Some diamond wholesalers seem to have a language all of their own. But you can still live in their world. After all, if you’re buying a loose diamond it’s important to make a good investment. So here’sa hit list of dealer lingo you might find yourself speaking in the wholesale diamond showroom.
- Blemish: is a flaw on the outside of the diamond. It might be a scratch, nick or chip.
- Blue Flash: also called Blue White, this means the stone glows blue under ultraviolet light.
- Brilliance: how much white light an individual diamond reflects.
- Brilliant: different to brilliance, this term means a round stone cut with 58 facets.
- Carat: in simple terms, a unit of weight. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams.
- Carbon: is the base element from which diamonds are formed. Tiny carbon spots exist within most stones.
- Cloud: when a group of small internal flaws is clustered together within a gem.
- Crown: basically the top section of the diamond, or all of the stone above the girdle.
- Cutlet: usually cut very small, this is the bottom-most facet of a fine cut stone.
- Eye clean: when no internal or external flaws can be seen with the naked eye.
- Facet: a flat, polished area ground into the surface of a stone during cutting.
- Fire: also called dispersion, how much coloured light an individual diamond reflects.
- Florescence: how a diamond behaves and if it glows when exposed to ultraviolet light.
- Full cut: any stone cut with a minimum of 58 facets.
- Gemmologist: someone qualified and accredited to assess precious and semi-precious stones.
- GIA: Gemological Institute of America. A global organisation upholding diamond grading standards.
- Girdle: separating the crown and pavilion is this narrow unpolished band encircling the stone.
- Head: another name for the claws or prongs that hold a diamond in its setting.
- Inclusion: is a flaw on the inside of the diamond. It might be a carbon spot or fracture.
- Laser drilled: a treatment used to remove carbon spots from diamonds.
- Loupe: a small magnifying glass used to view stones.
- Off make: a diamond that has been cut to inferior proportions.
- Pavillion: basically the bottom section of the diamond, or all of the stone above the girdle.
- Point: a measurement of one-hundredth of a carat. Therefore one carat = 100 points.
- Single cut: any diamond cut with 16 or 17 facets.
- Sparkle: a measure of light return quality that combines brilliance and fire
A little bit of diamond education goes a long way when it comes to understanding gemstone terminology.
Now you know know some of the terminology, customise your commitment with a unique diamond engagement ring here.