There are 10 different shapes to choose from to suit every personality and style. The Round Brilliant continues to be the world’s most popular due to its fire, brilliance and classic look. If you are searching for something unique, opt for a fancy shape.

Round

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Princess

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Cushion

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Oval

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Pear

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Emerald

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Heart

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Radiant

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Asscher

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Marquise

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The size of a diamond is mainly influenced by its weight or carat (ct). Generally, the larger the carat weight the bigger the diamond. Carat is simply another unit of weight (where 1 carat is 0.2 grams).

This measure determines how much colour is in a diamond. It is considered better for the stone to have as little colour as possible so we recommend grade D to H for a whiter diamond.

The colour scale runs from D to Z, with D being the highest (whitest) grading. As you go down the scale toward Z the diamond develops a yellow or brown tint. The differences between D to G are barely visible to the naked eye but can offer 20 to 40% better value. For a yellow or rose gold setting, you can be more flexible and opt for a colour such as J as they metal colour ‘hides’ the color tint of the diamond.

This grade measures the amount of imperfections in the diamond. We recommend you purchase an ‘eye clean’ diamond, meaning grade VS2 and above, where imperfections are not visible to the naked eye and would require magnification to be seen.

Flawless and Internally Flawless diamonds are extremely rare, so have premium prices. Although SI1 and SI2 are in general not eye-clean, the impurities may be light in colour or scattered and so in up to 20% of cases, SI1 graded diamonds may appear to be eye-clean. That number falls to just 5% for SI2s

All our diamonds are independently certified from one of the world’s leading labs. Always ensure you are purchasing an independently certificated diamond to validate its quality, as many diamond retailers self-certify.

Above, we have listed the organisations in order of reliability and strictness. GIA is the most reliable certification body and sets the benchmark for the diamond industry. For example, HRD graded stones can appear to be about one colour grade lower than GIA and an EGL graded stone, can be up to four colour grades lower than GIA.

Carat weight is one of the fundamental factors in determining the price of a diamond. Opting for a 0.90ct diamond can offer 10-20% better value than a 1ct diamond of the same quality and looks almost the same in size.

You do not need to select the highest quality to get something that is equally as beautiful. Colour G still looks white to the eye and can offer 20-40% better value than D. In most cases, there are no visible imperfections in VS2 diamonds and are priced lower than VVS2 upward. To the naked eye, there is little difference between very good and excellent cuts. Fancy shape diamonds also offer better value compared to round brilliants.

Often confused with a diamond shape, the cut actually determines how well the diamond sparkles. We recommend a cut grade of Excellent or Very Good as the sparkle for each grade looks similar to the naked eye.

The cut grading currently only applies to Round Brilliant diamonds as they are technically easier to measure in terms of light performance. Other shapes do not have an official cut grade, but 77 Diamonds provide an estimated cut grading based on equivalent parameters. An excellent cut grading will have the best light performance, mainly influenced by the relationship of surface table and the depth of the diamond (not too deep or too shallow).

This grade category indicates the overall condition of a finished diamond’s facet surfaces. We recommend a polish grading of Excellent or Very Good to ensure a smooth finish.

After a diamond is cut, each facet must be polished. The process can leave surface scratches or marks. If a diamond has no scratches or very minor ones, the polish is of a high degree. Scratches, lines, burn marks created by excessive heat, or rough girdles could downgrade the polish rating of a diamond.

This grade category considers the evenness of a diamond’s outline according to its shape category, as well as the placement and proportions of its facets. We recommend a symmetry grading of Excellent or Very Good to maximise sparkle.

When the facets of a diamond are well balanced and aligned, the stone has symmetry, which is critical to creating optimal brilliance and scintillation. Errors in symmetry include facets that are not properly aligned, improperly shaped facets, or an off-centre table reduce brilliance.

Diamonds that are said to be fluorescent contain particles that emit a visible (usually blue) glow when exposed to UV lighting. None is considered the best, followed by Faint, Medium, Strong and Very Strong, we recommend None to Medium.

Very strong Strong Medium Faint None

In rare cases, high levels of fluorescence can make stones appear milky or hazy, although for the most part fluorescence does not generally impact beauty or sparkle and can even make some lower colours (I, J, K, L, etc.) appear more colourless or white. Nonetheless, fluorescent diamonds are usually cheaper and provided the effect is not readily visible may offer good value for money.

The ratio denotes how the formation of a diamond's shape. A round diamond has a ratio of approximately 1, but the larger the ratio, the longer and thinner a diamond shape will become.

Natural Rubies are very rare precious gemstones formed deep in the earth. They are almost as hard as diamonds and so ideal for daily wear jewellery. Prices of Rubies are determined by their size (carat), colour (purest shade of red), clarity (how free they are from particles) origin (Myanmar / Burma is most sought after) and treatment (least or no treatment = highest value). Rubies are the most expensive gemstones.

Natural Sapphires are also very rare precious gemstones formed deep in the earth. They are almost as hard as diamonds and so ideal for daily wear jewellery. Prices of Sapphires are determined by their size (carat), colour (purest shade of blue), clarity (how free they are from particles) origin (Kashmir is most sought after) and treatment (least or no treatment = highest value). Sapphires are the most common alternative to Diamond Engagement Rings.

Note: All our gemstones are responsibly sourced, independently graded and come with a certificate which includes origin.

Rubies and Sapphires come in all shapes and sizes. The most common are Round, Oval, Cushion and Pear shape. We have grouped a few less common shapes into categories such as Rectangle (Octagon, Fancy Octagon and Baguette), Square (Square, Princess and Asscher) and Other (Kite, Trillion, Shield and Tapered Baguette).

Like diamonds, the size of a gemstone (Ruby and Sapphire) is mainly determined by the carat weight (1ct = 0.2 grams). The larger a gemstone, the more it weighs, but the more rare and therefore expensive it is.

As the rarest of Gemstones, the price increases exponentially with size. Expect a 10.0 carat Ruby to be 100x more expensive than a 1.0 carat Ruby.

As a very popular Gemstone and also relatively rare, expect a 10.0 carat Sapphire to be 20x more expensive than a 1.0 carat Sapphire..

The IGL grading system is based on what can be seen by the unaided eye as opposed to using magnification (loupe).

Inclusions are not visible to the unaided eye, classified as:

• EC1 having very minor inclusions
• EC2 having minor inclusions

Very slightly visible to unaided eye, classified as:

• VI1 having very slightly visible inclusions
• VI2 having slightly visible inclusions

Visible inclusions obvious to the unaided eye, classified as:

• I1 having highly visible inclusions
• I2 having very highly visible inclusions

Colour is the most significant factor impacting the value of Gemstones. The rarest and most valuable colour is Vivid, as this optimally balances tone and saturation. Colours on either side of Vivid, are more common and hence reduce in value.

The different Gemstones colour gradings used are:

• Dark - Moderate to strong saturation with a very dark tone
• Deep - Moderate to strong saturation with a medium dark to dark tone
• Vivid - Vivid saturation with a medium to medium dark tone
• Intense - Moderate saturation with a medium light tone
• Medium Intense - Moderate saturation with a light tone

For Sapphires Only (Light and Very Light Rubies are actually Pink Sapphires)

• Light - Slightly greyish or brownish saturation with a light tone
• Very Light - Greyish saturation with a very light tone

Untreated

Only the finest and rarest gemstones are unearthed in a perfect state without further need for treatment.

Treated

Most Gemstones require light treatment to enhance colour and clarity. More aggressive treatments reduce the value of gemstones and are not offered for sale by 77 Diamonds.

Ruby

There are 4 major types of heat treatments for Rubies, but 77 Diamonds only offer the 2 least impactful ones in terms of lowering the value, such as Heated - marked H on the certificate and Heated with flux - marked H(f1), H(f2), Hf3) on the certificate. We do not offer for sale Rubies heated with beryllium or lead glass.

Sapphire

There are 4 major types of heat treatments for Sapphires. 77 Diamonds offer the least value impactful one, namely Heated, marked by an H on the certificate. This is considered a light and least value impactful treatment. 77 Diamonds do not offer Sapphires that have been diffused with beryllium or titanium or heated with lead glass and cobalt.

Unlike with diamonds, most Gemstones give away their origin by their chemical signature and types of impurities. Location can have a significant impact on value, some locations are more highly sought after than others, even comparing similar looking stones.

Ruby

The premium source of Rubies is Burma (Myanmar) due to the heritage and scarcity. 2nd in line is Mozambique and Thailand, followed by Tanzania and Madagascar and finally Vietnam.

Sapphire

The premium source of Sapphires is from Kashmir, followed by Burma (Myanmar). Sri Lanka is the third finest, with Madagascar and Tanzania as the fourth. The final sources are from Basaltic origins (Australia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia).

Pricing for Gemstones is in the end all about rarity. As Rubies and Sapphires are very rare in general, but larger good quality stones are extremely rare and so this is reflected in the price. Always try to balance your budget with the quality (colour, intensity, clarity and treatment) with size (carat) and shape, in order to decide what is most important to you.