Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Super Ideal Cut Diamond



What are Super Ideal Cuts?
Super Ideal Cut diamonds are diamonds that are cut to perfection in every way.
In simple terms a Super Ideal Cut diamond is a diamond that is cut Hearts and Arrows and meets GIA’s Triple Excellent Cut standards.

Whats the diff's?
You can have a diamond that is Hearts and Arrows but that does not meet GIA’s excellent standards and visa versa. You can have a diamond that is Triple Excellent according to GIA’s standards but that  is not a Hearts and Arrows cut diamond. You need the best of both worlds (Hearts and Arrows and GIA’S Triple Excellent Cut standards) to have a Super Ideal Cut Diamond.

Lets compare a Hearts and Arrows diamond and a Triple Excellent Cut diamond?
Hearts and Arrows
A Hearts and Arrows diamond is cut with precision. It can only be cut with modern multi-click Tools (Tang). The older tools are simply not as effective as modern tools when it comes to modern brilliant cut diamonds. Modern tools make it possible to get angels and split angles (Halvies) on the exact same depth and size (broadness). Modern tools cut out a great deal of guessing and ensure good faceting of the diamond. Hearts and Arrows can only be viewed with a special loupe as the ones available at www.jewelryloupe.com 



GIA’s Triple Excellent Cut. (http://www.gia.edu)
GIA is a certification Laboratory that certifies diamonds according to Color, Clarity and CUT.
To obtain a Triple Excellent Diamond from DIA you will need the following standards polished but the Master Diamond Cutter.
Excellent Symmetry - All facets Aligned without bumps or overrunning symmetry lines
Excellent Polish – All facets clear of polishing (un-zoet) lines, burn marks or beard (small crack like appearances on the girdle)
Excellent Cut – All angels meet GIA standards for maximum brilliance.

It becomes obvious here that you can have a very nice Hearts and Arrows cut diamond but does not meet the Triples Excellent Standards for example;
You can have a Hearts and Arrows diamond that is not on gauge or with bad polishing lines on facets. 

For more info contact Conrad Kruger 
conrad@diamond-indulgence.com

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Stages of a diamond

Diamond Polishing Advice
What is diamond Lapidary?
The word Lapidary is a synonym for “polishing gemstones”
In diamond lapidary we are more closely referring to the art of polishing of diamonds.
It takes many stages and specialized skills to complete or take a diamond from the rough to a finished product.
Diamond polishing stages stages include:
Mining
Sorting of rough
Selling rough – by miners
Purchasing of rough or polished goods – by dealers 

In typical diamond cutting factory a diamond undergoes 10 steps before it is turned into beautiful gem
  • Marking of rough
  • Sawing of diamonds (if required)
  • Bruting of a diamond 
diamond bruting
(Because diamonds are extremely hard only a diamond is used to cut / brute another diamond)
  • Blocking of diamond – choosing and designing of basic shape (round or fancy shape)
  • Lapping diamond – final polishing of main shape 
    diamond lapping
  • Brillianteering – final polishing of brilliant facets on a diamond
  • Evaluating the final product by supervisor or factory foreman – as more work may be required on the gem.
  • Boiling of diamond – for cleaning
  • Certifying of diamond
  • Selling diamond for wholesale
  • Selling diamond for retail / jewellery
Each one of these stages require a specialize tradesperson to complete
Very few people are specialized enough to complete several stages of diamond production 
for more info on diamond polishing contact 
conrad@diamond-indulgence.com
www.diamond-indulgence.com