Ethical Diamonds
Ethical Diamonds - We are proud to say that all diamonds supplied by Gowan Jewellers not only come from a legitimate source which is not involved in funding conflict, but also help make a positive contribution to the welfare of poor communities.
The diamonds start their journey in South Africa. Once mined they are bought by Bhansali & Co. of India.
As a sightholder company Bhansali are required to attend a meeting every 5 weeks at the offices of De Beers in London where the parcels of rough diamonds are chosen. Your rough diamond is then cut and polished in India, using computer technology & increased mechanisation. This creates a better cut stone, getting the most from the rough piece of diamond and has eliminated the need for child labour to be used.
Bhansali & Co is a family business established in 1969. It now employs 1,500 part time and full time staff in a remote region that continues struggle with poverty. The company operates a Trust which invests heavily in rural Indian education and health programmes such as immunisation. The family have taken positive and lasting steps to alleviate poverty and prevent child labour. Your diamond is then sent to Bhansali's sister company and our supplier, World Shiner. Here the diamonds are sorted and graded and can be sent for AnchorCert certification if required. We also have the advantage of getting extremely good prices for our customers. Please telephone with your requirements for an up to date quote.
Choosing Diamonds : Our friendly and professional staff are happy to advise you about diamonds.
We hope this page will make the subject less daunting!
The 4 C's : Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat-weight
Diamond Prices: Each diamond is individually priced according to 4 criteria known as the 4 Cs.
As a rough guide each grade improvement (on colour or clarity for example) adds approximately 10% to the price.
Diamond Shapes: There are a wide range of different diamond shapes available including:
Round Brilliant
Pear
Princess
Heart
Emerald
Marquise
Trilliant
Radiant
Asscher
Oval
The Cut ( or more accurately the cut’s proportions)
Cut is the only diamond characteristic directly influenced by man - the other three are dictated by nature.
A good round brilliant cut releases the life, fire and sparkle of a diamond through the arrangement and proportions of its 57 or 48 facets (tiny planes that create angles to reflect light).
When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light will reflect from one facet to another and
disperse through the top of the stone, resulting in a display of brilliance an fire.
Diamonds that re cut too deep or too shallow lose light that spills through the side or bottom.
The Colour
Whilst most diamonds appear white, many of them display hints of colour barely discernible to the naked eye. The closer a diamond approaches colourless, the rarer and more valuable the stone. Diamonds with a strong pure colour are extremely rare and are called 'fancies'. Amongst them can be found pink, blue, yellow, green and orange.
The Clarity
A diamond's clarity is determined by the degree to which it is free from naturally occurring inclusions, often called 'nature's fingerprints'. The number, type, colour, size and position of the internal birthmarks can effect a diamond's value. However, many are invisible to the naked eye requiring magnification under a standard 10x magnification loupe before they become apparent. The fewer inclusions, the rarer the stone
The Carat (weight)
Carat refers to weight and therefore the size of a diamond. Once carat is divided into 100 points. Therefore, a diamond weighting 50 points is half a carat. Size is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond. But two diamonds of equal size can have very different values, depending on their cut, clarity and colour.
Diamond Certificates: There are many companies offering certificated diamonds but we would recommend only the following Certification Laboratories:
AnchorCert - an economic and reliable service provided in association with the British Assay Office so that your stone can be tested within one week at a cost of £ 95.00 and does not have to be sent abroad.
GIA (Gemmological Institute of America) - the most widely known service worldwide but expensive and slow -
takes 6 to 8 weeks and cost of £400. plus.
HRD (Diamond High Council) -usually done in the Netherlands - similiar problems to the GIA
It is important to note that smaller stones below 1/3 ct are not usually individually certificated. Diamonds provided by
us of 1ct or over will include a Certificate from Anchorcert. Any diamonds 1/2 ct to 1ct in size can be provided with Certification on request at an additional charge but this can only be done prior to setting.
We will indicate the quality of any stones provide by us – this will be based on our opinion and that of our gem dealers which we are sure you will find are very reliable and trustworthy sources!
Diamonds on approval: Because I realise that the above may seem rather overwhelming, I am happy to provide a selection of diamonds on approval. You can then see the differences in colour, clarity, size and shape for yourself, according to your requirements and budget.
You will be under no obligation to buy.