Colour
What D–E colour means
Diamond colour is graded on a scale from D to Z, where D is completely colourless and Z shows a noticeable yellow or brown tint. D, E and F make up the colourless band. Our diamonds are D–E, the top two grades.
The diamonds
Understanding what you're buying.
Diamond terminology is full of letters and abbreviations that rarely get explained. This page is here to fix that. Nothing below is a sales pitch — it is simply what the grades on our diamonds mean, so you can judge them for yourself and compare them to anything else you're looking at.
What “lab-grown” actually means
A lab-grown diamond is a diamond. Chemically it is pure crystallised carbon, exactly like a mined stone; physically it has the same hardness and refractive behaviour. Distinguishing lab-grown and mined diamonds requires specialised equipment that reads growth patterns and trace elements.
The difference is the environment. Instead of forming over geological time deep in the earth, a lab-grown diamond is grown from a small diamond seed in a controlled chamber, typically using HPHT or CVD.
A lab-grown diamond is not a simulant. Cubic zirconia and moissanite are different materials that only resemble diamond.
Clarity
What VVS clarity means
Clarity describes tiny internal features and surface features that form as a diamond grows. VVS stands for Very Very Slightly Included and sits near the top of the clarity scale. At VVS, inclusions are extremely difficult to locate even under magnification by a professional.
Certification
What IGI certification is, and why it matters
IGI — the International Gemological Institute — is an independent laboratory that examines diamonds and issues a grading report. The report records measurements and grading information and includes a unique report number.
How you receive yours
We email the IGI certificate for your diamond after your order ships, so the paperwork arrives alongside your tracking details.
Questions before you decide?
We're happy to walk through any of this — including how a specific stone was graded.