“Diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in this world.”
Pliny, Roman Naturalist
When it comes to jewellery, purchasing a diamond for the first time will always be a significant moment in your life – both emotionally and financially. It can be a nerve wracking experience and it is no surprise that you will find yourself asking, “how can I buy the perfect diamond ring?”
Choosing the perfect diamond for you can be difficult as there are many factors to consider. Whether you are looking for a diamond ring or diamond necklace, the choices for the perfect diamond today are limitless, since there are an abundance of shapes, sizes and colours, which means that things can get very confusing and overwhelming very quickly.
This is why Gems Pavilion is here to help you with our ultimate guide to choosing the perfect diamond. In this guide, we’ll go through the 4Cs of choosing diamonds and give you the perfect formula to finding the right diamond for you and your loved one.
Diamond: an ultimate symbol of love
Before we get into the different factors of choosing a diamond, let’s first take a quick look into how diamonds became a symbol of love in today’s world.
The ancient Romans, as well as the Greeks, believed that diamonds were the tears of Gods or fragments from the stars that fell from the heavens. They also believed that Cupid used an arrow with a diamond head, which upon hitting its target will produce feelings of eternal love. (see more information in the ‘diamond cut’ session.) Thus, the love of your life and your diamond wedding ring have become two things that will be with you forever.
Since then, diamonds have become a sign of wealth and opulence that translates across all languages and cultures around the world, and they have been used to express love, gratitude and significance for centuries.
The 4 C’s of diamond quality
Whether you are looking for a pair of diamond earrings or a diamond bracelet for your next event, finding the perfect diamond for you and your partner may quickly become stressful and overwhelming. For this reason, we’d like to introduce you to our 4Cs selection principle for choosing the perfect diamond for your special someone that meets our standards at Gems Pavilion, with the highest attention to detail being taken into account every step of the way.
- Carat
- Colour
- Cut
- Clarity
To ensure that you are selecting the perfect diamond, let’s go through and break down each aspect of The Four C’s to make your search for your diamond easier.
1. Carat
Oftentimes when people refer to “carats (Cs),” they are often thought of as the unit in which a diamond is measured. But in fact, it is a unit used to measure the weight of a diamond. In a diamond, 1 carat can be divided into 100 sub-units, which Thai people refer to as ‘Tang’ or ‘Points.’
Jewellery pieces such as diamond pendants that many women often wear in their daily life, or a diamond brooch that is popularly accompanied with a luxurious dress are pieces where people take a lot of time in selecting the carat weight.
Gems Pavilion recommends choosing a diamond that is slightly heavier than expected, for example, if you are looking to buy a 1 carat diamond, you should not choose a 1.00 or 1 carat. Instead, we would advise you to opt for getting a diamond with the weight of 1.1-1.49 carats in case that you need to re-cut to maintain the value of the diamond in its weight range.
2. Colour
You may have heard that the whiter the diamond, the higher its value. Diamond colours are uniquely represented under a D-Z scale, with D being the most expensive as these diamonds are colourless. The lower you go down the alphabetical scale, the more yellow a diamond will appear.
These are different types of colours you can find in diamonds, and the letters they fall under:
| Colourless | D E F |
| Near Colourless | G H I J |
| Faint Yellow | K L M |
| Very Light Yellow | N O P Q R |
| Light Yellow | S T U V W X YZ |
Comparing diamond colours requires a specialist or a special tool as the naked human eyes cannot distinguish between two diamonds that are placed next to each other – especially if those diamonds are around the same colour “level.” The comparison of diamond colours requires a specialist as they can be indistinguishable from one another from an untrained eye. In addition to that, some diamonds may also look whiter due to their fluorescence coating but will sparkle and shine less because of that.
Gems Pavilion selects only fluorescence-free diamonds in order to show the true beauty of diamonds as naturally as possible.
For those looking for premium diamonds, we offer our customers a range of diamond color grades ranging from D-I, which are the highest quality diamonds that are popular with fine jewellery.
Our diamonds are meticulously selected as we only want to offer the best quality to our customers. In addition to that, Gems Pavilion also provides a more detailed diamond color selection that is stated in certificates as well. For example, diamonds are divided into three grades for each colour. If we are looking at G diamonds, they are divided into G+, G and then G-, we will never choose G-.
3. Cut
The cut is perhaps the diamond’s most important quality as it directly affects both its quality and allure. A good diamond cut must exhibit the properties of the diamond such as their proportions, symmetry, surface finish and other fine details.
Cutting is one of the processes in which humans can become the most involved. Especially when it comes to the selection of diamonds that have undergone a fine cut process. Our team of gem experts carefully select every diamond to the highest of standards.
Diamonds that have been cut to have the correct or the most ideal proportions are the most eye-catching round diamonds. Perfectly cut round diamonds shine, sometimes called “Heart and Arrow” have an eight-pointed glare resembling an arrowhead when seen from above, and a heart shape when seeing the shine from below that resembles cupid’s love arrows.
These cuts are divided into 5 gradations from high to low according to GIA standards, namely:
- Excellent (EX)
- Very Good (VG)
- Good (G)
- Fair (F)
- Poor (P)
In the event that a customer is interested in diamonds, Gems Pavilion will only select Triple X diamonds (3 EX) as we want customers to be able to get diamonds of the highest quality and beauty. At Gems Pavilion, we select only the highest level of Triple X (3EX) diamond.
4. Clarity
Diamonds that are formed by nature may have internal inclusions, diamonds with little or no blemishes are incredibly hard to find, making its value extremely high. Clarity is therefore used as a criterion for measuring the quality of a diamond as well.
We can divide the degree of clarity based on the standards that the GIA has provided as follows:
- FL (internally flawless) No internal or outer flaws
- IF (internally flawless, but the outer layer of the diamond may not be as polished)
- VVS1
- VVS2
- VS1
- VS2
- SI1
- SI2
- I1
- I2
At Gems Pavilion, we choose diamonds that are VS2 and above, no black inclusion that can not be seen with the naked eyes. In addition to that, GIA certification only tells only the cleanliness at the side and the back. At Gems Pavilion,we also specify the cleanliness of the side corners of diamonds to ensure that our customers receive the most beautiful diamonds according to our high standards.
What is a diamond report (certificate) and why are they important when choosing a diamond?
Everyone always says that a good diamond must have a GIA certificate to guarantee its quality. But what is the GIA certificate and why do people trust it? In this section, we’ll answer just that.
A GIA diamond certificate guarantees quality
A diamond certificate is a document that specifies the details of each diamond, starting with carat, colour, clarity and cut quality. In the diamond industry, there are a few labs of Gemological Institutions, but the name that we are most familiar with is the ‘GIA.’ Which is considered one of the important factors when choosing diamonds today.
GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is a gem educational institution from the United States. This institution has established a standard for evaluating the quality of diamonds. Most notably, their diamond colour evaluation system uses an English alphabet starting from D-Z, making it easier for buyers to find the right diamond for themselves.
In addition to the GIA certificate that people accept. There are other institutions such as AGS (American Gem Society), HRD (Hoge Raad voor Diamant) and so on.
But at Gems Pavilion, we only use GIA certified diamonds which are the highest standard in terms of diamonds. We want our customers to feel confident when buying diamonds and jewellery from us.
Gems Pavilion has higher diamond selection standards than those stated in GIA certificates
Although GIA has created the highest standard for examining diamonds and has gained the confidence of diamond manufacturers and distributors around the world, Gems Pavilion is proud to have set a special standard which has a resolution superior to GIA. The details are as follows:
- We identify any black or white inclusions on diamonds, GIA does not
- We indicate inclusions that are located on the diamond side view, GIA only identifies ones on the side and back
- We can describe the level of diamond luster
- We focus on selecting the diamond without tints of green, brown, or any other colours except yellow tint which is normal for white diamonds (fancy coloured diamonds are not considered in this case).
- More details go into our selection of diamond colours than what is stated on the certificate. For example, a G grade diamond colour consists of subcategories G+, G and G-. At Gems Pavilion, G- colours are not used in our jewellery.
- We take great care in selecting the clarity of our diamonds. Diamond clarity is generally categorised into grades VVS, VVS+, VVS-. Diamonds with VVS- clarity will not appear on any designs by Gems Pavilion.
Where is the best place to purchase diamonds in Bangkok?
We recommend buying from a leading trusted jewellery manufacturing and retailing company as these companies have diamond quality screening, design, manufacturing and final inspection processes in the same place. Thus, it’s easier to control the quality of the diamonds entirely to guarantee customers with the finest jewellery.
In addition to that, you’ll always be able to receive advice when buying your diamonds and/or jewellery that’ll guarantee your needs and budgets are met. You will also get to sample a wide range of diamonds with different prices from around the world, or to even create new designs you want through in-house designers in Thailand.
Once the design is completed, it will be passed on to the craftsmen who will create beautiful jewellery coupled with a selection of diamonds and gems of high quality.
We ensure that you will get the most beautiful diamond jewelry that will be with you forever.
Gems Pavilion also has a company reference booklet and Gems Pavilion laser trademark on every piece of jewellery and providing after-sales service as well.
Consult experts to get the right diamond for you
Purchasing a diamond can be an easy decision at Gems Pavilion, whether it is to enhance your own elegance, a gift to your loved ones, or an engagement ring for the most important day of your life. For this reason, it is ideal to consult a diamond and jewellery specialist prior to making a decision.
Along with the first-class service, you’ll also be guaranteed to get the most valuable jewellery. At Gems Pavilion, we will be honoured to help you find the perfect diamond for you. Contact our experts for a free consultation session today.
We also have a jewellery advisor who provides clients with advice on how to select diamonds and gemstones to help you get the most beautiful jewellery within your budget. Along with the highest quality diamonds that are superior to GIA standards, we also provide an after-sales service that adheres to customer satisfaction.
Talk to our experts at Gems Pavilion Boutique, Siam Paragon at +662 129 4400 and Gems Pavilion Boutique, The Emporium at +662 664 8606.
