Diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance known to man and are formed deep within the earth's mantel then brought closer to the surface during volcanic eruptions. Diamonds are extremely rare and extremely old taking between one billion and three billion years to form.

Diamonds are the most popular choice for engagement rings partly due to their amazing sparkle and fire but also unlike many other gems, they are well–suited to daily wear because of their resistance to scratching and chipping helping the beauty of a diamond to last a lifetime. An engagement ring is traditionally placed on the third finger of the left hand some say this dates back to the Egyptians who believed this finger contained a vein that led straight to the heart.

The Four Cs

These are the characteristics that all diamonds are graded by: Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat weight. The combination of the four "C's" is what determines a diamond's value as well as how it looks.

The four C's must all be considered when comparing diamonds but never forget that although it is important to have an understanding about the diamond you are buying you must also fall in love with it. What is right for one person is not always right for the next, for some small but perfect is the way to go — a 0.15ct, brilliant cut, D in colour (the whitest on the scale) and internally flawless may suite while for others who want the wow factor they may choose a 1ct, princess cut, G in colour and si (slight inclusions) in Clarity.

For those customers who want something really different diamonds also occur naturally in many different colours; at Wave our favourites are Lemon yellow, Chocolate and possibly the most rare and highly prized Pink. Colours are caused when different elements and gases are present while the stone is forming deep underground.

At Wave we only use diamonds that are D–H on the whiteness scale (anything below H the diamond will be slightly off white or tinted) Coloured diamonds are not on this scale. Wave also only use Flawless — Si clarity (below this you can start to see inclusions with the naked eye).

Cut

The cut is the only characteristic of a diamond not influenced by nature. A diamond must be cut correctly with good proportions to create the best sparkle and brilliance. How light reflects from the internal surfaces of the diamond, an effect known as its "fire" is influenced mainly by how well it has been cut. A diamond that is too deep or shallow will have less fire than one with ideal proportions. The cut also determines the shape of the diamond from the classic round brilliant cut, to princess cut (square in shape and very popular at wave)

Colour

The whiter or more colourless the diamond the more valuable and prized. Colourless diamonds are graded "D" on the colour scale which moves right down to "Z". At wave we only use diamonds between D and H all of which are visibly white this is because below H you will start to see tinting of greyish/brownish and the diamond just will not have the same impact and sparkle.

Clarity

Clarity is a measure of the number of natural inclusions in a diamond. These can normally only be seen when looking through a loupe(jewellers eye glass). Every diamond is different so the inclusions will vary and effectively give your diamond its finger print. At wave we only use diamonds above SI1 on the scale (stands for slight inclusions) or above. This means you can be happy that the clarity will always be very good and again not have any impact on the beauty of your diamond.

Carat

Carat is a measurement of weight which means it dictates the size of your diamond. One Carat is 0.2grams. As many diamonds are smaller than 1 carat this is divided into 100 parts therefore a quarter carat diamond would be written as 0.25ct, a half carat diamond would be 0.50ct and so on.