A Diamond Grading Chart is a useful information guide to assist you in making an educated decision when purchasing a diamond.

Being informed with all the vital information ensures you will have a wonderful and easy buying experience. Learn about diamond colour and clarity grading, view the variety of cuts available, and compare carat size.

Larsen Jewellery has created a comprehensive Diamond Chart for your convenience. You are also welcome to visit our workshops in Sydney and Melbourne for a personal diamond consultation with one of our expert Jewellers who can answer any of your questions and show you an array of diamonds to choose from, within your price range.

To book a no-obligation diamond appointment, please call Larsen jewellery in Sydney: 02 9223 2006.
 

The Pear cut diamond, also known as the tear-drop cut was created using the best elements of both the Marquise and Oval shaped diamond cuts.

The Pear cut diamond ring is not as common as a Round or Princess cut diamond ring and is therefore a perfect option for those wanting something unique and different.

The team of expert Jewellers at Larsen Jewellery in Sydney and Melbourne can show you a selection of beautiful Pear cut diamonds to choose from, which you can then have set into your personally customised ring design.

It’s important to select Pear shaped diamonds based on the highest cut and symmetry grades to ensure the stone is as symmetrical as possible and demonstrates fire or ‘sparkle’.  Lower cut grades tend to show darkness in the centre of the stone which will in turn negatively affect even the most brilliant diamonds of the highest colour and clarity.

Another element to consider when choosing a Pear cut diamond is the width to length ratio. There is no ‘correct’ ratio but rather it is a matter of personal taste. The longer, narrower cuts can look fantastic in earrings and pendants; whereas the shorter and wider cuts are a wonderful choice for a Pear cut diamond ring or engagement ring.
 

Conflict diamonds (also known as ‘blood diamonds’), are diamonds that are mined and traded through violent and illegal means. These diamonds are then sold to fund civil war and terrorism. The conflict diamond trade is a multi-billion dollar industry and millions of lives have been lost as a result. 

This illegal trade has fuelled brutality and war in places such as Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); where rebels and warmongers controlled civilians and breached human rights using weapons which were funded by the sale of conflict diamonds.

In 2003, the United Nations established an initiative to prevent diamond sales from funding violence. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) imposes requirements on participants to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are conflict-free. The purpose of the scheme is to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the market and being sold, which would in turn evaporate criminal funding. This initiative also protects individuals from unknowingly purchasing conflict diamonds.

Today, conflict diamonds are estimated to account for less than 1% of world diamond production.

Larsen Jewellery does not sell or deal with any suppliers who are, or may be, involved with conflict diamonds. Larsen Jewellery is also a proud member of the Jewellers Association of Australia and the Goldsmiths Guild of Australia.

To view any of our beautiful, conflict-free loose diamonds, please call Larsen Jewellery in Sydney: 02 9223 2006. 
 

Diamond grading certificates may vary somewhat from laboratory to laboratory, depending on the classification system, the presentation and the terminology used. However, most laboratories base their assessments on the same set of parameters and follow the same set of rules. The following is a list of the information contained in a typical Diamond Grading Certificate.

Date - Date of Issue

Certificate Number - Registered, recorded number

Description - Nature (Natural, Synthetic, Treated or otherwise)

Shape & Cut - Description of the Shape and Cut Style or Facet Design

Weight - (Round) Minimum to Maximum Diameter x Depth in Millimeters (Fancy) Length x Width x Depth in Millimeters

Clarity Grade - Clarity Grading (with reference to Clarity Grading Scale used – usually with an accompanying Diagram or ‘plot’)

Colour Grade - Colour Grading (with reference to Colour Grading Scale used)

Fluorescence - The strength and colour of any Fluorescence under UV Light

Height / Depth - Crown Height, Pavilion Depth and Total Depth, given as a percentage of the Average Diameter or Width

Table - Width of Table, as a percentage of the Diameter or Width

Girdle - Thickness of Girdle, relative to the size of the diamond and its condition (frosted, polished or faceted)

Cutlet - Size of Cutlet Facet (if any) relative to the size of the Diamond

Polish - Perfection of the diamond surface finish (recorded as a grade)

Symmetry - Uniformity of the overall shape together with the precision of the shape and alignment of the facets (recorded as a grade)

Comments - Any additional characteristics or other relevant information

Laser Inscription - Detail of any Laser Inscribed Brand Name, Logo or Number etc.

Light Performance - Light performance Image of Analysis sometimes provided

Click here to read more about Diamond Certificates.

One of the most famous ‘modern’ cuts must be the Taylor-Burton diamond, a 69.42 carat, D-Colour, Flawless, Pear Shape Brilliant Cut, which created a sensation when it was purchased in 1969 for Elizabeth Taylor by her husband, the Late Richard Burton.

The diamond was cut from a 240.80 carat rough diamond found in the famous Premier Mine in 1966.  It was cut by renowned New York diamantaire, Harry Winston, who commented at the time that he doubted if there had been more than six diamonds in the world of the same quality.  The rough diamond yielded two perfect stones of which the Taylor-Burton was the largest.

The diamond was first purchased, in 1967, by a Mrs. Harriet Annenberg-Ames, the sister of Walter Annenberg, the US Ambassador to London during the Richard Nixon administration.

Two years later, on October 23rd 1969, the diamond was offered for sale at a landmark auction, in New York, which gave the successful bidder the right to ‘name’ the diamond.  The auction attracted many interested buyers including Richard Burton, Harry Winston and Robert Kenmore the owner of Cartier Inc.  In the record-breaking auction, Kenmore emerged the winner with a bid of US$1,050,000 and immediately named the Diamond ‘The Cartier’.

Still determined to obtain the diamond, Richard Burton contacted Cartier the following day and successfully negotiated the purchase of the diamond for an undisclosed price.  As part of the deal Richard Burton agreed to allow Cartier to display the renamed ‘Taylor-Burton’ diamond for a limited period at their New York showroom.

Elizabeth Taylor wore the diamond for the first time on October 12th 1969, when she attended Princess Grace’s 40th Birthday in Monaco.  Nine years later, in 1978, following her divorce from Richard Burton, Miss Taylor announced that she was putting the diamond up for sale and that the proceeds would be used to fund the building of a hospital in Botswana.  The diamond was bought, for a reported US$5,000,000 by New York jeweller Henry Lambert.  It has since been purchased by the famous jeweller and collector Robert Mouawad.

Click here to read about Loose Diamonds.  Larsen Jewellery is located in Sydney and Melbourne and specialises in custom made engagement rings and loose diamonds.

The modern round Brilliant Cut diamond has 57 facets, or 58 facets with an open cutlet, arranged in the classic, 8-fold brilliant style.

The upper part of the diamond is called the CROWN and has 33 facets, including the table.  The lower part is called the PAVILION and has 24 facets, or 25 facets with an open cutlet.

The TABLE is the uppermost and largest of the crown facets and acts as the principal window for light entering and reflecting back from a diamond.  Virtually all of the light returned through the table is made up of white light or brilliance.

The BEZEL is the sloping part of the crown, between the table and the girdle.  It comprises 8 main crown or bezel facets, 8 star facets and 16 upper girdle facets.  These facets work together to both reflect and refract light, returning a combination of brilliance and fire.

The GIRDLE is the narrow section, between the crown and pavilion, the outline of which describes the ‘face-up’ shape of the diamond and acts as the setting edge.  The girdle may either be frosted (bruted), polished smooth or polished with facets.

The PAVILION comprises 8 main pavilion facets and 16 lower girdle facets, all of which are designed to act as internal mirrors to reflect light entering through the crown facets and return it back through the crown.

The CULET is the lowest point at the base of the pavilion.  Often a small facet is added here in order to prevent damage. In this case the term ‘open culet’ is used.  When there is no facet, the terms ‘closed culet’, ‘pointed culet’ or simply ‘none’ are used.

Click here to view a selection of Brilliant Cut Diamond Rings.  Larsen Jewellery is based in Sydney's Strand Arcade (412 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000) and in Melbourne's GPO (350 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000).