Diamond and Jewellery Definitions
Appraisal – A valuation of property by the estimate of an authorized person.
Baguette – A rectangular shape diamond that is often used to enhance the setting of a larger stone.
Bar Setting – A setting style where each stone is held in by a bar, shared between two stones.
Bead Setting – Setting that involves drilling a cavity no bigger than the diameter of the diamond and raising beads of metal onto the gemstone to secure it.
Bezel Facet – Kite shaped facets on the crown and pavilion of a diamond.
Bezel Setting – A setting that surrounds a stone in precious metal, giving protection to all edges of the stone, while creating a beautiful look that enhances the diamond.
Blemish – A flaw (scratch or abrasion) on the surface of a gemstone.
Brilliance – White light reflected up through the surface of a diamond. Brilliance is maximized by cutting a diamond to the correct proportions.
Brilliant Cut – A cut that utilizes 58 facets. It can be round, oval, radiant, pear, or heart-shaped.
Briolette – A tear-drop shaped stone with facets all around. This is nice for a pendant or earrings.
Bypass – A ring design in which the two sides of the band do not meet in a straight line, but “bypass” one another.
Carat – A unit of weight for a gemstone, equivalent to 200 milligrams, or one-fifth of a gram.
Channel Setting – A popular mounting for rows of diamonds that are uniform in size; the channel setting surrounds the row of diamonds with precious metal on either side. This setting is very popular for round, baguette, and square cut stones. Gemstones are sometimes graduated. Anniversary bands are often associated with the channel setting design.
Clarity – A grade given to a diamond to describe how many inclusions the diamond has. The clarity scale ranges from flawless (FL), meaning the diamond has no internal or external flaws, to severely included (I3), meaning the diamond has many flaws clearly visible to the unaided eye.
Cloud – A cluster of small inclusions inside a gemstone.
Colour – A grade given to a diamond to describe the colour tones of the stone. The colour scale ranges from D, meaning completely colourless, to Z, meaning it has a distinct yellow cast. As the scale moves from D to Z it indicates increasing levels of yellow or brown tones.
Crown – The portion of a diamond that is above the girdle.
Culet – The area where the diamond comes to a point, often referred to as the bottom of the diamond.
Cushion – Indicates a rounded rectangular shape.
Cut – Commonly used to refer to both the shape of a stone (round, pear, marquis, etc.) and the make (the exact geometric proportions to which a gemstone is cut). The cut of a stone is the most important factor in determining how much light is reflected back out of the gemstone through the table and top facets.
Depth – The height of the gemstone, measured from the culet to the table.
Diamond – A very valued gem composed of pure carbon; the hardest of all known natural substances.
Diamond Cuts
Ideal – Round diamonds that are perfectly proportioned (having depth percentages and table percentages that maximize fire and brilliance) and have high grades on polish and symmetry. These stones have had the finest craftsmanship to maximize the beauty of the diamond.
Very Good – Diamonds cut to fit very strict requirements for depth percentage and table percentage. These outstanding proportions maximize fire and brilliance in the diamond.
Good – Diamonds cut with acceptable, but not perfect, cut proportions. They generally have very good brilliance and fire, and make excellent jewelry.
Fair – Diamonds cut to maximize the weight of the stone, generally at the expense of fire and brilliance. While less expensive than diamonds with Good to Very Good cuts, they do no have the sparkle people expect from a diamond.
Poor – Poorly cut diamonds that look lifeless to the eye. These diamonds are not recommended for fine jewelry.
Emerald Cut – Stone cut into a rectangular or square shape with cut corners, with rectangular facets arranged in rows that look like flights of stairs.
European - Cut Diamond – The shape in which diamonds were cut prior to the round, brilliant diamond. These diamonds had a much higher crown and a smaller table than the round brilliant diamonds seen commonly today.
Facet – Any flat surface on a diamond. A round, brilliant diamond has 58 facets.
Fancy-Cut – Typically refers to the shape of the diamond. Fancy cuts include all shapes except for the traditional round style. Fancy cuts include baguette, emerald, triangle (trillion), pear, princess, oval, and marquis.
Fire – Coloured light reflected from within a diamond. Fire is maximized by cutting a diamond to the correct proportions.
Full-Cut Diamond – A diamond with 58 facets. Also referred to as Round Brilliant Cut.
G.I.A. Grading Report – The Gemological Institute of America developed the International Grading System. Each GIA graded diamondcomes with a grading report revealing the characteristics of that stone (color, clarity, dimensions, internal and external inclusions).
Girdle – The narrow band around the width of a gemstone. The setting usually holds the gemstone around the girdle.
Head – Attached to the ring shank, the head of the ring holds the center stone or solitaire in place.
Head Shape – The head shape of any ring is determined by the shape of the gemstone that it is intended to hold. For example, the head that holds an ideal-cut diamond is round, where a head intended to hold a princess-cut diamond is square.
Heart – A stone cut into the shape of a heart.
Ideal Cut Diamond – Round diamonds that are perfectly proportioned (having depth percentages and table percentages that maximize fire and brilliance) and have high grades on polish and symmetry. These stones have had the finest craftsmanship to maximize the beauty of the diamond.
I.G.I. Certified – Certification by the International Gemological Institute evaluating a diamond’s or gemstone’s weight, measurements, shape and cut, finish, proportions, clarity, and color.
Inclusion – All but the rarest gemstones contain inclusions, which are created during the gemstone’s formation in the earth. Inclusions are trace minerals, fractures, and other imperfections in the stone that contribute to its unique fingerprint.
Invisible Setting – A very delicate process that requires cutting grooves into the sides of individual diamonds so that they fit together, much like the pieces of a puzzle, eliminating the need for metal to be placed between the stones.
Marquise – A fancy gemstone cut; long and pointed on both ends.
Moh’s Scale – One of the most important factors to consider in the care of precious gems and metals is their hardness or durability. To measure hardness, the jewelry industry uses the Moh’s Scale. This gem-trade standard, invented by Friedrich Moh in the early 1800s, measures the ability of a gem or mineral to resist abrasion damage. Diamond is placed as the hardest substance at 10, while talc is the softest at 1.
Multiple Stone Setting – A piece of jewelry with several stones grouped together creating the illusion of one large stone.
Natural – Part of the original surface of the diamond crystal that is left unpolished.
Nick Setting – A style of setting designed to look like the channel setting, but the stones are actually held in by small prongs “nicked” in the side of the channel. This provides a large-diamond look.
Oval – An elongated circle.
Pave Setting – A setting often used for clusters of small diamonds. The stones are set so closely together that they give the illusion of having no metal between them. Pave is often set with white-colored metals to enhance the look and shine of the diamonds.
Pavillion – The portion of a diamond which is below the girdle.
Pear – A teardrop shaped stone.
Princess – A square/rectangular cut stone.
Prong – A narrow piece of metal that is folded over the girdle of a stone to secure it in a setting. Also referred to as claw.
Radiant – A stone cut into a rectangular shape with cut corners
Round – This shape gives maximum brilliance from most diamonds.
Solitaire – The mounting of a single diamond.
Special Faceting – A flat, polished surface cut into a stone.
Straight – A style of mounting where the two sides of the shank are straight across from one another at the top.
Table – The flat surface on the top of a diamond.
Tension Setting – The ideal way to mount a diamond because it utilizes very little metal around the diamond, allowing maximum light to enter the stone and reflect back to the beholder. The tension setting is a safe way to showcase a beautiful stone and has a very contemporary look.
Tiffany Setting – Often referred to as the traditional setting, the tiffany uses four or six prongs to hold the stone into the shank of the ring. The prongs are usually long and slender, allowing light to come towards the stone in several directions.
Trillion – A triangular cut.