DIAMOND BUYING GUIDE

THE CUSHLA WHITING DIFFERENCE

We go beyond the GIA's 4 Cs, to select the world's most beautiful NATURAL diamonds, the smart way. 

BEYOND THE 4 Cs

All of our diamonds are meticulously hand selected by founder, Hamish Whiting (GIA Gemologist, HRD Antwerp Diamond Grader). With 20 years of experience in buying diamonds, Hamish has developed a buying strategy that secures for our customers the top performing and best value diamonds in the world.

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UNDERSTANDING THE 4 C's

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Cut

Cut

Cut refers to the angles, proportions and symmetry of a diamond, which determine how a diamond’s facets interact with light, giving brightness, scintillation and fire.

Clarity

Clarity

Clarity refers to the level of visibility of natural inclusions within the diamond. Whether they can be seen by the naked eye, or whether they require magnification. The less visible the inclusions are the more rare the diamond.

Colour

Colour

Colour refers to the level of natural colour or lack of colour visible in a diamond based on the GIA colour scale from D - Z, with D - E being colourless and most rare.

CARAT

CARAT

Carat refers to the unit of measurement used to describe the weight of a diamond, with 1 carat translating to 0.2 grams. The higher the carat weight the more rare the diamond.

Diamond Certification

Our diamonds are independently certified by either the GIA, HRD or IGI. In our opinion the GIA is the most accurate gem grading lab in the world. Buying a diamond with a certain grade doesn't guarantee a beautiful diamond which is why having an expert diamond buyer and GIA Gemologist sourcing our diamonds is so important.

Modern Diamonds

Ethically sourced by our GIA Gemologist directly from diamond Global Sightholder companies, enabling us to trace the diamond rough back to one of the big reputable mining operations. These mining operations go above and beyond internationally recognised labour, trade and environmental standards, providing miners with fair wages and safe working conditions, empowering their communities, and working towards net zero emissions.

Our modern diamonds include top performing white diamonds as well as coloured diamonds (champagne and yellow).

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MODERN DIAMOND SHAPES

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Round

Round

Stop here for maximum sparkle - Traditionally the most popular shape of diamond and when well cut, the brightest. They are the only shape to be graded for cut quality (proportions, symmetry and polish) by the GIA so the cutting standard is generally higher.

Oval

Oval

Elongating and elegant - The little, big sparkling brother to the round diamond. Little because it’s exponential popularity is more of a recent phenomenon, and big because they face up around 5% larger than round diamonds carat for carat.

CUSHION

CUSHION

Classic romance - A square of rectangular shape with rounded edges and sparkle. A modern day take on the Old Mine cut diamond.

Pear

Pear

Feminine sparkle  - Like the oval the pear serves to elongate the finger and provides good surface area for its carat weight.

Emerald

Emerald

Sophisticated and Art Deco - With sleek step cut faceting this cut gives broad flashes of light return and diamond luster rather than sparkle.

Marquise

Marquise

Maximum size for carat weight - Edgy and elongating the Marquise offers the best value in terms of face up size for carat weight.

ASSCHER

ASSCHER

Art Deco icon - In the same family as the emerald cut, this step cut diamond gives a hall of mirrors effect with broad flashes of light return. A beautiful option for deco style rings.

Antique Diamonds

Ethically sourced in person from the Antwerp diamond bourse, our antique diamonds are our most rare collectible gemstones. Genuine antiques, cut by hand in from the 1600’s to 1930’s these spectacular diamonds have a unique charm and character unobtainable in modern day cutting.

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ANTIQUE DIAMOND SHAPES

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PERUZZI

PERUZZI

From the 17th century this Incredibly rare antique diamond is deep and chunky with broad facets, a prominent culet and stunning squarish shape.

Old Mine Cut

Old Mine Cut

Romantic and Rare - Cut by hand in the 1800’s, these cushion shaped diamonds are rare and spectacular relics of ancient artisans who cut diamonds completely by hand.

Old European Cut

Old European Cut

The precursor to the modern round brilliant, the Old European diamond is an evolution of the Old Mine cut with a similar charm and character but in the round shape.

WHY WE ARE A Grade Above(TM)

The proportions of a diamond's cut determines the light return and the brightness of the diamond. It is the most important of the 4 C’s in determining the beauty of the diamond, yet also the most neglected. Because the GIA does not give a cut grade to any diamond other than a round diamond, there is very little incentive for diamond cutters to cut them to ideal proportions, instead preferring to maximise profit by leaving as much carat weight on the diamond as possible.

For this reason at CUSHLA WHITING all of the diamonds selected by using our GRADE ABOVE™ approach. By using ASET (the Angular Spectrum Evaluation Tool) to scientifically examine the light return and optical symmetry of the diamond.

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Natural Diamonds

Natural diamonds were created over billions of years deep in the earth's mantle and randomly transported to the earth's surface via volcanic kimberlite pipes. They are a true treasure of the earth's formation and history as well as being the perfect symbolism for forever. Natural diamonds have a stable, slightly fluctuating value. All of the natural diamonds that we buy are ethically sourced from the international diamond sightholders, tracing them back to one of the big diamond mines.

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Lab Diamonds

Whilst the same physically and chemically to natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds have a very different value and story. Lab grown diamonds are created in a factory using crystallised carbon taken from the natural diamond mining process and simulating high temperature, high pressure conditions that occur deep in the earth's mantle over millions of years but in a matter of weeks. Because lab grown diamonds are able to be produced on demand the value is unstable in comparison to natural diamonds.

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NATURAL DIAMOND RINGS

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Diamond Rating FAQs

The 4C’s refer to the 4 measured characteristics of a diamond that determine its rarity and value. There are two C’s that affect the beauty of the diamond which are clarity and cut. Clarity is graded by the GIA and if you buy within certain grade parameters you can be guaranteed a diamond with no eye visible inclusions. When it comes to cut, only round diamonds are graded for cut quality by the GIA meaning that for all other shapes there is no incentive for diamond cutters to cut them to ideal proportions. Carat is just the weight of the diamond, not the face up (millimetre) size. The face up size is determined by the proportions of the cut. Colour affects the value but not the beauty of the diamond - that is subjective.

A diamond certification is an independent gemological assessment of a diamond by a grading laboratory. At Cushla Whiting our diamonds are either GIA or HRD certified.

No, which is why it’s imperative to buy diamonds from an experienced and expert diamond buyer. There is a lot of variation within the different grades e.g. not all SI1 diamonds and even VS2 diamonds are eye clean. This is particularly problematic when it comes to cut quality as the GIA does not grade the cut of any diamond other than a round, meaning that you can pay alot for a very rare grade but if it isn't cut well it will have no life and possibly even dark patches.

No, the carat is just the weight of a diamond. The face up, millimetre size is determined by cut proportions and the shape of diamond e.g. a well cut diamond will face up bigger than a diamond that is not well cut.

At CUSHLA WHITING all of our diamonds are sourced with expertise and the utmost care by our GIA Gemologist Hamish Whiting. Buying directly from ethical sources and using buying techniques and knowledge acquired over 20 years of buying, Hamish’s diamonds are the top performing diamonds in the world whilst still representing the best value.