Diamond Assessment

Appraisal: An official valuation document made by a certified expert in the field of diamonds and jewelry. Usually, a replacement value used for insurance purposes.

Clarity: Internal and external characteristics of a diamond visible under 10x magnification. Often, inclusions appear as black spots, clouds, cracks, white feathers, or crystals.

Certification: A document issued by an independent gemological laboratory that details the vital characteristics of a diamond along with carat, color, clarity, and cut.

Cut Grade: The rating of how well a round diamond is cut based on symmetry, polish, arrangement of facets, and other factors. Usually included on diamond grading certificates.

Eye-Clean: A diamond with inclusions that are not visible to the naked eye, usually in the VS2 to SI1 clarity range.

Fancy Color: Fancy color diamonds are yellow and brown diamonds that exhibit color beyond the Z range or diamonds that exhibit any other color that is not yellow or brown.

Ideal-cut: Polished diamond with exceptional cut and light performance.

Finish: Quality of a diamond’s polish and symmetry.

Inclusion: Internal characteristics of a diamond visible under 10x magnification. Often, inclusions appear as black spots, clouds, cracks, white feathers, or crystals.

Laser Inscription: Writing on a diamond girdle used mostly for identification that requires magnification to see.

Loupe: Handheld magnifying glass used in the diamond industry.

Polish: Quality and smoothness of polished diamond surface.

Report: A gemological certificate that evaluates a diamond’s characteristics, usually including color, cut, clarity, and carat weight.

Saturation: The intensity of color in a fancy color diamond.

Symmetry: Shape, ratio, and precision of the facet arrangement in a diamond.