Our Diamond Curation Process
Curation
While most people are familiar with the 4Cs, we consider a 5th C to be the key to offering diamonds that are not only beautiful, but also hold great value, and that is curation.
It’s not only about what’s on a grading certificate, which is important for determining the quality and in turn the cost, but the brilliance that comes from inside each diamond and how the light reflects outside the stone.
Cut
THE HUMAN TOUCH
Of all the 4Cs, cut is the only specification created by human hands. Cut is where the nature of a diamond is enhanced by nurturing it into its most brilliant form. The polishing process determines how beautiful a stone will be - a well cut stone maximizes the light performance of the diamond, making it sparkle more than a lower cut quality.
Cut is measured by three factors: Polish is how well the facets are placed and the overall finish of the diamond; Symmetry is the precise alignment of the facets; cut is reserved for round brilliant stones and grades the proportions of the diamond, ensuring the light is reflected through the top facets.
At Lindsey Scoggins Studio, we only work with the highest cut grades to ensure the value and brilliance of your diamond.
Color
LESS IS MORE
White diamonds are, by nature, tinged with color, sometimes yellow, sometimes brown. It’s the lack of color that makes a diamond more and more rare.
Color grades are based on an industry standard scale from D to Z. Colors D, E, and F are considered colorless. Colors G, H, I, and J are considered near colorless. Fluorescence is graded separately, but similar to how light reflects the color of a diamond, fluorescence can give a stone a foggy or milky appearance in natural light.
Color tends to be a more straight forward specification to grade, although the faceting patterns of different cuts can have an impact on how the diamond reflects color. Step cuts, like emerald and Asscher hide color a litttle better than brilliant cuts, like round and oval. At Lindsey Scoggins Studio, we offer diamonds graded D, E, F, G, and sometimes H if we feel the diamond properly reflects light. We also avoid any fluorescence.
Clarity
SEEING CLEARLY
Clarity is the measure of the imperfections within a diamond. A diamond is considered flawless if there are no inclusions visible inside, and no blemishes on the outside, when viewed under 10x magnification.
Inclusions can be found in many forms - wisps, feathers, black carbon, white clouds. The position of an inclusion within a diamond is a big factor in the clarity grading process. If an inclusion can be hidden under a prong when set in a ring, the diamond is more appealing than one with an inclusion directly under the table, the top facet of a diamond.
At Lindsey Scoggins Studio, we offer diamonds graded from FL, flawless, to VS2, very slightly included. And occasionally we will offer an SI1, slightly included, if we feel the diamond is a great value. If you see an SI1, it will likely not be around for long.
Carat
WORTH THE WEIGHT
Perhaps the simplest of the 4Cs, carat denotes weight rather than the exact size of a diamond. The size of the rough mined from the earth determines how big a diamond can ultimately be, and the cut quality determines how big it will face up.
Two one carat diamonds can have vastly different measurements based on the quality of their cuts. Carat is also the basis for the price of a diamond. The industry trades diamonds on a price per carat scale, with larger, finer, rarer diamonds costing multiple times the price of lower qualities and smaller weights.
Our diamonds start at 1 carat and go up from there. Contact us for a diamond you are unable to find and we will do our best to accommodate you.
