Diamond guide

CUT

 Diamonds are renowned for their immense brilliance – and, cut correctly, can sparkle even more brightly. Creating the optimal proportions and symmetry allows the light to be refracted within a stone more effectively and reflected back through the top. Making for a magnificent diamond that is even more radiant.

COLOR

 Natural diamonds form from carbon deep beneath the Earth’s surface over millions of years. Other substances can become trapped within the diamondscrystals as they form – and this affects their color. A diamond’s color is thus essentially an indication of its purity: the more transparent and colorless a diamond is, the higher its quality. More light is able to pass through clear diamonds, allowing the light to better be dispersed – and a stone even more brilliant and sparkling. We use the GIA color scale developed by the Gemological Institute of America to measure our diamonds’ color. This scale ranges from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow or brown in color). We only use diamonds from the higher color categories (D-H) in INA BEISSNER jewelry.

 CLARITY

 A diamond’s clarity is measured according to its internal characteristics. Most diamonds naturally contain tiny imperfections known as inclusions. The number, size, nature, location, and visibility of these inclusions determine the diamond’s grading on the clarity scale: the fewer and smaller the inclusions, the less likely it is that they’ll affect the passage of light. So the fewer imperfections a diamond has, the more valuable it is. Many inclusions are so small that a microscope – and an expert eye – are needed to spot them. We work with diamonds of higher clarity (IF-VS) and hand-select each to ensure the ultimate sparkle factor.

CARAT

 A diamond’s weight is measured in carats (“ct” for short). This value varies depending on a diamond’s shape and type. While the carat value doesn’t always reflect a stone’s visual size, it does generally provide a good indication of a stone’s diameter.

Our center stone diamonds (usually 0.4 ct or higher) are always certified by the highly reputable independent laboratory of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).