Diamond Engagement Rings in Adelaide - Important Information

Before you purchase that special something for someone you love or just a gift to spoil yourself, get a quote from Simon Alexander! Just contact us via shop@simonalexander.com.au stating the details of what you have in mind including the type of stone, cut, weight (carat), colour, clarity and any design description, and within 24 - 48hrs you will receive a free no obligation written quote.

Diamond History

For centuries, diamonds have been talismans of magic, passion and success. These fascinating stones hold inside a promise of eternity a billion years in the making: a deep romantic mystery lies within the heart of every stone.

Once regarded as the “Tears of the Gods,” diamonds were thought to hold mysterious qualities and possess supernatural powers. Many myths and legends surround diamonds. They have given rise to countless tales of heroic deeds and legends, of knightly valor and of enchanting magic.

It is said that Cupid’s arrows were diamond tipped to provide them with their emotional power. The first engagement ring is believed to have been offered in the fifteenth century by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. He presented a solitaire diamond when he asked for the hand of Marie de Bourgogne in marriage. Whatever the origin, the single-stone tradition has endured and flourished. Richard Burton offered one of the biggest and most famous of diamonds to Elizabeth Taylor in 1969. The 69.42-carat “Taylor-Burton” is in the shape of a pear, and magazines all over the world ran with the story. Many such famous legends of love, from yesterday and today, are bound closely to the beauty of the diamond.

Pictured: All available diamond shapes.

The 4 C’s: Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat

For most people, buying a diamond is a new experience, but that doesn't mean it should be overwhelming. Understanding a diamond's quality characteristics is straightforward and simple.

Simon Alexander’s diamond education is designed to answer all questions. It explains a diamond's characteristics, how those characteristics influence appearance, and which are more important than others. In just a few minutes our clients know everything they need to know to find their perfect diamond.

The term cut refers to the facets, and their proportions, on the surface of a diamond. At Simon Alexander, we specifically prescribe the precise proportions of every diamond we offer. We operate within stringently applied guidelines and explicitly defined relationships between the table, the crown, the pavilion and the girdle of every stone.

Simon Alexander diamonds are always cut for beauty, not weight. This steadfast belief is at the heart of our expertise. Carat weight is wrongly thought by many to be the most important factor in deciding the value of a diamond. Unfortunately, this misconception has led some diamond cutters to take advantage of the first-time buyer. For example, some diamond cutters will leave an excessively thick girdle around the stone, increasing the diamond’s carat weight. This practice harms the stone, considerably impairing the diamond’s beauty and brilliance. Simon Alexander’s strict standards insist that we routinely sacrifice significantly more of the rough diamond than custom would normally dictate. Our exceptionally gifted craftsmen always prioritize the aesthetic above the raw weight of a rough diamond. They continuously go to immeasurable lengths to create precise, intricate angles that generate incomparable beauty.

Pictured: Diamond cuts affect on light reflection.

Clarity

A diamond’s clarity rating is the key measure of its overall quality. Alas, nature guarantees that almost all diamonds have inherent natural blemishes called “inclusions.” Often, these clarity shortcomings are invisible to the untrained eye. However, these same imperfections are immediately apparent to our professional gemologist. Simon Alexander operates with the highest standards in the industry, continuously and unequivocally rejecting diamonds that do not meet our criteria. A stone is said to be flawless if, under magnification, no inclusions like “clouds,” “pinpoints,” or internal crystals; no internal flaws, sometimes referred to as “feathers;” and no external imperfections, such as scratches, burns or abrasions, are visible.

In nature, the absence of any color is very rare as most diamonds contain tiny amounts of nitrogen. The untrained eye may not be able to detect these minute variations of color, but these distinctions affect the rarity and ultimately the value of your diamond. Simon Alexander subjects all the diamonds it uses to a customary color examination, regardless of any previous evaluations.

Pictured: Diamond Clarity grades

Colour

Colour is then rated according to a precise scale, running from “D” (colourless) to “Z” (saturated). If a stone has a borderline colour classification, we assign it the lower rating. Past “Z” a diamond’s colour is considered “fancy.” Fancy coloured diamonds are very valuable and, correspondingly, are graded by very different parameters.

Pictured: Diamond Colour grades

Carat

A carat is equivalent to .2 grams and is the unit of weight for diamonds.

The value of a diamond increases in an exponential manner. Consequently, in the rare cases when two stones are of the same quality, the larger will have the greater value. A two-carat diamond for example will be worth more than two times a one-carat diamond of the same quality. Larger diamonds of high quality are extremely rare and are valued to reflect that rarity.

Pictured: Diamond carat weight comparison example.