Made in the ground, a long way down.
Every natural stone in our case started as carbon under the Earth, and took a hard road to get to the counter.
A natural diamond starts as carbon, deep inside the Earth's mantle. It is hot down there, and the weight of everything above presses down hard. Under those conditions the carbon locks into a tight crystal pattern, and that crystal is a diamond.
Shape by shape.
Shape is the outline you see looking down at a stone, plus the way the facets are arranged underneath it. Here is what each one is known for.
Round
A circle, cut in the brilliant style so light entering the top comes back out through the top. It sits comfortably in almost any setting, from a plain solitaire to a halo.
Oval
A round brilliant drawn out long. The stretched outline reads soft on the hand and lines up along the length of the finger.
Cushion
A square or slightly rectangular outline with rounded corners, named for the way it looks like a small pillow. One of the older cutting styles still in regular use.
Princess
A square outline with sharp, uncut corners, faceted in the brilliant style. Square lines at the top, brilliant work underneath.
Pear
A teardrop, rounded at one end and coming to a point at the other. It is normally worn with the point aimed toward the fingernail.
Radiant
A square or rectangular outline with the corners cut off, faceted in the brilliant style. It puts trimmed corners and brilliant faceting in the same stone.
The other shapes we offer
Emerald
A rectangle with the corners cut off and long, straight facets running parallel to the edges like steps, a style named for its long use on emeralds. That step cutting gives broad flashes of light and an open view down into the stone.
Marquise
A long, narrow outline that comes to a point at both ends, cut in the brilliant style. Also called a navette, it sits with its two points along the length of the finger.
Asscher
A square step cut with the corners cut off. Look straight down into one and the facets stack up into what the trade calls a hall of mirrors.
Heart
A heart outline with a cleft at the top and a point at the bottom, cut in the brilliant style. The two halves are cut to mirror each other, so symmetry is the thing to look at.
Come see one in person.
Our loose diamonds are GIA certified, and we can source a specific stone on request. A stone reads differently across a counter than it does on a screen, so walk in any time we are open, or call ahead and tell us what you are after.