Diamonds

Exceptionally Brillant Diamonds

Visit Yanina & Co. in our private Diamond Room you will work with GIA Certified Diamond Graders who are extremely knowledgeable about diamonds. They will help you select from a wide variety of diamonds,from the most rare to the most cherished – all competitively priced.

Diamonds are graded using a system commonly known as the Four C’s,judging the stone on its color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.

Diamond Color

Diamonds are graded on a color scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The grade ranges from D (colorless) to Z (heavily tinted). Truly colorless diamonds, graded D, are treasured for their rarity. Color differences are so subtle that only a highly skilled professional will detect any color in E or F stones. Even when a stone has a visible tint, such as K or above, it can still be very lovely if it has good clarity and cut. Warmer colored diamonds (K–Z) are particularly desirable when set in yellow gold. Icy winter whites (D–J) look stunning set in white gold or platinum.

Nature has also created diamonds in intense shades of blue, green, yellow, orange and pink — and red, which is rarest. These diamonds are called colored fancies, and the more intense the color, the greater their value.

Diamond Clarity

Almost all diamonds have slight imperfections, but for the most part, diamonds used in jewelry are clean to the naked eye. Flaws or inclusions can come in many forms. The fewer the flaws a diamond has, the more valuable it is. A diamond’s clarity rank ranges from IF (Flawless) to I3 (Included) based on the number, size, type and placement of its inclusions. ​

The greater a diamond’s clarity, the more brilliant, valuable and rare it is. Below is the GIA clarity scale, along with corresponding definitions for different clarity grades.

Diamond Cut & Shape

Of the Four C’s, cut is the only characteristic that is completely controlled by man. Its also by far the most important factor in determining beauty. It may take nature to create a diamond’s special characteristics, but it takes a master cutter to reveal its true beauty. ​

Every diamond begins as a rough crystal. An excellent cut can make even a flawed diamond look brilliant, a poor cut can make even the most perfect diamond look dull, inferior and small.

Diamond Carat

In basic terms, carat weight is the weight of a diamond. One carat is equivalent to 100 points; so for example, a .75 carat diamond is 75 points. All things being equal, the more a diamond weighs the more valuable it is. ​

Diamonds can range in size from a fraction of a carat to several carats. The price per carat increases rapidly with size, and you can expect to pay a premium for stones that are above one carat weight. That’s why a single 2-carat diamond will cost substantially more than two 1-carat diamonds. In jewelry pieces with more than one diamond, the carats may be described in terms of total carat weight (TW). This is the combined total weight of all the diamonds in the piece.