Choosing Your Diamond
Choosing a diamond is intensely personal.
Cut, colour, clarity and carat all matter, but specs are only part of the story. Two diamonds with similar grades can look and feel completely different in person.
That’s why we help you compare diamonds side by side, under professional grading light and magnification, with expert guidance along the way. You can examine your diamond under our GIA certified 10x Gemscope, review its GIA Facetware report, and hand-pick the diamond that gives you the balance of beauty, quality and price that feels right.
Start with specs, but don’t end with them.
Cut
The C that brings a diamond to life.
Cut is the most important C when it comes to brilliance. It refers to the way a diamond is faceted and how effectively those facets reflect light back to your eye.
Even a diamond with excellent clarity and colour can look flat if it is not cut well. Getting the cut right takes skill, and it makes all the difference in how bright, lively and full of sparkle a diamond appears.
At Spence, we help you compare cuts in person so you can see the difference between a diamond with good specs and one with real brilliance.
Color
What you notice matters most.
Think of diamond colour on a scale from colourless to light in colour. Diamonds are graded from D (colourless) to Z (light yellow), and in general, the more colourless the diamond, the more valuable it is.
The differences between grades can be subtle. We can show them to you side by side under our Diamondlite so you can see what actually matters to your eye — and decide when a higher colour grade is worth paying for.
Some coloured diamonds, such as blue or pink diamonds, are graded differently. Their rarity and value are based on the intensity and depth of their colour.
Clarity
Not every higher grade makes a better diamond.
Diamonds are created under extreme heat and pressure, and like most things formed in nature, they can contain tiny imperfections called inclusions. Think of them as birthmarks that make each diamond unique.
Clarity looks at the number, size and position of those inclusions. Diamonds are graded on a scale from FL (Flawless) to I3, and many of the differences can only be seen under magnification.
A higher clarity grade does not always mean a more beautiful diamond to the naked eye. We’ll help you see the differences, understand the value, and decide where your money makes a visible difference.
Carat
Size is only part of the story.
Carat is how we measure the weight of a diamond. The average diamond size purchased for an engagement ring is 0.5 carat, which can be a helpful starting point as you discover what size feels right for you.
But carat doesn’t tell the whole story. Two diamonds with the same carat weight can look different depending on their shape, cut and proportions. A slightly smaller diamond with better sparkle can even feel more impressive than a larger diamond without life.
We’ll help you compare your options side by side and find the balance of size, sparkle, quality and price that feels right.
The Fifth “C”: Created
We know that choice matters to you.
That’s why we offer our exclusive Artisan Created Diamonds alongside our mined diamonds.
With an Artisan Created Diamond, you can get a diamond that is 25% larger and two clarity grades higher for the same budget.
Artisan Created Diamonds are made using breakthrough technology that replicates the environment in which a natural diamond grows, while offering a more ethical and environmentally sustainable alternative to a mined diamond.
Our diamond consultants can show you mined and Artisan Created Diamonds side by side, explain the differences, and help you choose what feels right for you.
Mined
Lab Grown
Your ring, your choice.
You don’t need to become a diamond expert. You just need to know what matters.
Our diamond consultants are experts at explaining the details without making diamonds seem complicated. We’ll help you see the differences, understand the value, and find the balance of size, sparkle, quality and price that feels right for you.
Bring your questions. We’ll show you how to choose your diamond.