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glossaryAGS: American Gem Society; The American Gem Society was established in 1934 by a select group of independent jewelers and Robert M. Shipley, founder of the prestigious school of gemology, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Brightness: Sometimes called brilliance, is the level of light that radiates up from within the diamond just as a spot light gets brighter by twisting its dimmer switch. Brightness can best be understood by viewing a diagram of a diamond's silhouette.
Carat weight: Weight of measure for a diamond. One carat is equal to approximately one-fifth of a gram.
Certification: Document that is provided with a loose diamond containing the diamonds attributes.
Clarity: The natural birthmarks that are formed within the diamond as nature transforms it from a lump of coal (carbon) into a magnificent crystal.
Color: The absence of body tone. Graded on a scale of D-Z, the "best"� color for a diamond is D "Colorless"�.
Culet: The bottom facet of a diamond. If the bottom of a diamond comes to a complete point then there is no culet. If it has a very small flat surface (almost imperceptible) then it has a culet.
Cut: The level of design and craftsmanship of transforming a diamond from a raw crystal to a polished gem.
Design: Describes the brightness, weight-ratio, fire and scintillation of the diamond.
Durability: The diamond's likelihood of resisting chipping or breaking.
Fancy-shape: Diamond shape other than round.
Fire: Sometimes called dispersion, describes the colors-of-a-rainbow that appear in a diamond
Fluorescence: The blue "glow-in-the-dark"� effect that some diamonds have when exposed to ultraviolet light just like the posters near the "black-light"� lamps.
GIA: Gemological Institute of America; Established in 1931, GIA is the world's largest and most respected nonprofit institute of gemological research and learning.
Hue: The GIA specifies 31 gemstone hues. They include terms such as blue, slightly greenish blue, very slightly greenish blue, bluish green, etc.
Polish: Polish describes the quality of a diamond's surface. Individual surfaces must join invisibly, with seamless edges, so that the diamond appears as a solid mono-lithe.
Saturation: This is the degree to which a color departs from a neutral (gray) sensation. Saturation can be thought of as the relative purity of a hue. The GIA specifies 9 terms, such as brownish, grayish, moderately strong, and vivid.
Scintillation: Describes the sparkling or twinkling effect given off as diamonds are moving about. It looks as if you are seeing bright white flashes of mini-fireworks within the diamond.
Shape: Pattern of a cut diamond when viewed from the top.
Silhouette: The shape you see when viewing a diamond from the side.
Symmetry: The alignment of the diamond surface (facets).
Temperature: A measure of the distribution of power in the spectrum of white, or colorless, light, stated in terms of the Kelvin temperature scale.
Weight-ratio: The relationship between the diamond size (viewed from the top) and it's weight.
Workmanship: Describes the symmetry, polish, and durability of the diamond
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