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Diamantformen & Schliffe - BREEDIA

Diamond Shapes & Cuts

in Diamonds

« Irresistible Brilliance and Radiant Sparkle »

Diamonds remain the most popular gemstones when it comes to engagement rings. Pure and radiant like love itself, they are considered its symbolic stone and impress with beauty, hardness, and stability in equal measure. We explain to you why no two diamonds need to be alike, because enormous differences arise not only from the size of the stones, but also from the numerous cutting styles and diamond shapes. Get to know some of the most important shapes and cuts that create brilliant sparkle on the engagement ring and also on the wedding ring.

What Diamond Cuts Are There?

An engagement ring with a diamond is simply a classic and is rarely missing from a marriage proposal. And those who choose wedding bands often opt for a model for the lady that is adorned with a beautiful gemstone. For a gemstone to shine at its best in jewelry, it must be cut from its natural rough state. This works only because of the material's hardness by rubbing the gemstones against each other or against grinding wheels equipped with tiny diamond grains. This impressive craftsmanship has its origins in 15th-century Belgium – first Bruges and later Antwerp were the most important cities for diamond cutting. Nowadays, there are many different diamond shapes that can also be used for other gemstones.

Faith 0.63 ct. Solitaire Ring in 585 White Gold with Diamond (0.63 ct.)

Basically, one can distinguish between smooth and faceted cuts. The characteristic sparkle of a gemstone only comes about through a faceted cut – a diamond is treated with such a cut almost without exception. Among the most popular diamond shapes with facets, which are always in perfect arrangement to refract incoming light as well as possible, are the brilliant cut, the emerald cut, the oval cut, the pear cut, and the heart cut, and the baguette cut also has many admirers. We present the various cuts and their characteristics in more detail below:

Diamond Shapes

The Brilliant Cut

This is the most popular of all cutting styles. The widespread belief that a brilliant is an independent gemstone is not quite correct, because it is only through the brilliant cut that a diamond becomes a brilliant – this variant of diamond shapes underlies over 90% of the stones used on the jewelry market. Its final shape was achieved by this cut, which is popular not only for engagement rings, in 1919. Among all cutting styles, the brilliant cut with its round shape and 57 or 58 facets – depending on whether an additional facet was cut at the base of the brilliant – is the one that expresses the brilliance of the stone in a particularly radiant way. The light reflects so beautifully that it is referred to as the fire of the brilliant. Brilliants are perfect for an engagement ring in a classically elegant style and definitely play the leading role when it comes to solitaire diamond rings.

Le Missio 0.56 ct. Brilliant Ring in 585 White Gold with Diamond (0.40 ct. + 0.16 ct.) - Diamond Shapes

The Emerald Cut

Also called the smaragd cut, the geometric emerald cut belongs to the diamond shapes that place the purity and clarity of the stone in the foreground. Originally developed for emeralds, the diamond cut was later also used for other gemstones. The facets of the stone cut into a rectangle optically resemble staircase steps. Through the flat top facet, you can look into the interior of the gemstone, which is why this cut is primarily recommended for stones of high purity. Particularly for women who like to stand out in style and jewelry and deviate from the mainstream, an engagement ring with a diamond in emerald cut is wonderfully suitable. These gemstone shapes can also perfectly emphasize the vintage look – it's no wonder that the glamorous cut is among the most popular cutting styles of the Art Deco era.

The Princess Cut

Not all shapes are round or strictly geometric. The princess cut belongs to the cutting styles where the angular shape of the stone and the resulting sparkle are in the foreground. It is also often referred to as a square variation of the brilliant, since the shine of both cuts is very similar. The cut shape of a pyramid creates 57 or 76 facets in which light is scattered in a unique way. A major advantage of this cut is that very little material is lost and a stone with the same starting weight in the princess cut is noticeably larger than in the round brilliant cut. Whether as a solitaire ring, tension ring, or in a luxurious pavé setting – a gemstone in princess cut suits women who like jewelry that is both traditional and fashionable and contemporary.

Pear-Shaped Gemstones

Gemstones in this cut have a certain similarity to round brilliants, but due to the pear point appear like a pendant – hence the name pendeloque. Less common are the designations tear or pear diamond. Jewelry pieces with such stones look elegant and feminine, they have a very special radiance that quickly captivates the wearer and observer. An engagement ring with a gemstone in pear shape is especially popular with ladies who do not want standard jewelry but still value a classically elegant style. If the ring is worn so that the point of the stone points toward the fingertip, it creates an optical lengthening of the fingers, which appear slimmer as a result.

Classic Pear 0.50 ct. Solitaire Ring in 950 Platinum with Diamond (0.5 ct.)

Heart-Shaped Diamonds

Now it gets really romantic! Gemstones in heart shape require a lot of experience and finesse when cutting, because only if both curves are truly symmetrically cut can the desired sparkle be created. For an engagement ring, the heart shape is very often chosen when it is to be designed particularly emotionally. Especially young, romantically inclined ladies like this extraordinary diamond cut as a visible proof of great love for all to see. Diamond rings with heart-shaped stones are also suitable for occasions such as Valentine's Day or a wedding anniversary. A wedding ring with a stone in heart shape, on the other hand, is rarely seen.

The Baguette Cut

This cut is considered very elegant and belongs to the cutting styles where the clarity of the stone is in the foreground. The name of this cutting technique comes from the French baguette bread – with a bit of imagination, the two shapes resemble each other. Both for an engagement ring and for wedding bands, this cut is often chosen. Stones cut in this way sparkle rather subtly and shine less radiantly than brilliants, they fit wonderfully in rings that are kept discreet and simple. The rectangular cut gemstone has a total of 14 facets and, like all other diamond shapes, can be combined with the different gold tones and ring shanks according to personal taste. For a classic solitaire ring, the baguette cut is rarely used, but in modern tension rings – often in a matte finish – it reaches its peak and delights lovers of straightforward jewelry pieces.

Tension Ring Baguette Tension Ring in 925 Silver with Diamond (0.06 ct.)

And What Other Diamond Cuts Are There?

Besides these popular and more or less frequently represented diamond shapes, there are cutting styles that are far more rarely used. Those who like square stones in their engagement ring may find the cushion cut or the Asscher cut form the right choice, and the radiant cut with its slightly rounded corners also falls into this category of diamond rings. In the marquise cut, long and narrow stones are created, whereas triangular diamond shapes are called trillion.

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Contents What is the Kimberley Process? Where do conflict-free diamonds come from? What conflict-free diamonds are, and what they are not! Is there a certificate of origin when purchasing a diamond? Can you recognize conflict-free diamonds with the naked eye? Conflict-Free Diamonds and the Kimberley Process At BREEDIA, we are frequently asked where our diamonds come from and whether they are also not blood diamonds. Since we also consider this topic when purchasing diamonds, we explain below not only why our diamonds are conflict-free, but also what other ethical standards we adhere to. The Kimberley Process and the System of Warranties After it was discovered in the 1990s that illegally mined diamonds in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Angola were being used to finance African civil wars, the U.N. decided in partnership with some African diamond-producing countries, as well as the EU and the USA, to ban trade with countries from conflict regions. In 2003, this agreement, which was decided in Kimberley (South Africa) in 2000, came into force. Since then, the so-called Kimberley Process has used the Kimberley Process Certification System (KPCS) to ensure that only fair diamonds are traded worldwide, which can demonstrate through certificates of origin that they do not come from any conflict region. Furthermore, export and import are only permitted between countries that have signed the Kimberley Agreement. To ensure that no conflict diamonds are mixed in, rough diamonds are transported together under seal. In the so-called System of Warranties, subsequent (intermediate) traders confirm the verification and compliance with the Kimberley Process of the previous stage. As a trader of a Kimberley participant country, it is therefore not permitted to acquire diamonds whose origin is unclear and has not been unambiguously certified as conflict-free. Compliance is continuously monitored by national and international control bodies. The conflict-free diamond is also referred to as a fair diamond. However, this has nothing to do with the Fair Trade label. What is a blood diamond? A blood diamond is a rough diamond or already cut stone, through the sale of which wars or civil wars are financed. Often, rebel groups smuggle these stones into other countries to buy weapons with them. Although the Kimberley Process is certainly not perfect: Overall, this step led to the fact that the sale of diamonds from dubious sources in the diamond trade has been largely curtailed. Only 0.02% of traded diamonds still come from conflict regions (in the 90s it was still 4%) Discover conflict-free diamond engagement rings Purchase classic, simple, and curved engagement rings with fair diamonds or without gemstones from your trusted jeweler! More transparency through BREEDIA's direct diamond trade At BREEDIA, you can only buy conflict-free diamonds. However, the System of Warranties is only as strong as its weakest link. There is a quick risk that despite strict controls, "black sheep" will sneak into the diamond sourcing cycle. Therefore, our diamonds are not only subject to strict control by the Kimberley Process. We also eliminate through our vertical value chain those intermediaries and non-transparent sourcing of traditional jewelers through the following measures: Direct diamond sourcing from cutting facilities or those dealers who cooperate directly with them, rather than from national wholesale In-house jewelry production instead of outsourcing BREEDIA compared to other jewelers. Traditional jeweler Few jewelers produce their own pieces; most purchase their jewelry from larger jewelry manufacturers at home and abroad. Traditional jewelers are therefore dependent on their suppliers' diamond dealers and intermediaries providing the guarantee that the diamonds are demonstrably of ethically unproblematic origin. You should therefore only shop at a jeweler you trust. At BREEDIA, this problem does not exist because we produce our engagement rings in Pforzheim in our own production facility and take care of sourcing all gemstones ourselves. By reducing the steps in the supply chain, we can significantly increase transparency compared to the competition of local jewelry retailers. Online retailers with huge diamond selection (+20,000 diamonds in stock) Caution is also advised with online retailers who display a large selection of diamonds on their website. In fact, these stones do not belong to the company itself. Instead, only an offer from a globally spanning diamond exchange is provided, on which other jewelers, diamond dealers, and intermediaries (mostly from India) offer their inventory. These online retailers therefore act only as intermediaries between you, the end customer, and the actual owner of the cut diamond, without really marking this on the website. Direct control over the actual dealer is not possible due to the large number of sellers on this platform. The System of Warranties is very difficult to enforce in this case. Where do conflict-free diamonds come from? Around 80% of all diamonds certified as conflict-free come from Russia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Australia, USA, and Canada. In these countries, in addition to the obligations of the Kimberley Process with regard to diamond mining, great emphasis is placed on compliance with human rights, ecological sustainability, and workers' rights. At BREEDIA, we therefore always try to source diamonds exclusively from those regions. Furthermore, additional countries (54 of them, as well as all EU countries; as of 2018) have committed to complying with the Kimberley Process. Meanwhile, 99.8% of all diamonds produced in the world are of conflict-free origin. Top 80% of Kimberley mining countries What conflict-free diamonds are, and what they are not! The Kimberley Agreement ensures exclusively that international trade in blood diamonds and the resulting financing of wars (particularly in Africa) is prevented. This does not affect numerous ethical and ecological standards. While many countries are now trying to improve ecological sustainability in diamond mining and reduce worker exploitation, the Kimberley Agreement ultimately does not require this. As described in the last section, 80% of conflict-free diamonds are now mined in countries where standards are already very high. However, in Kimberley participant countries such as Angola, Ghana, or the Congo, working conditions and environmental impacts are still very poor. At BREEDIA, we therefore support those initiatives that value fair diamond mining. It is our concern that you can purchase sustainable and fair diamonds. There are efforts to expand the diamond trade to include additional points for participating members of the Kimberley Agreement in the near future. This is intended to enable fair trade in these precious gemstones for both the environment and people. Our promise: Diamonds from BREEDIA from fair regions Is there a certificate of origin when purchasing a diamond from a jeweler? No, a jeweler cannot determine exactly where a fair diamond comes from. Unfortunately, this is because immediately after diamonds are mined from the earth, they are auctioned to diamond cutters or intermediaries. At these auctions, it is not possible to bid on specific rough diamonds from a single mine, but only on an entire lot. This lot consists of stones of various sizes and qualities from different mines. This gives the diamond producer who owns the mines the assurance that all diamonds can be sold and not just the best and most frequently requested ones (due to the monopoly position of the two leading diamond mine owners, De Beers and Alrosa, this sales system is unfortunately difficult to break through). Since the origin of the diamonds is already mixed after the auction and before the stones are cut, it would be extremely unethical for a jeweler to claim to know the exact source of the diamond. An expertise on quality (e.g., from GIA or IGI) also does not include information about the origin of the gemstone - however, these certification institutes pay particular attention to origin. Engagement rings in all styles Classic rings Pavé rings All engagement rings Can you recognize conflict-free diamonds as a layperson? No. Even as a jewelry expert, it is not possible to determine the exact origin of the diamond. However, there are scientific methods, including infrared light, to analyze the light spectra or trace elements of the gemstone, which can be used to determine the place of origin relatively accurately. Due to the high effort and high costs, this is not implemented in practice. 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Diamanten 4c

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When selecting a diamond, two factors must be considered! First, there is the stone shape and second, the stone quality: Initially, you should think about what shape the diamond should be cut into for your engagement ring. There are countless cut shapes, such as Brilliant (round) or Princess Cut (square), which we will discuss in more detail below. The actual diamond quality is determined by four quality criteria, the so-called 4C's (Carat, Color, Clarity, Cut). The 4 C's Carat (weight), Color (color), Clarity (purity) and Cut (cut quality). All these properties determine the value of a diamond. A large diamond in poor quality can be worth less than a small, yet flawless diamond. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the diamond is of good to very good quality. What to look for when buying a diamond! Only flawless diamonds (IF) are absolutely perfect. However, even for experts, it is not easy to detect small impurities with the naked eye, as long as they are at most very small (SI1). Only visible inclusions (I1–I3) disturb the overall appearance and also reduce brilliance. The same applies to color: An absolutely colorless diamond (D) would of course be desirable, but is very expensive. Nearly colorless and more affordable diamonds are a very good alternative for most occasions (e.g., color G or better). Yellowish-tinted diamonds (such as K) are not recommended and are therefore not offered by BREEDIA. Carat Color Cut Clarity 1. Carat – Weight Carat indicates the weight of the diamond, where 1 carat equals exactly 200 mg. At BREEDIA, you will find diamond jewelry from 0.05 to 1 ct. In rings with multiple stones, stones of 0.001 ct to a maximum of 0.05 ct are usually offered on the ring band. Through the weight of a brilliant, the size of the stone can be approximately determined, since the proportions are almost the same with the same cut. 2. Color – Color Color indicates whether a diamond is colorless or has a yellow tint. Diamonds of the best quality are colorless or in a very fine white and are therefore also the most valuable. Color is one of the most important factors in determining quality. In general, we recommend diamonds in color G (TW, Top Wesselton). Upon request – or if the configuration allows – a better quality can also be selected. Since the designation of diamond color quality varies greatly internationally, you can see the most commonly used quality grades in the following table: In Germany, German terms were previously used to grade diamonds. Today, however, designations according to English or American standards are more common. For diamonds under 0.30 ct, English additions are therefore often found, e.g., for fine white Top Wesselton (TW) is specified. Diamonds from 0.30 ct are supplied exclusively with GIA or IGI expertise at BREEDIA. Here, the evaluation is in alphabetical order from D to Z. Therefore, from these stone sizes onwards, you will only find the American designation in our certificates. Not to be confused is the "color of a diamond" with "colored diamonds", the so-called Fancy Diamonds, including pink, yellow or black. These stones are evaluated according to their own standards. Fancy Diamonds are extremely rare and in most cases significantly more expensive than white diamonds (upon request, we also process colored untreated or colored treated diamonds). Diamond Colors Color G is a bright diamond with minimal color traces. DEFGHIJ Colorless Nearly colorless Slightly tinted 3. Cut – Cut Quality The Cut is the most important criterion for the actual brilliance of a diamond and has become increasingly important in purchasing decisions in recent years. 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For jewelry purposes, diamonds with very small inclusions that are only visible under magnification are already suitable. We therefore offer diamonds with at least SI (small inclusions) or VVS/VS (depending on the collection) on almost all models, as these characteristics are not visible to the naked eye. Diamonds with the clarity grade I (Inclusions) are not offered, as inclusions are already visible to the naked eye at this level. As with the color of the 4C's, clarity is also evaluated according to international standards – as you can see from the following table: The importance of independent certificates for diamond value: In addition to the 4C's, expertise is also of great importance for the value of a diamond. Only diamonds certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the International Gemological Institute (IGI) meet our high standards for diamonds from 0.3 ct. Grading by other institutes (however reputable they may sound) is less strict and therefore has a negative impact on price. For diamonds of at least 0.3 ct (for the main stone), GIA or IGI certificates are included in our delivery – diamonds under 0.3 ct are subject to our own strict evaluation. With these tips to the perfect proposal Find ring size 10 Facts about engagement rings Engagement ring costs? Back to magazine

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Was bedeut die Steinqualität tw/si? - BREEDIA

What does the stone quality TW/SI mean?

The quality standard TW/SI is of great importance for use in engagement rings. TW/SI refers to the quality of the diamond. In diamond science, there are four different characteristics that classify the quality of a diamond, the so-called 4Cs. TW/SI covers two criteria: "Color" = color of the diamond and "Clarity" = purity of the diamond. The abbreviation "TW" stands for Top Wesselton and evaluates the color of the diamond. Diamonds with Top Wesselton are assigned the letters F or G in diamond science and are nearly colorless. The abbreviation "SI" stands for Small Inclusions. For experts, small inclusions are visible under 10x magnification. How does TW/SI differ from W/SI? With these diamond standards, the difference lies only in the color of the diamond. A diamond with TW/SI quality appears slightly more colorless than a diamond in W/SI. The purity of the diamond remains unaffected. Why is TW/SI a very good diamond quality? The diamond is nearly colorless. Only in direct comparison with stones of color E and D is a difference noticeable. Only experts see small inclusions under the 10x magnifying glass. With the naked eye, features in the diamond are only visible in exceptional cases. The inclusions are so small that the brilliance is only minimally reduced. The price-to-performance ratio of these stones is very good – which is why it is the most popular diamond quality for jewelry (especially engagement rings). For smaller diamonds up to 0.2 ct, the TW/SI diamond standard is ideal. Better qualities are difficult to detect at these stone sizes or only in direct comparison. What does the diamond quality TW/VS mean? The diamond quality TW/VS is better than TW/SI. The color is identical, but the clarity rating of the diamond is better. This means: A TW/VS stone has fewer inclusions than a TW/SI stone at the same color. How noticeable are the differences between TW/SI and TW/VS to the naked eye? Difficult – only in direct comparison can an expert with a 10x magnifying glass detect a difference. Buy engagement rings with diamond (TW/SI) online now Discover classic, simple and curved engagement rings with the recommended diamonds. Engagement rings with diamond In which cases is the diamond quality TW/SI not recommended? - Not optimal for diamonds with a large table, such as princess cut, emerald cut or oval diamonds. - Inclusions can reduce brilliance. - For angular diamonds, we recommend a better clarity grade than "Very Small Inclusions" (VSI). Back to the knowledge area for diamonds We help you with your engagementFAQ on diamonds Diamonds 4 C Diamond vs. Brilliant Diamonds ct converted to mm

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