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Round Brilliant - Do not confuse with round. The round brilliant is the modern version of the round which has been refined for maximum shine. The round brilliant is by far the most popular and has the best angles for which to shine maximum brilliance.
Oval - Not as popular for solitaires, but very popular for three stone anniversary rings, with two matching diamonds on the sides.
Princess - A square cut diamond that has refractive properties almost near round brilliant. The princess is the preferred square cut shape over radiant.
Emerald - A more traditional shape, the emerald is not as popular as it used as it once was, but has an old world elegance to it.
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Radiant - Popular before the princess shape was around, the radiant has more facets than a princess, but has the corners trimmed like the emerald shape. This shape is not widely popular.
Heart - Hard to find due to low demand, but some people prefer a heart shape diamond for sentimental purposes.
Marquise - Like the emerald, the marquise is a traditional shape. This is probably the fourth most popular shape behind the round, princess and oval.
Pear - Mostly used in pendants, the pear shape diamond is shaped in a tear drop shape and has fairly good proportions to refract light well.
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(Only graphical representations, not actual color)
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D
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E
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F
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G
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H
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I
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J
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K
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L
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M
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N
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0
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P
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Q
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R
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S
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T
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U
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V
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W
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X
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Y
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Z
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FY
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FI
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FV
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Colorless
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Near Colorless
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Faint Yellow
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Very Light Yellow
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Light Yellow
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Fancy Yellow
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The Diamond is assigned a color grade based upon the amount of body color it exhibits when
compared to a set of Master Color Diamonds which have been color graded and registered as a
set by the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory. All Diamonds are graded using a standardized light
source which is equivalent to North daylight.
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-
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-
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VVS1
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VVS2
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VS1
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VS2
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SI1
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SI2
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I1
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I2
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I3
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Flawless
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Internally Flawless
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Very Very Slightly Included
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Very Slightly Included
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Slightly Included
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Imperfect
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Diamond Clarity is a measure of a diamond's internal flaws and impurities. A diamond that is virtually free of interior or exterior inclusions (commonly reffered to as flaws) is of the highest quality, for nothing interferes with the passage of light through the diamond. To determine a diamond's clarity, it is viewed under 10x magnification by a trained gemologist. Small inclusions neither mar its beauty nor endanger its durability.
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Flawless - No internal or external flaws.
Internally Flawless - No internal flaws. Very rare and beautiful diamonds which are quite expensive.
VVS1, VVS2 - Very, Very Slightly Included: Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. An excellent quality diamond.
VS1, VS2 - Very Slightly Included: Inclusions are not visible to the unaided eye. Less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.
SI1, SI2 - Slightly Included: Inclusions are visible under 10x magnification, SI clarity diamonds are usually of the best value since inclusions are not visible to the naked eye and prices are reasonable when compared to prices of the VS2 clarity and up grades.
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SI3 - Slightly Included-EGL: SI3 is an EGL grade and is not recognized by GIA or other gemological institutions. It may be graded by GIA as either SI2 or I1. SI3 diamonds never have any black inclusions or cracks visible to the naked eye, but may have some very minor white inclusions which can be seen with the naked eye.
I1 - Included: an I1 clarity diamond will have a visible flaw which can be seen with the naked eye, but there should only be one major flaw which is not too obvious. If your budget only allows for an SI3 or I1 clarity diamond, be sure to examine it thouroughly before purchasing and make sure you can not see any inclusions.
I2, I3 - Included: These diamonds will have inclusions visible to the naked eye, and will have many black spots from the black inclusions and appear cloudy from the white inclusions, feathers and cracks.
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Table Percentage:
Depth Percentage:
Crown Height:
Pavilion Depth:
Crown Angles:
Pavilion Angles:
Girdle Thickness:
Culet Size:
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54.0% to 65.0%
57.5% to 62.5%
11.0% to 16.0%
41.5% to 45.5%
30.0% to 35.0%
37.9% to 42.4%
Thin, Medium, Slightly Thick and Thick
Small, Medium, and Slightly Large
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