shapesSmall or tall, fat or thin? Diamonds come in all shapes. The first step to choosing a diamond is selecting your shape. Perhaps the sparkly round diamond or the modern princess cut? Perhaps the retro emerald or oval diamonds or the more unusual cushion, heart or pear shaped diamonds might work.

DIAMONDS CUTThe cut is where diamonds start to get more complicated. Diamond cut is the most important determiner of the sparkle factor, and one of the reasons why diamonds which appear similar (size, colour, clarity) can vary significantly in price (hint: depth and table ratios are the key).

DIAMONDS COLOURDoes it have to be D every time? Absolutely not unless you are a perfectionist, even experts struggle to see the difference between adjacent colours in the scale. De-mystify the colours and choose the thats right for you. H and I appear white and can be a great value solution

DIAMONDS WEIGHTDoes size really matter? You bet! But like most things in life, it's never quite as straight forward as that. Diamond carat weight does not translate into proportional increase in size, so it's important you understand how it works.

DIAMONDS CLARITYAt which level can you start to see impurities to the naked eye? Why is there such a price difference between and VS2 and a SI1? There can be a significant difference in diamond quality with two similar stones depending on where and what the impurities are.

certificate

Unless you are a gambler that likes bad odds you need a certificate for your diamond? A certificate or grading report tells you the facts as measured by experts using expert equipment. Not all certificates are the same, and the quality of the certificate can be as important as the quality of the diamond.