The word aquamarine is Latin for seawater.  Aquamarine’s association with the sea comes from the brilliant range of hues in which it appears - from an almost transparent blue to a deep ocean azure.

Its blue colour comes predominantly from iron and, when cut, the stone is generally clear of inclusions and can occur in large sizes.  This is because aquamarine is generally found in large crystals with a flawless clarity from which large stones can be cut.

Acquamarine needs to be of considerable size to ensure a blue colour with small stones generally not exhibiting colour visible enough to be attractive.  The deeper the blue colour, the more valuable the acquamarine.

While aquamarine is found in numerous locations, Madagascar was one of the earliest known sources.  Brazil is now the major source of the stone.

Historically, this modern birthstone for March was the stone of the sea goddesses, often carried by sailors and fishermen as a protective trinket.  The anniversary gemstone for the 19th year of marriage, it also is recognised for helping renew relationships and ensure a long and happy future for couples.

This gem is a favourite of modern designers due to its versatility and the range of shapes and sizes that are readily available.  Traditionally available in emerald cuts, other cuts such as oval, cushion and princess have recently become equally popular.

Aesthetically, the selling point of the acquamarine is that it can look stunning set in either white gold or platinum.  Although not as popular, yellow gold can also be used.  Aquamarine can make dainty and elegant jewellery pieces by themselves, or beautifully compliment a diamond setting.

Those who practice the art are known as Diamond Cutters or ‘Diamantaires’.  Their task is to unlock the brilliance and to reveal the beauty hidden within each rough diamond crystal.

The diamond cutting process involves four separate and distinct stages of planning, preparing, shaping, and polishing.  Every stage has a number of individual steps, each being performed by a dedicated, highly trained expert.

The radiant cut was the first rectangular or square cut to have a complete brilliant facet pattern applied to both the crown and pavilion of a diamond.  Following its patented development in 1976 by Henry Grossbard, it became seen as the forerunner of the modern branded diamond.

Until about 10 years ago, the preferred width-to-length proportion was of 1.5 was in keeping with the proportions of an emerald cut, or the rectangular shape it was originally developed for.  Today radiant cut diamonds are more popular in a square shape, with the width to length ratio most commonly 1.2-1.3 or even as low as 1.05 (almost square).

The radiant’s original, patented design had 55 facets: 25 on the crown and 30 on the pavilion - plus or minus a culet.  There are no strict guidelines for table and depth percentages but, as a general rule, look for a table between 59 and 65 percent and a depth between 59 and 66 percent.

The decision to purchase a radiant cut diamond should never just be based on its proportions alone; brilliance and the overall beauty of the diamond also play their part.

Given that radiant cut diamonds are harder to find than brilliant and princess cut diamonds, it is usually easiest to find a loose stone from a place like Larsen Jewellery and to have the ring custom made.

Brilliance

Brilliance is the term used to describe the combined internal and external reflections of unaltered, white light returned from the crown of a diamond.

Fire

Fire is the name used for light which has been dispersed into its individual spectral colours by a prism-effect which occurs when light, after being internally reflected, returns through the angled facets of the bezel.

Scintillation

Scintillation or “sparkle” is the name given to the alternating on-off flashes of Brilliance and Fire created when either the diamond, the light source or the observer is in motion.

Light Pattern

The light returning from within a diamond forms a distinct pattern created by the contrasting light and dark areas of reflected light and light extinction.

A light pattern, in effect, presents a virtual map of the reflective surfaces of the facets and can be used simultaneously to gauge proportions - by comparing the position and degree of light return to that of light leakage - and to determine the degree of internal or optical symmetry of a diamond.

Light patterns are also referred to as symmetry images and are observed and analysed with the aid of special magnifying, reflective imaging or symmetry viewers.

In 1984 a unique optical symmetry viewer known as the Firescope was invented in Japan for the exclusive purpose of visually demonstrating the quality of the cut of a round brilliant cut diamond.

The instrument proved to be so effective that, in 1985, a revolutionary cutting system was developed, based on reflective imaging technology, and diamond cutting took its next evolutionary step with the creation of the Super Ideal cut, which became the world standard of perfection for the round brilliant cut diamond.

Super Ideal cuts soon became popularly known as Hearts & Arrows diamonds and the Hearts & Arrows revolution was born.

Hearts & Arrows are highly symmetrical, reflected light patterns which visually demonstrate the optical symmetry of a Super Ideal cut diamond.  The name refers to the two separate light patterns seen when a Super Ideal cut diamond is viewed, first through the pavilion (face-down) and secondly through the table (face-up) using a special symmetry or Hearts & Arrows viewer.

However, the presence of the Hearts & Arrows pattern does not guarantee that a diamond will be the most brilliant.  In fact, not all Ideal round brilliant cut diamonds even have this pattern.  All major diamond grading laboratories agree that there is no such thing as a set of proportions that is the “best”, so whilst the Hearts & Arrows pattern is an indication of a high quality diamond, it would be a mistake to limit your search to only this type of diamond.

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.

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. 

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 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.

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.