Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
Celebrating our most favorite and special stone for the month of April - Diamonds!! My daughter Ella has an April birthday and always asks to spot her stone on my birthstone bracelet exclaiming that hers is the most valuable and rare. And she’s right.
Diamonds are known for their extreme durability. They happen to be the hardest substance known to man. A diamond can only be cut by another diamond! They represent perseverance, have unmatched brilliance and are usually the most sentimental stone in the wearer’s jewelry collection. We all know, diamonds are a girl’s best friend ;)
When it comes to buying diamonds, it’s so important for the buyer to be educated (or to really trust their jeweler). Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight (the 4 C’s) are the main tenants of what to look for. Buying a diamond can be a very personal experience and the best approach is to decide what aspects of the 4 C’s are most important to you. For example, when I designed my engagement ring I was insistent on color and clarity. I knew I wanted an oval shape. My mother’s engagement ring was an oval and I wanted the sentimental aspect of the shape having always admired my mother’s ring. I didn’t really care how big the stone was. (I mean, I didn’t want it to be small, but I didn’t want to sacrifice quality over quantity). Every diamond is so unique and when you see a good one vs a bad one you really understand the difference. I always show a range of stones when designing an engagement ring because no two stones are the same. One may speak to you in a way that the other does not. It’s a visceral experience!
As far as the diamonds we use in Mama Bijoux collection pieces, nothing is below an I color (near colorless) on the color grading scale. In fact, most pieces are in the F/G range, higher up on the scale. As for quality, we use VS through SI1 grade. VS meaning very small inclusions. In the VS-SI1 range, you really can’t spot inclusions with the naked eye. They can only be seen through a jeweler’s magnifying loop. Diamonds over 1 carat are typically certified by the GIA - Gemological Institute of America. GIA is the gold standard in diamond grading. No other grading system compares. And when buying diamonds over 1 carat, you should always request a GIA certificate come with your stone.
What I love most about diamonds is their brilliance. There’s nothing like the feeling of literally sparkling when wearing diamonds. They make you feel special and beautiful. They have value. (As opposed to lab grown diamonds that don’t hold their value. More on that in another blog!) They have history and a personality of their own. They carry so much meaning especially when a diamond is passed down from generation to generation. The stone couldn’t be more timeless. Colored stones have a purpose in designing and wearing jewelry. But diamonds are truly universal and loved by all. Wouldn’t you agree?