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Diamond Terms V

~ Diamond Terminology from A to Z ~

There are thousands of terms being used in today's jewelry industry. Some common knowledge, others are obscure and baffling. We've created a database of terminology from A to Z to make it easy, and of course if you still have questions, please do not hesitate to send us an email or give us a call.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Van Graff

The Van Graff is a "diamond simulate" However it's not a diamond at all, just a gem/mineral that has many of the same properties. I have to say though that the Van Graff diamonds can fool even the most trained eyes. You have to actually look at them under a microscope to actually tell the difference. A diamonds hardness is rated a 10 on Mohs scale. The Van Graff simulate is rated a 8.7. It's also equally resistant to heat as a diamond, or very nearly close to. All in all, if you're just buying diamonds from people without even checking the validity of the gem your purchasing, you could very, very easily be fooled by this simulate. Buyer Beware. Also let me point out though, this is an excellent substitute for a diamond especially if the budget won't allow for the real thing. No one will be able to tell the difference. The Van Graff will simply look flawless, but that's the giveaway to most trained people. There are very, very few diamonds that are internally flawless.

Vivid, Vivid Color

When you look at a diamond or gem you immediately see color or lack thereof. Let's take a yellow diamond, for instance. In the regular color scale of a diamond the further you go away from the D (the absence of color) it's supposed to mean the more yellow you have in the diamond.

Let's say you have a N colored diamond, which is really yellow. However, the yellow in the N colored diamond is not a "good" yellow. It's a dull, lifeless yellow. Which is not a good color.

When dealing with fancy colored diamonds, and you see a Yellow diamond it's more than likely going to be characterized as a VIVID Yellow. Meaning Vibrate. Strong, Beautiful, Full of life. A true yellow. Vivid means how much brightness and life there is in a color. The same applies to the true blue, green, red, orange diamonds. The more Vivid the color the more rare it is which, in turn, means more valuable.

VS, V.S., Very Slight Inclusions, VS1, and VS2

These clarity rankings can be confusing. An I1, I2, I3, SI2, and SI3 clarity ranking all are saying that you CAN see inclusions with the NAKED EYE. An SI1 clarity means that you CAN'T see the inclusions in the diamond with your naked eye, however if you look through a 10x magnified lens you will see the inclusions with absolutely no problem whatsoever. VS1, VS2, mean that you can't see the inclusion with your naked eyes, and you have to use a 10x magnified lens to see the inclusions, however they are NOT easy to see, or point out. And these are minimal inclusions, as well.

VVS1, VVS2, Very Very Slightly Included

The same applies here. With VVS clarity rankings you can't see the flaws or inclusions with the naked eye, and you would be very hard pressed to even see them under 10x magnification. In fact, in most cases, the only way to see inclusions in a VVS diamond is to look through the pavilion (the bottom) of the diamond. In a VS diamond you wouldn't have to look through the pavilion to see the inclusions. The next step up would be an IF diamond. Meaning internally flawless. And you would have to actually look at the diamond under a microscope because a IF diamond has only one type of flaw on the surface, and that's polish lines. FL diamonds have no inclusions at all under 10x magnification no matter where you look on the inside or out.