Rio Diamond

 

Welcome to Rio Diamond’s Education page, where we focus on more than just the 4 C’s.  We concentrate on accentuating a diamonds elite beauty, by specializing in diamond cutting.  By cutting our own diamonds, we emphasize a diamond’s natural color and help bring the stones remarkable beauty to life. We also help the diamond reach its maximum color capacity.  We study how to perfect a diamond’s essence - through improving the unique and intricate angles.  In doing so, this brings out the most color, brilliance, luster and sparkle in our exclusive and select diamonds.

Education Topics

Clarity

Diamond Clarity

Clarity relates to the visual appearance of internal characteristics in a diamond called inclusions, and surface defects called blemishes. Inclusions may be crystals of a foreign material within the stone or structural imperfections such as tiny cracks that can appear whitish or cloudy. The number, size, color, relative location, orientation, and visibility of inclusions can all affect the clarity of a diamond. A clarity grade is assigned based on the overall appearance of the stone under 10x magnification.

F, IF
Flawless & Internally Flawless
No inclusions visible, even under 10x magnification


VVS 1-2

Very, Very Slightly Included
Extremely difficult to find under 10x magnification

VS 1-2
Very Slightly Included
Difficult to find under 10x magnification


SI 1-2

Slightly Included
Noticeable under 10x magnification

I 1-2-3
Imperfectly Included
Visible to the unaided eye

 

 

Color

What’s your Favorite Color?

Brown Diamonds

From subtle champagnes to rich cognacs, brown diamonds are the new classic. Their golden tones make them a softer, more gentle alternative to the colorless diamond. Their neutral color makes them the perfect choice for fashion jewelry with a contemporary feel.

COLOR FORMATION

Diamonds become brown when heat and pressure deep within the earth cause the crystal lattice to distort. These distortions cause brown diamonds to absorb a continuum of wavelengths increasing toward the blue region of the spectrum and hence imparting a brown color. This can often be seen as in parallel bands within the diamond. Brown diamonds may be modified by an orange, yellow or pink color.

Yellow Diamonds

Yellow diamonds have captured the sun’s rays like no other gemstone. The dramatic and brilliant glow of these diamonds makes them a red carpet favorite among celebrities, and as a result, they are the most widely known of colors.

COLOR FORMATION

The vast majority of all diamonds contain some nitrogen. In most yellow diamonds the nitrogen atoms have grouped themselves in very specific ways. This happens during and right after the diamond is formed. These nitrogen arrangements absorb light in the blue region of the spectrum producing a yellow color. Yellow diamonds can contain an orange, green or brown modifying color.

Blue Diamonds

The powerful color of the sea and the sky meet in these exceptional gems. Blue diamonds are considered extremely rare and mysterious. They range from the light blue sky of a winter’s day to the deep blue of the ocean.

COLOR FORMATION

The vast majority of blue diamond’s owe their color to the presence of boron. The bonding of boron to carbon causes absorption in the red, yellow and green parts of the spectrum producing a blue color. Blue diamonds may contain a gray, violet or greenish modifying color.

Orange Diamonds

The vibrancy and energy of orange diamonds is unrivaled. The color these gems range from changing seasons to the bold color of the popular orange fruit. Few people however, have ever seen a pure orange diamond because the stones are rare and elusive.

COLOR FORMATION

The vast majority of all diamonds contain some nitrogen. In orange diamonds the nitrogen atoms have grouped themselves in a very specific way. This happens during and right after the diamond is formed. These nitrogen arrangements absorb light in the blue and yellow region of the spectrum producing an orange color. Orange diamonds may contain a brown, yellow or pinkish modifying color.

Green Diamonds

Pure green diamonds are extremely rare and highly valued, ranging from light mint greens to vivid grass greens. Only a handful of natural green diamonds are introduced into the market each year making green diamonds some of the most sought after of all natural color diamonds.

COLOR FORMATION

Unique among natural color diamonds green diamonds acquire their color after their trip to the earth’s surface when they rest in the ground near naturally occurring radiation. This radiation pushes into the diamond causing absorption in the red and yellow regions of the spectrum producing a green color. Green Diamonds can contain a yellowish, bluish or grayish modifying color.

Pink Diamonds

Pink diamonds range from delicate pastel to deep raspberry; Pink Diamonds are the some of the softest colors and are typically associated with romance. These extremely rare diamonds have long been revered by Hollywood stars and today are the hot favorite of collectors and connoisseurs.

COLOR FORMATION

Diamonds become pink when heat and pressure deep within the earth cause the crystal lattice to distort. These distortions cause pink diamonds to absorb green light and hence impart a pink color. This can often be seen as parallel bands within the diamond. Pink diamonds may be modified by an orange, brown or purplish color.

 

Cut

 

Diamonds come in a variety of shapes, the term diamond shape signifies the form, manner and style of shaping a rough diamond stone. Above we have selected the top ten most famous shapes of diamonds in the world. From Princess to Round, each shape has its own unique style of cutting that maximizes the color and brightness of the stone.

 

diamond cut is a style or design guide used when shaping a diamond for polishing such as the brilliant cut. Cut does not refer to shape but the symmetry, proportions and polish of a diamond. The cut of a diamond greatly impacts diamond brilliance; this means if it is cut poorly, it will be less luminous.