Diamond
Guide
Every diamond holds more than brilliance.
Discover the precision, craft, and standards that define Qween.
Diamond Anatomy
A diamond is an architecture of exact proportions. Every angle, every facet calculated to one purpose: to move light perfectly.
The table controls how much light enters the stone. The star facets and crown angle then determine how fire and brilliance are released back to the eye. The girdle secures the diamond in its setting, too thin and it risks chipping, too thick and it adds dead weight. Below it, the pavilion angle and depth decide whether light reflects back through the crown or escapes through the base. The lower girdle facets define the intensity of scintillation, and total depth ties every proportion together, down to the culet, ideally invisible to the naked eye.
Change one angle, and the entire optical performance shifts, because every proportion is dependent on the next, and only in perfect balance does a diamond achieve true brilliance.
The
4Cs
The 4Cs were created by GIA to give the diamond world a common language.
At QWEEN, they are our foundation, but never our ceiling. We use them to establish a standard, and then we go further.
Cut
Cut is the soul of a diamond and the ultimate expression of a craftsman's skill. Every angle, every proportion, every polished facet is a decision made by a skilled hand. And every decision either unlocks the stone's full brilliance or quietly surrenders it.
A masterfully cut stone returns light in three simultaneous forms: brilliance, the white light that gives a diamond its luminous depth; fire, the fleeting flashes of violet and amber that appear and vanish as you move and scintillation, the play of light across the facets with every turn of the hand.
Light Performance
Brilliance
The white light that gives a diamond its luminous depth.The white light reflected from the diamond's surface and interior. Determined by the precision of the crown and table angles.
Fire
The fleeting flashes of violet and amber that appear and vanish as you move.The dispersion of light into spectral colours — the rainbow flashes visible as the stone moves. A sign of ideal pavilion depth.
Scintillation
The play of light across the facets with every turn of the hand.The pattern of bright and dark areas created as the diamond, light, or observer moves. Defined by facet count and symmetry.
For our round brilliant diamonds, we go further still. Qween round brilliant diamonds are Hearts & Arrows, a standard achieved by less than 1% of diamonds worldwide. Out of that 1%, only 0.03% meet the Qween standard.
Achieving it demands hands trained for over a decade, 40% more time, and zero tolerance for deviation. Eight perfect hearts beneath the diamond. Eight arrows pointing upward. A geometry so precise it transforms light into performance.
Note: All round solitaires and small diamonds meet the Hearts & Arrows standard, with the exception of SI-IJ small diamonds.
Qween of Hearts™
<1%
worldwide
0.03%
Qween standard
Colour
In diamonds, colour is defined by its absence. The closer a stone is to being completely colourless, the rarer and more valuable it becomes.
Diamond colour is graded on a scale from D to Z. D is entirely colourless. Z carries a visible tint of yellow, brown, or grey. The distinctions between grades are subtle, often invisible without expert evaluation but they have a significant bearing on quality and price.
Colourless: No colour present, even under magnification. The rarest grades on the scale.
Clarity
Every diamond carries within it a record of its formation inclusions developed over billions of years, deep within the earth. Clarity measures how much that record affects the beauty of the stone.
Clarity is graded on a scale from Flawless to Included, assessed under 10× magnification by a trained grader.
Very, Very Slightly Included: Inclusions present but extremely difficult to detect, even under magnification.
Carat
Carat measures a diamond's weight, not its size. Two diamonds of identical carat weight can look noticeably different depending on their cut and shape. A well-cut diamond will always appear larger than a poorly cut stone of equal weight. It is also worth noting that carat price does not scale proportionally, a 2 carat diamond will often cost more than two 1 carat diamonds of identical quality. Bigger isn't always better. The value of a diamond reflects all four qualities, not carat alone.
0.25 CT
4.00 CT
2.25
Shapes
Each diamond shape carries its own character. Shape describes a diamond's outline when viewed from above. The round brilliant remains the most popular, while any non-round shape oval, emerald, marquise, princess, and others are considered fancy shapes.
BeyondBeyond
the 4Cs
At Qween, every diamond is evaluated beyond standard grading. We look at light performance, optical symmetry, and the invisible quality that makes a stone truly alive.