Established in 1931 and based in the United States, GIA is the world’s largest and one of the most respected non-profit institutes of gemological research and learning.  Conceived more than 75 years ago in the grand tradition of Europe’s most respected institutes, GIA discovers (through GIA Research), imparts (through GIA Education) and applies (through GIA Laboratories and GIA Instruments) gemological knowledge to ensure and foster the public trust in diamonds, coloured gem stones and jewellery.

With 1,100 employees, the Institute’s scientists, diamond graders and educators are regarded, collectively, as one of the world’s foremost authorities in gemology.

GIA is the creator of the famous 4Cs of diamond value (colour, clarity, cut and carat weight).  Today, GIA’s D-Z colour-grading scale and GIA’s Flawless-I3 clarity-grading scale are recognised by virtually every professional jeweller and savvy diamond buyer in the world.  The Institute is also known for having developed and patented the first modern jeweller’s loupe.

Internationally, the Institute has distinguished itself as the preeminent source of gemological knowledge and professionalism.  By extension, a GIA diamond certificate is considered one of the world’s premier gemological credentials.  Diamonds of all shapes and sizes are sent to the Institute from every corner of the globe for analysis and grading.

To incorporate both individuality and tradition, coloured diamonds are a popular option, and pink diamond engagement rings are amongst the rarest and most sought after.

Many people consider diamonds to be white gems, but they are more accurately considered colourless.  Fancy diamonds are those with distinctive colours, such as green, red, blue and pink.  They are far less common and therefore more expensive than colourless diamonds.

The majority of the world’s pink diamond supply is mined in Australia at the Argyle mine. 

The colour of pink diamonds are judged on the intensity of their colour rather than their lack of it.  Pink diamonds are available in very light pink, rose and nearly magenta hues, but darker colours are far rarer.  Most pink diamonds only have a faint pink tint, and in a small stone it may be difficult to detect.  When choosing a pink diamond engagement ring, examine the stone for colour consistency to be sure you are purchasing a quality stone.

Due to their rarity and rising popularity, pink diamond engagement rings are typically more expensive than regular diamond rings.  As with any jewellery, however, a low-quality pink diamond will be less expensive than a high-quality colourless gem, and each factor in a diamond’s price can be adjusted and balanced to find a stone the couple is happy with while not destroying their budget.

For couples on a tight budget, there are several alternatives to pink diamonds that can provide the same beauty without the hefty price tag.  Pink sapphires and rubies have similar colours and are significantly more affordable, though they do not sparkle as fiercely as diamonds. 

This beautifully unique shape is nearly identical to the emerald cut, except that it is square.  Also, this shape has a pavilion that is cut with rectangular facets in the same style as the emerald cut.

The Asscher cut diamond was developed in 1902 by the Asscher Brothers of Holland and became very popular in the 1920s.

With deeply angled corners and remarkable depth, Asscher cut engagement rings are stunningly beautiful alternatives to more traditional emerald or princess cut rings.  From vintage rings to modern stones, an Asscher diamonds makes a sophisticated statement about the bride’s individuality and personality, and the timeless cut is sure to remain an elegant gem for many years.

The Asscher stone’s distinctive shape - square with deeply trimmed corners resembling an octagon - is sometimes called the square emerald cut, and is also a type of modified cushion cut.  An Asscher stone is cut with a series of many parallel steps, creating a hall-of-mirrors effect when looking deeply into the stone.

Because step cuts allow more depth of the diamond to be seen, precise cutting is extremely vital for a quality Asscher diamond.  As with emerald cuts, flaws and inclusions can be easily seen and it is important to choose a quality stone.  Furthermore, colour is an important consideration because it may be more visible at the stone’s wide corners.

Because such high quality is necessary, however, many Asscher diamonds tend to be smaller than easier cuts.  For couples interested in a large diamond for their engagement ring, an Asscher cut is not the most economical choice.  On the other hand, the uniqueness and intricacy of the cut can outweigh the stone’s size by providing a truly exceptional look, even with a smaller stone.

Cushion cut diamond engagement rings, tremendously popular over a century ago, are becoming trendy again in modern rings.  With the sensual shape and subtle sparkle, they are a sophisticated alternative to flashier designs, yet do not sacrifice either the beauty or romance that symbolises the love a couple shares.

Cushion cut diamonds have rounded corners, large facets and are available in shapes ranging from square to rectangular.  It is a pleasant alternative to emerald, oval or princess cuts, since it incorporates similarities between all three shapes.  Choosing a square or rectangular proportion is completely up to personal preference, and cushion cut diamond engagement rings can be found in a range of shapes and proportions.

For couples interested in a vintage style ring, cushion cut diamond engagement rings may be the perfect choice.  With an antique flair paired with a soft, romantic shape, these diamonds make stunning yet unpretentious engagement rings.

A cushion cut diamond has approximately 60 facets - up to 20 or more facets fewer than in other diamond cuts.  This cut is not as fiery or brilliant as many of the modern cuts, but it has a marvelous romantic and classic look and definitely stands out from the crowd of round brilliants.  Because the stone has fewer facets, clarity is especially critical - even minor flaws will be more noticeable.  Similarly, the colour of the stone is also a crucial characteristic of its quality.

Cushion cut rings are still quite rare in normal jewellery retail stores.  For a couple that wants to design their own cushion cut ring, the best option is to find a suitable loose stone from a place such as Larsen Jewellery and have it set it an appropriate mounting.

Diamonds can occur in virtually all colours of the spectrum, as well as milky-white, black and grey.  The two most commonly occuring colours, or hues, in diamonds are yellow and brown with yellow being by far the most prevalent.  Some colours are very rare, the rarest and most highly prized colour of all being that of red diamonds.

Coloured diamonds are graded according to their properties of hue (spectral colour), tone (lightness or darkness) and saturation (intensity).  In all cases, for any given hue, the greater the saturation the higher the value.

The GIA, recognised as the foremost authority on the grading of coloured diamonds, currently grades colour in nine different categories ranging from Faintly Coloured to Fancy Vivid Colour.  Argyle Pink Diamonds, Argyle Champagne Diamonds and Argyle Cognac Diamonds are graded according to a proprietary, in-house system developed by the Argyle Diamond Mines of Australia.

The word CARAT is derived from the ancient words ‘Keration’ (Greek) and ‘Qirrat’ (Arabic), both of which were names given to the seeds of the Locust or Carob Tree.  Due to their relatively consistent size and weight, dried Carob seeds were once widely used by merchants as counterweights for weighing gold, diamonds, gemstones and pearls.

In 1913, after many attempts to standardise the weight of the Carat, the United States, United Kingdom and Europe adopted the use of the Metric Carat, which has become the standard unit of weight used throughout the diamond and gemstone industry today: 1 Carat = 0.2 Grams.

The Carat is further divided into Points, a unit of weight used only for diamonds: 1 Point = 0.01 Carat.

The size of a finished polished diamond is directly related to its Carat weight.  However, the actual dimensions are entirely dependent upon its proportions.

On average, a well proportioned 1 Carat round brilliant cut diamond has a diameter of approximately 6.5mm.  In comparison, a shallow cut diamond of the same weight may be anything up to 20% larger in diameter, whereas a deep cut diamond of the same weight may be as much as 20% smaller in diameter.

Princess cut diamonds are an increasingly popular choice for engagement rings. 

The princess cut diamond was designed as a square version of the round brilliant cut.  Combining superior sparkle with maximum weight retention, this cut truly does reign supreme.

Also known as a square modified brilliant, the goal of the princess cut was to achieve the weight retention of emerald cuts and the superior scintillation and brilliance of the round brilliant cut.

Weight retention can be as high as 70 to 80 percent of the rough diamond.  In comparison, a well-cut round brilliant is typically around 45 to 50 percent yield of the same type of rough diamond crystal.  This means a piece of rough that would cut two 80-point round diamonds would typically yield two 1-carat princess cut diamonds.  Consequently, a 1-carat princess cut sells for a price closer to that of an 80-point round brilliant cut diamond.

The scintillation of the princess cut comes from the interaction of the crown facets over the top of the pavilion facets which create smaller “virtual facets” than other square-shaped cuts and even smaller and more frequent sparkles than a round brilliant diamond.  There is more internal bouncing around of the light inside a princess cut, which also has more frequent pin fire as opposed to less frequent broad flash fire of a round brilliant.

The origin of the princess cut dates back to 1961 when A Nagy of London developed the profile cut.  It had multiple faceting on the pavilion, but was much flatter than the modern princess and did not exhibit the same sparkle.

The round brilliant cut is by far the most popular diamond cut in the jewellery market and for engagement rings in particular.  It accounts for approximately 75 percent of diamonds sold today.

Owing to its symmetrical shape, this diamond cut is known to be the most optically spectacular of all cuts, reputed for its superior sparkle.

The modern round brilliant diamond is comprised of 58 facets - eight star, eight kite and 16 upper-girdle facets on the crown with eight pavilion and 16 lower girdle facets, as well as an optional cutlet.

The brilliant cut was not invented by one person, but developed over time and the prototype can be found at the beginning of the 15th century.  Indeed the term “brilliant cut” did not come into general use for some time - it was first mentioned in a jeweller’s inventory in 1614.  Improvement of diamond-cutting technology in the early 19th century allowed jewellers to tweak the cut to resemble the round brilliant cut known today.

An interesting bi-product of the round brilliant that has become a selling tool in recent years is the hearts and arrows pattern that sometimes appears when the stone has been cut correctly.  Viewed from above, and only visible with a special viewer, one can see a number of arrows that result from the symmetrical positioning of facets.  Viewed from beneath, the pattern manifests in small heart shapes. 

However, the presence of the hearts and arrows pattern does not guarantee that a diamond will be the most brilliant.  In fact, not all ideal round brilliant diamonds even have this pattern.

In recent years major diamond grading laboratories such as GIA and HRD have conducted much research on the ideal diamond cut proportions.  They all agree there is no one set of proportions that is the “best”.