Rare & Exotic gemstones

  Letters describe the color of diamonds. There are 14 hues:

• The scale begins      at D, which is colorless. Colorless D diamonds are rare.
• The diamonds      graded E, and F are clear, which means no yellowing. Only a trained eye is      able to tell the difference between the top three grades.
• G, H, J, and I are      near colorless. Most people do not notice the difference between these      grades.
• K, L, and M have a      yellowish hue. An untrained eye might notice the tint.
• The next grades N, O, P, Q, and R have light      tints of yellows to soft browns. Gemologist place colored diamonds in      the S through Z categories.

All Diamond Aura are Es. They are sheer and colorless with no tinting. The diamond Aura gems are transparent.

Sparkle is a term to describe light shimmering of a moving gemstone. Light shining on the moving diamonds or diamond Aura pass to the middle. Once inside, the light reflects or bounces around. This is sparkle.

Another way to explain it is to imagine a light shining on ordinary glass. Glass gives off no shimmer or sparkle. It is not ‘capturing’ the light. Shine a light on a diamond or Diamond Aura. The light bouncing around inside is internal reflection. The light reflects many times before escaping the stone. This repeated internal movement makes sparkle.

Diamonds naturally sparkle and the clearer they are, the sparklier they appear. When comparing a diamond aura vs diamond, the diamond aura have consistently perfect high internal reflection.

Brilliance differs from sparkle. Light reflection marks brilliance. Sparkle is the movement of light. High brilliance occurs when most of the light shining on the gem reflects back to you. With these stones the higher the refraction, the greater the brilliance. Any natural flaws will diminish the brilliance in diamonds. In addition to reflective qualities, cut influences brilliance.

 Mohs scale measures hardness on a scale of one to ten. One being the softest, for example talc. Diamonds are a 10.

When comparing diamond aura vs diamond, the diamond is harder. Tremendous pressure on carbon for centuries forms diamonds in the earth. The tight bond created by pressure and time has made diamonds one of the hardest minerals on the planet.

Diamond Aura are 8.5.  To put it in perspective, hardened steel and tungsten receive a rating of 8 on the Mohs hardness scale.

Clarity determines how much light can pass through the gem. Blemishes and inclusions block and slow down the light. Blemishes are on the outside and inclusions are imperfections inside the stone. The more markings a gem has, the less brilliance and a

• Flawless (FL) or      zero (0) states no imperfections seen under high magnification. A flawless      diamond is rare. Less than 1 in 5,000 natural diamonds are perfect.
• Internally      flawless (IF) is also a zero (0), but has external blemishes. Almost as      rare as the flawless diamond, you will only find 3% of jewelry with an IF      rating.
• Very slightly      blemished or stones with miniscule inclusions rate as VVS1, VVS2 or number      one (1) or two (2). While under magnification, stones with minor      inclusions rate as very slight. These are VS1, VS2 or number three (3) or      four (4).
• Noticeable      inclusions will warrant an SL1 or SL2 rating. SL means slightly included.      The rating numbers are five (5), six (6), and sometimes seven (7).
• Included is the      lowest clarity rating. Imperfections are obvious and often are visible      with no magnification. These stones rate eight (8), nine (9), and ten (10)      or I1, I2 and I3. Diamonds with low clarity do not have the same strength      as the higher clarity ones.

Because the environment forms diamonds, blemishes and imperfections are common and expected. Diamond Aura stones have zero (0) inclusions or blemishes. Manufactures have mastered the creation process, and they are flawless.

Cutting affects how light will reflect in the gem. Strategic cuts create facets and angles, which reflect light out of the table. The table is the top or face.

In the cutting of Diamond Aura vs diamond, different techniques apply to each stone. This is due to the difference in hardness. The finished products are identical.
Cuts create shape. Common shapes are round, square, and rectangles. Other popular shapes are oval, pear, and marquise.