Jewellery Terms of Endearment: A Helpful Guide

Starting off with a staple. Carat is a term with two distinct meanings in the jewellery world, and understanding the difference will really help when deciding what you like. When Selena Gomez sang about being 14 carats, she was most likely referring to a spectacular diamond rather than root vegetables.

When it comes to gemstones, ‘carat’ refers to weight, and one carat (ct) equals 0.2 grams. It’s a common misconception that carat refers to size, in fact, a gemstone’s appearance depends just as much on its cut and proportions. For example, a 1ct round diamond and a 1ct oval diamond will look slightly different in size. Carat weight is one of the key factors in pricing diamonds and coloured gemstones, and will affect a lot of the look of your ring and other pieces of jewellery.

When talking about gold, however, ‘carat’ refers to purity, not weight. Pure gold is 24 carats, but because it’s soft and malleable, it’s rarely used in its pure form for jewellery. Instead, gold is alloyed with other metals for strength. For example, the 18ct gold we use is 75% pure gold, while in contrast, 9ct gold contains 37.5% pure gold. You’ll often see these marked on jewellery with hallmarks such as ‘750’ for 18ct.

Understanding the difference between gemstone carat and gold carat can help avoid confusion when comparing rings.

Inclusions are internal imperfections or features within a gemstone, particularly diamonds. They may look like tiny little specks, lines or clouds when viewed under magnification. While flawless diamonds are rare and costly, most have minor inclusions that aren’t visible to the naked eye.

We use clarity grading to assess the visibility and impact of these inclusions. For example, a diamond graded VS1 (Very Slightly Included) will have very small inclusions that are hard to detect, even under a loupe.

Knowing about inclusions can help you balance quality and cost when buying gemstones. Our consultants will be able to describe the inclusions on any stones you wish to consider.

Lustre describes how a gemstone or metal reflects light. It’s a term often used for pearls, which have that unique, soft glow. A pearl’s lustre is judged by its brightness and the sharpness of its reflections.

Metals also have different types of lustre. For example, high-polish gold has a brilliant shine, while brushed or matte finishes give a more understated look.

A good understanding of lustre helps when evaluating a gem’s look or deciding on a finish for your band. A lustful lustre can set the tone of the whole piece.

Brilliance is a term used primarily with diamonds and refers to the internal and external reflections of white light from the gemstone. In short, it’s what gives a well-cut diamond its sparkle.

Brilliance is influenced heavily by the quality of the cut, even more so than carat weight or clarity. A diamond with high brilliance will appear super lively and dazzling, while one with poor brilliance may look slightly more dull, even if it’s large or flawless. So, it’s clearly one of the biggest factors when shopping for diamonds.

A channel setting is a popular style for wedding bands and eternity rings, where small diamonds or gemstones are placed in a row between two strips of metal. This creates a smooth, continuous line of sparkle with no prongs, making it both secure and sleek.

Channel settings are great for daily wear as the stones are well-protected and less likely to catch on clothing. It’s also a great choice if you want added brilliance around the band without overwhelming a central stone. It also allows for a nice departure from a plain band.