This diamond buying guide should help you to feel confident when choosing your diamond jewellery.

 We have used the learning from our experience over the years to write a basic diamond guide. Although we are by no means experts, this diamond buying guide is here to give you a few points to look out for. So when you choose your diamond jewellery, you can do so with confidence by, understanding what a diamond is, the Four Cs and the Fifth C which addresses Conflict diamonds.

What is a diamond?

 Diamonds are 99.95% pure crystallised carbon and can be one to three billion years old. The world's hardest naturally occurring substance, formed beneath the Earth's surface when crystals of diamondoccur in volcano feed-pipes. When volcanoes erode, they release diamonds from their feed-pipes into layers of gravel which are later mined. Due to the rarity of this natural process, diamond mines are found in just a handful of sites around the world. Rough diamonds are shipped to the world's cutting centres to be shaped and polished before being set. The hardness, brilliance and sparkle that emerge from adiamond transform into a girl's best friend.

 Diamond Buying Guide - the Four Cs

Now that you know how diamonds naturally occur, the Element Diamond Buying Guide you help you to familiarise yourself with the Four Cs:

Diamond Cut
As the only characteristic of a diamond not influenced by nature, a well cut diamond is of vital importance in giving a diamond its brilliance. Each angle and finish affects its ability to handle light, through each facet, which leads to brilliance. A diamond cut to achieve good symmetry and proportion will sparkle more than one that has been cut too deep or shallow.

Cut also determines shape. The most popular diamond shape is the round. Others shapes include theemerald, the pear, the marquise, the princess, the oval and the heart shape. We enjoy working with alternative shapes in our collections, be it diamond dress rings, designer engagement rings or aneveryday diamond piece.

Diamond Colour
The most valuable and rare colour of a diamond is white, or colourless. Absolutely colourless diamonds are graded with the letter "D". The diamond colour scale moves up to "Z". Between these two extremes, diamonds display subtle coloured tones. The diamonds used at Koukii Designs are typically of G colour or above.

                                        DEF                Colourless         

                                        GHIJ               Near Colourless

                                        KLM                Faint Yellow

                                      NOPQR             Very light yellow

                                      STUVWXYZ       Light yellow

                                          Z +                Fancy coloured diamonds such as                                                                          yellow diamond

Diamonds sold through Koukii Designs are analyzed and graded by either:

Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
Antwerp Diamond High Council (HRD)
American Gem Society Laboratories (AGS) 

The Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia (DCLA)

Diamond Clarity
Koukii Designs welcome you to look into the diamonds we source for you with a loupe. You’ll probably see small "inclusions", or "nature's fingerprints". Usually invisible to the naked eye, you need to know that these inclusions can affect the diamond's fire, but they also make your diamond unique and shouldn't always be seen as a fault. As long as your diamond is graded above SI1, you can be confident that your diamond will sparkle.

               F                        

Flawless: No internal or external flaws. Extremely rare.

          IF                   

Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, but some surface flaws. Very rare.

VVS1-VVS2    

Very Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions very difficult to detect under 10x magnification.

    VS1-VS2        

Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions seen only with difficulty under 10x magnification.

       SI1-SI2          

Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions more easily detected under 10x magnification.

    I1-I2-I3        

Included (three grades). Inclusions visible under 10x magnification, as well as to the naked human eye.

Diamond Carat
The weight, and thus the size, of a diamond is measured by carat. A carat is equal to 0.2gm, or 200mg. A carat is divided into 100 smaller units called points. Eg: a diamond weighing three-quarters of a caratis 75 points.
                             

Diamond Buying Guide – Piece of mind.
For extra reassurance when buying a diamond or diamond ring, you could request a Certificated diamond. Typically, a diamond is certified by an independent gemmological laboratory if it is larger than 0.30ct, and is usually more expensive than a non-certified diamond (prices for certification depend ondiamond size).

Our approach to non-conflict or ethical diamonds

Koukii Designs supports the initiative of the United Nations and the World Diamond Council to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate supply chains of the jewellery industry (The Kimberley Process).

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme ensures that mining of diamonds is strictly supervised at government level and that legitimately mined diamonds, in their “rough” state (before cutting and polishing) are only transferred between participating countries under strictly monitored conditions, in tamper proof containers, and accompanied by the appropriate documentation. 

To ensure that only these legitimate diamonds, when cut and polished, pass into the jewellerymanufacturing process, and therefore into all Koukii Designs Jewellery, we do:

• not buy diamonds from suspect or unknown sources or from countries not participating in the Kimberley Process.
• not buy diamonds from a source found to have violated government regulations on conflictdiamonds.
• not buy diamonds from regions where government advice indicates that conflict diamonds are emanating or on sale unless they have been exported under the Kimberley Process.
• not knowingly buy or sell or assist others to buy or sell conflict diamonds.
• ensure that all company employees who buy and sell diamonds are well informed about the Kimberley process and industry self regulation.

 
FAQs about non-conflict diamonds:

I’ve been reading about conflict diamonds (Blood diamonds) in the press – what’s it all about?

A conflict diamond is a stone mined in an area controlled by armed forces in rebellion against a legitimate government or by bandits exploiting unstable political conditions.  Rebels and outlaws smugglerough stones (those not yet cut and polished) into other countries.  Profits from smuggled conflictdiamonds finance further conflict and lawless activity. The proportion of conflict diamonds in the worldwide supply has always been small.

Thanks to the restoration of peace in Angola and Sierra Leone (two of the principal combat zones in earlier years), and to the counter-measures now being taken, there are even fewer today. With the global efforts by governments, industry, and non-governmental organizations In 2003 an effective system called the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) came into place.

Can you tell me about the Kimberley Process?
The Kimberley Process was designed by the United Nations and the World Diamond Council to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate jewellery supply chains. Around 70 countries now participate in the Kimberley Process to make sure that where they have diamond mining it is strictly supervised and that diamonds, in their “rough” state (before cutting and polishing) can only be transferred between participating countries in tamper proof containers, under strict controls and with the appropriate documentation. All shipments are reconciled internationally.

I’ve heard there’s a film out about the diamond trade.
Yes, it’s called the Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio as a diamond smuggler in Sierra Leone. It was first screened in January 2007. It is set in the nineties before the trade got to grips with the problem, so it doesn’t reflect what is happening now.

I’m looking to buy an engagement/eternity ring – I don’t want my fiancée/wife to be worried that it might contain conflict diamonds?

 It’s highly unlikely – When the Kimberley Process came into force in January 2003, complementary programs were put in place by the public and private sectors, including diamond producing countries,diamond traders, diamond cutters and retail jewelers, to keep conflict diamonds out of the legitimate trade.  The Kimberley Process today covers over 99% of the world diamond trade.

How can I be sure that these are not conflict diamonds?
Most of the conflicts in Africa are over now but the controls will stay in place to make sure rebels can’t get funds to fuel future conflicts.

What is Koukii Designs doing to make sure you don’t sell conflict diamonds?
To prevent conflict diamonds getting into our supply chain we have written procedures to make sure we only buy from suppliers who give us a garrentee that they don’t buy conflict diamonds.

Where do these diamonds come from?
Diamonds come from Africa, Russia, Canada and Australia but before they are cut and polished they are usually sorted and graded by size, colour, quality and clarity and this means mixing up diamonds from different countries of origin to get economies in cutting and polishing.

Should I avoid diamonds from Africa if that’s where the problems are?
No, because the problems are now under control. Any areas where conflict diamonds become a problem will be excluded from the Kimberley Process, so will not get into our supplies.

or

For many parts of Africa diamonds are an important mineral resource. Mining diamonds provides jobs and money for housing, schools, healthcare and social programmes. Some countries are investing in cutting and polishing factories as well. So buying diamonds makes a positive contribution to the lives of people in these areas.