White Diamonds Symbolize Timelessness
Trends in jewelry come and go. Traditionally, women wanted only white diamonds for their engagement rings. The past decades had women wanting yellow diamonds. Currently, pink diamonds are all the rage. But one thing that would probably never change is the white diamond’s claim to fame as the classic diamond.
Although simple in its purity, the white diamond is the ultimate symbol of glamor and class. White diamonds of the highest clarity have insignificant imperfections and therefore give off exemplary luster. The less flaws or inclusions a diamond has, the clearer and whiter it is.
White diamonds can be used for any setting color. They can be set in yellow gold, white gold, or platinum. They look stunning as solitaires and magnificent even when set with other gems. White diamonds are perfect for any type of jewelry, whether they’re bracelets, rings, earrings, pendants, or even studs for body piercings.
Grading white diamonds
White diamonds are classified according to the 4 C’s – these are clarity, cut, color, and carat. In terms of color, the best of the best would have a grade of D, which means the stone is totally colorless. When a white diamond has a color depth of less than Z, it is automatically moved to the fancy colored diamond category.
Clarity-wise, even white diamonds may have some degree of cloudiness in them. Majority of white diamonds also have flaws, and these can be detected even by the naked eye upon close inspection. At times, these appear as black spots, but a skillful cut can sometimes mask these imperfections.
A cut such as the round brilliant cut will have a standard number of facets. This technique, known to bring out as much brilliance from a white diamond as possible, was developed by gem expert Marcel Tolkowsky. He gave mathematical measurements for the ideal round brilliant cut, and the further a white diamond’s characteristics are from what Tolkowsky defined, the less brilliant the stone becomes.
The last criterion in the selection of white diamonds is carat. This refers to the weight of the stone. Generally, the larger the gem, the higher the cost. But you, as a buyer, should be aware that this is not always the case. Due to the premium given to engagement stones weighing certain milestone carats, such as 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0, a 1-carat white diamond may have less sparkle than a diamond of a lesser carat rating because of a poor cut.
