Diamond Glossary
Brilliance: Light reflected through the crown. Cut is foremost, but colour and clarity are also characteristics linked to a gem’s brilliance.
Crown: The section of the stone above the girdle.
Dispersion: The internal fireworks of a diamond, dispersion is technically the breakup of white light into rainbow colours. This magical feature cannot be captured on film. It is the life of the gem.
Gem grading reports: Gem reports are a gemologist’s review of quality with graphs and letter grades evaluating the 4Cs.
Girdle: A narrow band of facets separating the crown from the pavilion.
Facet: The small planar surfaces of a cut diamond
Fancy Colour Diamonds: Coloured diamonds, such as pink and yellow
Fancy cut: An umbrella term used for all diamond shapes except the round brilliant cut.
Flawless: A diamond that shows no internal or external imperfections under a 10-power jeweler’s loupe.
Inclusion: Any internal flaw
Pavilion: The section of the stone below the girdle
Rough: An uncut diamond
Spread: An extra-large table, usually more than 60 percent of the crown
Step cuts: Long slender facets, step cuts usually appear in threes going up crowns and down pavilions like stairs
Stone papers: Sheets of special jeweler’s paper, folded into little packets to hold a diamond. The gem’s carat weight, colour and clarity grade are generally written on the outside.
Table: The largest facet on top of the stone, parallel to the girdle
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