ROUND BRILLIANT AND HALF-MOON DIAMOND RING

As the main stone approaches 2 carats, the bezel, shank, and prongs have more effect on the elegance of the final product.

This elegant and impressive ring is set with a beautifully brilliant, two-carat-sized round brilliant cut diamond in the center with half-moon diamonds on either side. From certain angles, the combined diamonds look like an oval shape of over five carats, set sideways. The conception is one that concentrates on bringing out the diamonds, using as little metal as possible while maintaining durability. The bezel is narrowed in a make that allows this ring to be worn stacked with a band-type ring.

The ring to the next page is made with the director clearly explaining the conception to the artisan, who then uses his skills to execute it as best as he can. As the main gemstone in a ring approaches two carats in size, the bezel, shank, and prongs will have an increased effect on the elegance of the finished product. The angle, height, and shape of the bezel take on greater significance, as do the shank’s thickness and shape, and the way the shank and bezel are connected. The shape of the prongs and the way their heads are rounded also become more important. Because of this style’s simplicity, the artisan’s skill and attention to detail influence the quality of its make and whether or not it is an attractive, well-balanced, and comfortable ring. Note the elegant appearance of the bezel, shank, and prongs.

The ring below was created with regard for the beautiful continuity of the three round brilliant diamonds. Compared to a 0.3-to 0.4-carat-size diamond solitaire ring, this diamond three-stone ring has stronger brilliance because of the surpassing beauty of the arrangement of the three similarly sized round brilliant-cut diamonds. Many jewelry stores in the West emphasize the three-stone ring, including those set with colored stones, as a jewelry category of its own. Three-stone rings are attractive and traditional, and they are cost-effective. Since they are also easily stackable with other rings, three-stone rings can be enjoyed on a daily basis.

Ring
Suwa
950 Platinum
Diamond
Size (mm):L21 x W4.4 x H23

Prong-Set Diamond Ring
Suwa
Metal : 950 Platinum
Total Weight : 5.6 grams
Size(mm) : L21 x W8.3 x H25

Diamond
Untreated
Gem Quality
Size(mm):Diameter 8.3-8.2 x D 5.12
Weight: 2.13 ct

SIZE AND BRILLIANCE

Between gem-quality diamonds of the same cutting style, the strength of brilliance will differ with size. When arranging small diamonds to bring out their beauty, the superiority or inferiority of a conception depends upon whether or not this fact is understood. When a smaller version of a popular piece of jewelry is made, only to become something totally lacking in beauty, it is because of a failure to consider the fact that the brilliance of diamonds changes with size. The brilliance of round brilliant cuts is drastically reduced in sizes under 2.0 millimeters, because the facets become too small to fully show the beauty of the light and dark tones of a mosaic pattern. In the case of marquise brilliant cuts, a stone of less than 3.5 x 1.7 millimeters cannot exhibit the type of beautiful brilliance achieved in one measuring 4 x 2 millimeters, no matter how excellent the rough material and the cut. Consumers often refer to very small diamonds as “diamond chips,” a term that aptly describes the fact that a 1-millimeter diamond’s brilliance does not compare to that of a 2-millimeter diamond.

At around 1.4 millimeters, single-cut diamonds with 18 facets are more strongly brilliant than the 58-facet full cuts. Comparing several single-cuts and full-cuts face-up under natural lighting, the brilliancy of the single-cuts is surprising. Superior jewelry uses full-cut and single-cut diamonds in the same piece according to their sizes, proof of the director’s knowledge, gained through experience, of the relationship between size, brilliance, and the diamond’s cutting styles.

All other conditions being equal, brilliance increases with size, and round brilliant cuts are most brilliant at two-carat sizes. This level of attractive brilliance cannot be achieved in larger sizes such as five or ten carats, because the well-balanced mosaic pattern, created by the facets due to internal reflection and refraction, is weaker. In Japan, 0.3-to 0.5-carat-size diamonds, with many extra facets are popular, but placing more than 58 facets on small stones often throws off the balance of brilliancy, and caution is necessary.

Emerald cuts of over 1.5-cafrat size fully exhibit a clear, lustrous brilliance. This strong brilliance that emanates from within, as seen in the channel-set diamond ring on page 67, is characteristic of step-cuts. Diamonds are gifts from nature: Even a single small diamond deserves to be put to its best possible use with an understanding of its character and beauty.

IMPERFECTIONS AND DEFECTS

There are no perfect diamonds. Created by nature, they are all essentially imperfect, and rough crystals contain various substances. These imperfections are judged, and whether they are removed or left intact is decided at the same time of the diamonds’ polishing.

The three diamonds to the right are all SI1(Slightly Imperfect, 1) stones, but A contains a colorless crystal inclusion, B a black inclusion, and C a cleavage near the girdle. All of these imperfections are invisible to the unaided eye, and the diamonds are beautiful, brilliant stones that fall under the gem-quality category. The question is whether or not the imperfection is a defect. The inclusion in stone A does not detract from its beauty or affect its durability. Rather, the inclusion is proof of the stone’s natural origin, making it easy to separate from synthetic materials. A diamond cutter friend of mine in Antwerp always gets SI-grade diamonds like stone A for his wife.

The black inclusion in stone B is an unpleasant one, and the cleavage in C is likely to cause the stone to break id a strong force is applied to it. Both of these are defects. If a jeweler’s policy is not to use diamonds with black inclusions or cleavage around the girdle, stones B and C would be worthless to that jeweler. Trustworthy jewelers would never think of hiding cleavage in a diamonds, as seen in stone C, beneath prongs when making jewelry.