Diamond Buying Guide

Our Philosophy on Sourcing

Selecting the right stone takes time and a considered eye. We look closely at cut, proportions, polish, and symmetry, and pay attention to colour tone, favouring subtle, nuanced hues that feel personal and distinctive.

Every stone is sourced through Melbourne-based suppliers with decades of experience and deep connections to markets across Sri Lanka, Australia, Antwerp, Dubai, India, and New York. Trust in that supply chain is as important to us as the stones themselves.

The Edit

Diamonds & Precious Stones

Sourced — MELBOURNE & INTERNATIONALLY
Guide by — DAPHNE HUGUETTE

Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat

Gold diamond ring set beside a collection of small loose diamonds and tweezers holding a loose oval diamond over the top

Lab-grown and natural diamonds are chemically, physically, and optically identical. Both are pure carbon, both score 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, and both are graded using the same 4Cs. The only difference is their origin (+ price-tag): one is created in a controlled environment, one is mined from the earth.

When selecting a diamond, four characteristics define its quality. Understanding each one makes it easier to find the right stone for you.

— Cut
— Colour
— Clarity
— Carat

01. Cut

Cut determines how a diamond handles light: its proportion, facets, and finish. A well-cut stone will reflect light evenly across its surface. Of the four characteristics, cut has the greatest influence on how a diamond appears to the eye, which is why every stone in our collection is assessed with close attention to its cut and proportion.

Diamond held between tweezers on a dark background

Three different coloured stones held on a hand

02. Colour

In the context of white diamonds, colour refers to the absence of colour. The grading scale runs from D to Z, where D is completely colourless and Z shows a faint yellow or brown tone. The less colour a white diamond has, the rarer and more highly valued it is within this scale.

At Daphne Huguette, we work predominantly with diamonds in the higher colour ranges, where the stone appears clean and clear to the eye.

Fancy colour diamonds are an entirely separate category and are not graded on the D to Z scale. These diamonds occur naturally in strong colours including pink, blue, yellow, green, and red, and are classified by the intensity, rarity, and desirability of their colour rather than its absence.

A NOTE ON FANCY COLOUR DIAMONDS

Fancy colour does not mean lower grade.  A fancy pink diamond, for example, can be significantly rarer and more valuable than a colourless D diamond.

03. Clarity

Clarity refers to the presence of inclusions, which are natural characteristics formed during the diamond's growth. The scale runs from Flawless to Included, with most stones falling somewhere in between.

Gold rings with diamond stones on a person's fingers

04. Carat

Carat is often the first thing people ask about and the most commonly misunderstood. It refers to weight, not size. One carat equals 0.2 grams, measured using a point system where 100 points equals one carat. This allows for precise grading between stones.

Two diamonds of the same carat weight can appear quite different in size depending on how they are cut. This is why carat is always considered alongside cut and proportion, rather than in isolation.

Gemstone Buying Guide

Selecting a gemstone is a different process to selecting a diamond. Colour, tone, and personal connection tend to lead the decision. While the 4Cs still apply, each gemstone variety is assessed on its own terms. A sapphire is compared to other sapphires, not to an emerald or an aquamarine.

Jeweller handling loose diamonds and stones with a small hand tool

Tall image of a hand wearing 4 gold rings of alternate styles

Colour & Clarity

Each gemstone has its own colour range, from lighter to deeper tones, and from vivid to more subdued. Within that range, a smaller band of colour is generally considered most desirable.

At Daphne Huguette, we tend toward stones with subtle, nuanced hues rather than overly vivid tones, because those softer shades carry more character over time.

Inclusions are natural to gemstones, and each variety is graded for clarity on its own terms. Gemstone carat refers to weight, not size, and because each variety has a different density, a one-carat sapphire and a one-carat citrine will not measure the same physical size.

Birthstones

Each month has a gemstone traditionally associated with it, a practice with roots in ancient history that has carried quietly into the present.

Birthstones make for a considered and personal choice, whether for a gift or for yourself. Speak with us to explore which stones are available and how they might be set.