A carat is a unit of weight, 0.20 grams, which is used to measure a diamond’s size. A two carat stone is rarer than a one carat stone and is therefore worth more than twice a one carat stone of the same quality.

The greater a diamond’s clarity, the rarer and more valuable it is. Imperfections such as specks, dark marks or traces of minerals known as inclusions affect the clarity grade of a diamond. In a flawless diamond, there are no inclusions, allowing for perfect fire and brilliance

The more intense the colour of a diamond, the more valuable it is. This is the case with both white and coloured diamonds. Every diamond contains subtle tints that are only visible with the right lighting. A multitude of factors, even coffee consumption, can affect colour assessment, and specialised machines are required for the task. The colour of white diamonds is graded from D to Z, while fancy coloured diamonds such as red, pink, blue, yellow and green are graded from faint to deep, and can include more than one colour, such as purplish-pink. When two colours are mentioned, the second colour in the description is the dominant one.

While a diamond owes its beauty largely to nature, the cut of a diamond determines its sparkle factor. When talking about the cut of diamond, we often refer to its shape, such as round, pear, heart, marquise, trillion, or Regent Cut. According to the Gemological Institute of America, cut actually refers to how much light is reflected from the facets of a diamond. Diamond experts speak of different types of light which enhance a diamond’s beauty. Brilliance is the total reflected light. Fire is the internal light that disperses from the stone causing a rainbow of colours. Scintillation causes sparkling flashes when the diamond moves.

In 2001, Star Diamond patented its own diamond cut. The Regent Cut appears to be square, while housing the internal facets and sparkle of a round cut. We believe the Regent Cut is beyond compare in its light performance. It is a dodecadon, with 16 sides and 66 facets. Like a round cut brilliant diamond, the Regent Cut diamond generates the effect of hearts and arrows – the appearance of eight symmetrical arrows when the stone is viewed from above and eight symmetrical hearts when viewed from below. Each Regent Cut diamond is presented with a Hearts and Arrows viewer.