Glossary & Picture Library, learn

The Spark of Confidence

Glossary

Table

Large flat facet centered on the crown of a polished diamond.

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Table Size

Measure of the table width expressed as a percentage of the diameter. Table size is a proportion important to the balance between brilliance and dispersion.

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Tapered Baguette Cut

Diamond cut or shaped into a triangle with one corner cut off, and rows or steps of elongated facets running parallel to the girdle on both the crown and the pavilion. It is a modified version of a standard baguette cut.

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Tone

Degree or depth of colour in terms of lightness or darkness. The tone of a coloured diamond can range from very pale to very dark; it is the degree to which the colour of a diamond approaches white on the pale end, and black on the dark end.

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Toughness

Measure of brittleness, or resistance to fracture and breaking. Diamond has very good durability, but due to its directional hardness diamonds have certain planes of weakness along which they can split or break. Toughness and hardness together determine the durability of diamond.

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Transparency

Degree to which a diamond transmits light, directly relevant to the cloudiness or haziness of the actual diamond material, and the quality of the crystal. Click here to learn more about transparency and the DCLA Transparency Grading System.

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Treated Diamond

Diamonds that are artificially enhanced, to improve either colour or clarity. These treatments fundamentally alter the diamond from its natural state, and therefore need to be fully disclosed. Click here to learn more about treated diamonds.

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Trigon

Triangular shaped natural, with very fine triangular concentric lines. Trigons, when present, are a definitive indicator of natural diamonds.

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Trilliant

Diamond cut or shaped into a triangle, sometimes with curved sides.

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Twinning Line

Type of diamond inclusion that appears as a line or ribbon of pinpoints, tiny feathers, clouds, and crystals. Twinning lines are created where two rough diamonds have grown together in the earth under extreme heat and pressure.

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latest news

Wednesday 14 July, 2010

INTERNATIONAL DIAMOND COUNCIL RELEASES IDC RULES IN RUSSIAN

The International Diamond Council (IDC) released the Russian translation of the "IDC Rules for Grading Diamonds" today in Moscow, on occasion of the 34th World Diamond Congress, the biennial congress of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).

Thursday 1 July, 2010

ZIMBABWE DEFIES BAN OF MARANGE DIAMONDS

Zimbabwe’s government has resolved to defy a diamond sale ban ruled by the world approving authority, the Kimberly Process and will now begin exporting diamonds from its Chiadzwa fields.

Monday 10 May, 2010

DIAMOND PRICE INDEX PUBLISHED FOR CONSUMERS

For the first time ever, diamond jewelry consumers are going to have a diamond retail benchmark that will guide them in how much they should pay for a diamond.