Quality and Value:  

It's as important in Diamonds as in anything else you own.  

Two Diamonds may look the same………But are they ?  

Every diamond is unique. At first glance two diamonds may appear to look similar, but each has its own individual characteristics that determine the value. These are known as the 4Cs.

Diamonds with the most perfect combination of the 4Cs (cut, colour, clarity and carat weight) are the rarest and most valuable in the world. I travel to Antwerp , known as the Diamond Capital of the World, five to six times a year to personally select diamonds at source ensuring our “Antwerp Collection” offers the very best value for money as well as exciting designs. I am passionate about diamonds and look upon the hours spent with my diamond loop in the offices of Antwerp as a real challenge and a labour of love.

The beauty of each diamond depends very much on the way it reflects light. The diamond cutter must facet the stone so that it reflects light directly to the eye, while at the same time allowing light to enter the diamond itself, dance off the facets before emerging through the top - this enables the total amount of reflected and refracted light to be maximised, making the diamond sparkle and scintillate with fire and brilliance. I set myself high standards when selecting diamonds for our rings, many occasions sorting through two to three hundred stones before choosing five to ten from the parcel. We have a simple saying in the shop about our diamonds: “They must Dance on the Finger”. I select diamonds within price points that offer the greatest degree of brilliance and life and then choose settings that will show off these diamonds to their maximum. Judging by the number of happy couples who recommend us to their friends we are achieving out target.

I have listed some details on the way diamonds are sorted via the 4Cs . I work within these guidelines every time I select diamonds for our collection.

You cannot take one “C” in isolation - it is the combination of Colour and Clarity plus the quality of the Cut that is important before choosing a size or Carat Weight of the diamond.
[photo - Jack Muprhy, proprietor of Jack Murphy Jewellers]