Welcome to our diamond guide. Rare, precious, and everlasting, diamonds are fascinating gemological curiosities with a rich history.
At SHW, we offer earth-created and lab-grown diamonds. Both types are the same gemstone with identical physical, chemical, and optical properties, differing only in origin. On this page, you will find information about how both form and their four key characteristics—carat weight, color, clarity, and cut—that all signify value. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to select the diamond that suits you best with confidence and ease.
Once the lab-grown or earth-created diamond is selected, the next step is to choose the quality of the diamond and the shape of its cut. Both types of diamonds are graded by gemological institutes following exactly the same process and are cut using exactly the same standards. To help guide your process, you can learn about diamond grading and certification, the 4 C’s, diamond shapes, and more, below.
DIAMOND CERTIFICATION
Our diamonds that weigh 0.4ct and up come with a certification from either GIA (The Gemological Institute of America) or IGI (The International Gemological Institute). Both institutes are dedicated to research and education in the fields of gemology and jewelry design. They carefully examine each diamond, issuing each one a unique number, which is inscribed on the part of the diamond known as the girdle. The diamonds' certificates include important information about each specific stone, such as its identification number and characteristics. These characteristics, known as the 4 C's, are carat weight, color, clarity, and cut. Each factor strongly affects a diamond’s price, so familiarity is essential when considering different options.
All diamonds set in our wedding rings are certified and carefully vetted by our in-house gemologist to meet the highest standards. Our lab-grown diamonds come with an IGI (The International Gemological Institute) certification. They are sourced from a women founded and operated diamond grower and cutter based in Sarut, India. Our earth-grown diamonds come with a GIA (The Gemological Institute of America) and Canadamark certifications. They are sourced from Ekati and Diavik mines in Canada, which are well respected for their strict environmental and socio-economic policies.
If you are interested in customizing a ring from our SHW wedding collection, our GIA certified gemologist will carefully craft a list of diamonds for your selection or follow your specifications and requests.
Our settings can be customized for heirloom or pre-owned diamonds. Depending on the cut of your gemstone, some setting styles might work better than others. Please schedule a time to chat with us here or reach out via email at hello@shwjewelry.com with information about your stone and which setting designs you’re considering so our jewelry designer can advise you and answer any questions you might have.
DIAMOND CARAT
Diamond carat (ct) refers to a diamond’s weight. The most common and popular diamonds in the jewelry industry range up to 1 carat. Larger diamond crystals over 1 carat are harder to find, that’s why diamond prices increase exponentially as the weight increases.
Diamond cutters today use advanced technology, which ensures each diamond is cut following similar ratios for the best proportions. This allows them to estimate the diamond's diameter based on its carat weight. Though this is still an approximation, it does help figure out what carat weight might be the best size for you.
Need a millimeter ruler? We’ll send you one.
DIAMOND COLOR
Gemological institutes grade white diamonds based on the absence of color. Though diamonds are primarily carbon, they often include trace elements that can affect their color. The most common trace element is nitrogen, which gives off a subtle shade of yellow. The richer the yellow hue, the more commonly found diamond crystal, which makes them less valuable.
To grade white diamond color, gemological institutes use letters starting from D (colorless) going down the alphabet all the way to Z (light yellow). Truly colorless diamonds are quite rare, therefore are the most expensive. But note that subtle hints of color are difficult to spot outside of a laboratory environment. The most common color ranges are D through F and G through J.
Grading standards set by The Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
We’ll help you select a diamond color and setting metal that highlights your personal style.
DIAMOND CLARITY
From formation of the crystal to cutting and polishing, diamonds undergo a long journey, which leaves an individual mark on each stone. The diamond’s internal markings are called inclusions and surface irregularities are called blemishes. Together, they’re called clarity characteristics. When examining diamond’s clarity, gemologists grade them on the absence of inclusions and blemishes and prescribe a rating from flawless (no inclusions or blemishes) to included (some clarity characteristics will be visible even with the naked eye).
The fewer inclusions and blemishes the diamond has, the more valuable it is considered to be. In contrast, diamond’s clarity characteristics are like a natural diamond’s ‘birth marks’ and are curious gemological manifestations of how they form.
Grading standards set by The Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
DIAMOND CUT
Gemological laboratories study a modern diamond’s cut based on how its facets interact with light, prescribing an excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor grade. Excellent and very good sparkle the most. Since this C determines the overall appearance of the modern day brilliant cut diamond, we consider it to be one of the most important ones and recommend only selecting diamonds with an ‘excellent’ grading.
The modern round brilliant cut diamond has 57 facets or sometimes 58 if the cutter included a culet, an additional facet at the bottom of the pavilion. Today, diamonds are cut with a precision up to 1/100th of a millimeter, which allows the perfect balance of proportions to reveal a diamond’s beauty.
The Crown
1.Table 2.Star Facet 3.Bezel Facet 4.Upper Girdle FacetThe Girdle
5.GIRDLE      The Pavillion
6.Lower Girdle Facet 7.Pavillion Facet 8.Culet  Have any questions about diamond cut grading? We can help.
DIAMOND SHAPE
Though round diamonds are the most popular shape, accounting for more than half sold today, there are quite a few others to consider.
Have any questions or interested in creating a custom piece with one of our settings? Let's talk.
Though our SHW wedding jewelry designs are made to enjoy forever, it’s realistic to admit that sometimes unpleasant surprises happen. With this in mind, it’s best to be prepared and insured. We recommend Jewelers Mutual for jewelry insurance, as many of our customers in the past have had great experiences working with them.
Have any questions or interested in starting a conversation? Reach out.