Weldon Jewellers specialise in top quality diamond rings and gemstone jewellery. For over 100 years we have stocked a wide range of diamonds of all sizes and of top colours and clarities. We are a fifth generation family business, and pride ourselves on our knowledge, friendliness and honesty. This page will hopefully explain some of the mystery behind diamonds, and help you with choosing your own special stone. Every diamond in the world is unique; finding the right stone for you is as much a reflection of your character as anything else.
The first thing to do is decide what grade of diamond you want; diamond graders grade the characteristics of diamonds according to four main criteria
The
whiter a diamond is, the rarer and more valuable it is. The best and
rarest diamonds are truly colourless. Most contain traces of yellow of
brown. Colour is a result of the composition of the diamond, and it
never changes over time. The diamond colour scale runs from D to Z,
where D is a pure dazzling white, and Z is a tinted yellow.
The
reason colourlessness is most highly valued is that diamonds in these
ranges act like prisms, separating white light passing through it into
a wide spectrum of colours. The more transparent the diamond, the wider
the spectrum of colours. Chemical "impurities" in the diamond will
filter out some of the colours which in turn reduces the fire of the
diamond.
Fancy
colour diamonds do not follow this rule. These diamonds, in colours
such as red, blue, pink or purple, are very rare and very expensive, are
actually more valuable for their colour.
Cut is a critical part of a diamond. Without a good cut, even a flawless diamond will lack sparkle and life.
A
good cut gives a diamond its brilliance, which is that brightness that
seems to come from the very heart of a diamond. The angles and finish
of any diamond are what determine its ability to handle light, which
leads to brilliance. They also disperse light, which gives a diamond
fire.
A Brief History of Diamond Cutting!
Diamond cutting has evolved gradually over hundreds of years. The oldest diamonds were simply polished, and were whatever shape the rough diamonds happened to be (Point Cut). It took many years until people realised that the brilliance of a diamonds could be greatly enhanced by faceting the stone. This led to the single cuts and table cuts.
The Mazarin Cut was developed in the 1600s, and looks fantastic, with tremendous life and fire. Many of the older cuts will look at their best under candlelight. From the early 20th century, diamond cutting had changed, taking account of scientific developments, and the call to have diamonds that sparkled under incendescent lighting.
Skillful
cutting is necessary to ensure that the fire and brilliance of the
diamond is maximised. The brilliant cut, though first used as long ago as
1850, became the standard cut in the 1920s. Diamonds cut before this time, c. 1860-1915 (Old European Cut), tend to
have more fire than modern cut diamonds, while modern cut diamonds
exhibit more brilliance than antique diamonds.
How important is cut?
In
a well cut diamond, most light enters through the table and travels to
the pavilion where it reflects from one side to the other before
reflecting back out of the diamond through the table and to the
observer's eye. A diamond acts like a hall of mirrors, taking the light via the
'windows' or facets on the top of the diamond, reflecting it from
mirror like pavilion facets, back out the crown and table 'windows'. If the stone is too deep, light is lost through the
sides. If the stone is too shallow, the light that enters through the
table reaches the facets and then 'leaks' out from the sides or bottom
of the diamond rather than reflecting back to the eye. Less light
reflected back to the eye means less brilliance.
We carefully check all of our diamonds to ensure that they are cut for maximum beauty, and not for size. We do not stock badly cut diamonds.
Cut grade is very important, but not at the expense of the other three C's. It is rare to see a badly cut diamond in a piece of jewellery; even if you did, the human eye is very sensitive to cut, and you will notice that the stone looks less bright than others of the same grade.
Below are illustrations of diamonds that are too deep, well cut, and too shallow.
Cut can also refer to the shape of the diamond: the most common shapes are
round brilliant; the most popular style of cutting, circular in silhouette, with 58 facets. An excellent
cut for maximum light return. Within this category, there are modern,
antique, and mid-20th century round cuts. For more details on the
differences between these cuts, please call in to the shop where we
will be delighted to show you.
emerald
cut; a square or rectangular cut, with 50 facets (typically). A wider
open table highlights the clarity of the diamond, leading many people
to describe the emerald cut as being like ice. A popular type of
emerald cut is the Asscher cut, developed in 1902, it became popular
during the Art Deco period. The Asscher cut is a step cut with square
octagonal outline and truncated corners. It was designed by the Asscher Diamond Company;
the Asscher family were the family given the responsibility of cutting
the Great Star of Africa. True Asschers are quite rare, and possess
amazing life.
cushion cut; an antique cut, similar
to the round brilliant cut in the shape and number of facets, but a
higher crown and deeper pavilion give cushions more scintillation than
a modern round briliant cut. Sometimes slightly rectangular in shape.
pear shape; the pear cut shape is a
popular shape that looks like a tear drop. This is a traditional cut
which is perfect for pendants, drop earrings and rings. Generally has
57 facets.
marquise shape; pointed at both
ends, the marquise cut has 56 facets, and ranges from very long and
narrow to almond shape. Suits long fingers.
princess
cut; the top of the diamond is cut in a square shape and the overall
shape is similar to that of an inverted pyramid. It has gained in
popularity in recent years.
Almost
all diamonds contain minute inclusions, or "fingerprints". The size,
position and nature of these inclusions determine the clarity grade of
the diamond. The purest diamonds are graded as "Flawless". The majority
of our diamonds are in the Flawless to SI1 range.
One
pitfall to avoid when shopping for clarity is the "clarity-enhanced"
diamond. This is an artificial process used to "fix" the flaws on an
otherwise good stone. Although a clarity-enhanced diamond can look
pure, it is intrinsically worth as much as a flawed stone. Furthermore,
the durability of the diamond can be greatly compromised.
At Weldons we NEVER sell clarity enhanced diamonds.
Carat
is a measurement of weight. One carat equals 0.2 grams. Diamonds of the
same weight will differ in value depending on colour, clarity, cut and
fluorescence. However, bear in mind that a small diamond of high
quality can be more valuable than a large stone of lesser quality.
About one in every three diamonds exhibit Fluorescence, a reaction to UV light caused by atomic impurites in the diamond. Most fluorescence is blue, but sometimes other colours can be seen as well. Fluorescence can reduce the value of a diamond. The purest diamonds will have no fluorescence, or weak fluorescence.
Weldon’s diamonds have always been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations resolutions. We hereby guarantee that all of our diamonds are conflict free, based on our personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by all suppliers of our diamonds. Please read our FAQ for more information, and useful links for further reading.
A diamond report (sometimes called a certificate) is a "fingerprint" of a diamond; it tells you the diamond's exact measurements and weight, as well as the details of its cut and quality. It precisely points out all the individual characteristics of the stone. Diamond Reports also serve as proof of the diamond's identity.
It is important that the report comes from a good laboratory; some laboratories are less stringent with their gradings than others. Most of our diamonds come with diamond reports issued by reputable international gemmological laboratories. Where an antique setting does not allow for a diamond to be removed from a setting, our in-house gemmologist will issue a grading on it. Garret is a GIA Graduate Gemologist. Jimmy and Martin Weldon possess almost a century of experience in diamond grading between them.
Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth. They are uniquely resistant to damage by heat or scratching, and can be cut or polished only by another diamond — but an extremely hard blow to the girdle can cause a diamond to chip. By having your diamond set in a relatively protective setting, and remaining conscious of it on your finger, you can keep your diamond intact for a lifetime. Exposure during ordinary wear to perspiration and household chemicals, like chlorine and hairspray, can cause build-up that dulls the surface of a diamond. It is important that you have the service of a local jeweller to look after your precious items and carry out routine maintenance. We suggest periodic cleanings to keep the diamond brilliant and refractive. We offer free cleaning of our diamonds; just call into the shop, no appointment necessary!!
