. When a diamond is colour graded, it is compared using a set of master stones.These are a set of real diamonds that display a range of known colours. It is extremely difficult to see the colour differences within diamonds, but master stones help graders distinguish between one colour and another.
As you can see from the chart, the colour-grading scale ranges from D to Z. The highest colour grade and whitest diamond available is a D colour stone. As this is also considered to be the rarest colour grade, it also means they are of a higher value. Diamonds classified as E and F in colour have no detectable colour to the naked eye and they fall into the Colourless category. Colours G to J in the colour range have a hint of body colour and are classified as Near Colourless. Diamonds in the J to M range have faint traces of yellow that can be detected by the naked eye. In general, most diamonds sold are in the colour range of D to J and occasionally K. However, there are rarer colours, such as green, pink and blue which are classified as Fancy Coloured Diamonds and command the highest values in the market.
For more information or help in choosing the perfect diamond or to arrange an appointment, please call our Hatton Garden office now to speak with Colin Daniels or a member of staff on 020 (7)404-6622 or 0777-564-7488. Alternatively please use our booking form to submit an enquiry and we will aim to respond to you within 24 hours.
Cut
Cut refers not only to a diamond's shape (e.g Round, Oval, Pear, Princess) but also to a diamond's proportions, symmetry and polish. Most diamonds are cut round with a full 58 facets. A diamond with an excellent cut, or make, allows the maximum amount of light to filter through a diamond giving it more brightness and sparkle and are what we call 'full of fire'. It is the work of a master diamond cutter that allows the diamond to be cut in such a way as to allow the maximum amount of light to be reflected through the diamond, and that's a great reflection on you. It is the cut that enables a diamond to make the best use of light.
For more information or help in choosing the perfect diamond or to arrange an appointment, please call our Hatton Garden office now to speak with Colin Daniels or a member of staff on 020 (7)404-6622 or 0777-564-7488. Alternatively please use our booking form to submit an enquiry and we will aim to respond to you within 24 hours.
Clarity
Diamonds are formed deep within the earth and as a result, each diamond contains small imperfections either inside the diamond itself (inclusions), or on its surface (blemishes). A diamonds's clarity is a measurement of how 'clean' the stone is. Clarity is graded under 10x power magnification and ranges from Flawless to Imperfect. Clarity grades range from Flawless to I3. A Good SI1 diamond should be 'eye clean' or free from imperfections to the naked eye. Generally, the higher the clarity and the rarer the stone, the more precious and valuable it is.
Types of Clarity Characteristics
As previously mentioned, there are two basic categories of clarity characteristics, inclusions and blemishes.
Inclusions are clarity characteristics that are completely enclosed in a polished gem or those extending into it from the surface. Examples of inclusions are as follows:
Feather or gletz — A general term for any break or fracture in a diamond.
Bearded girdle — Minute feathers that extend from the girdle surface into the stone.
Indented Natural — The original crystal surface, or skin, that dips below the polished diamond's surface.
Knot — An included diamond crystal that extends to the surface after polishing.
Cavity — Space left when a surface-reaching crystal comes out during polishing.
Crystal — Another mineral crystal contained in the diamond. These crystals can include other diamonds, garnet or a host of other minerals.
Needle — A long, thin crystal.
Pinpoint — A very tiny crystal that looks like a dot or speck of dust. Pinpoints often congregate in clusters or clouds.
Twinning wisp — A series of pinpoints, clusters or crystals that formed in a twinned diamond's growth plane.
Internal graining — The appearance of faint lines, angles or curves caused by crystal growth.
Blemishes are external clarity characteristics caused by wear, the cutting process or the diamonds crystal structure.
Examples of blemishes are as follows:
Nick — A small chip-like characteristic.
Abrasion — A series of minute nicks along a facet junction.
Scratch — A thin, dull, white line across the diamond's surface.
Natural — A portion of the original skin that remains on the diamond.
Pit — Small surface characteristic that looks like a tiny dot.
To learn more about Diamond clarity please view GIAs Four C Guide here.
For more information or help in choosing the perfect diamond or to arrange an appointment, please call our Hatton Garden office now to speak with Colin Daniels or a member of staff on 020 (7)404-6622 or 0777-564-7488. Alternatively please use our booking form to submit an enquiry and we will aim to respond to you within 24 hours.