Our Diamonds

Remy Sales keeps one of the largest and most diverse selections of diamonds and other precious gemstones on hand at all times. This means we can usually meet your needs, no matter what they may be, without a long wait for our suppliers to source and deliver the stone you’re looking for. Our selection includes many fancy coloured stones including blue, pink and yellow diamonds that you simply won’t find anywhere else in the greater Toronto area.

Diamonds are created when carbon deposits are subjected to extreme heat and pressure deep within the earth’s crust. During this process the diamond takes on many of its various characteristics that will eventually affect its value such as carat, colour and clarity. The fourth criterion that diamonds are judged by, cut, is the only man-made factor and obviously doesn’t come into play until after the diamond has been pulled from the ground and is being made ready for sale.

The 4 Cs of Diamonds

As with all jewelers around the world, Remy Sales uses the stand criteria of carat, colour, clarity and cut to determine the value of the diamonds we sell. This can be a very confusing part of the process for novice and experienced buyer alike. And while our staff experts will be happy to help you through the process, here’s a brief introduction to get you started down the right track.

• Carat – Technically ‘Carat Weight’ this refers to the overall size of the diamond. When using the standard unit of measure, each carat is divided into 100 pieces to allow for very exact measurements of the diamond’s size. Diamonds that fall exactly on certain measurements such as “1 Carat” and larger will sometimes be sold at a premium because of their rarity.
• Colour –Diamonds are also judged on their colour, with colourless stones generally being considered the most desirable. This is because any colour that is naturally occurring in a diamond reduces its ability to reflect the rainbow of colours that is so highly desired by most diamond buyers. A diamond’s colour is judged on a scale of D(colourless) through Z(light yellow)
  • NOTE: There is an exception to this rule, as there are in so many aspects of life. In this case, when a diamond is graded darker than Z it becomes classified as a “fancy coloured diamond.” These stones can range through all colors of the rainbow including yellow, pink, blue, green and any shade in between. Fancy coloured diamonds are highly sought after by collectors and can be worth many times the value of a colorless diamond of the same size.
  • Clarity – Diamonds can contain very minor imperfections that, while usually invisible to the naked eye, may significantly affect the value of the stone. These imperfections are classified as inclusions (internal) and blemishes (external). Diamonds are rated under controlled lighting and 10X magnification by an expert and placed into one of 11 categories ranging from flawless to I (included).
  • Cut – The only of the “4 Cs” that is controlled by human hands. Many people think that this refers to the overall shape of the diamond, but in reality it refers to the quality with which the cut was made. Cut is graded by the percentage of light entering the diamond which is then reflected back out the top surface of the stone.  The highest quality is “Ideal” followed by “Excellent” and “Very Good” respectively. The differences between these grades are not always visible to the naked eye but can make a large difference in price nonetheless.

Hopefully this will help give you a small head start toward understanding the terms you will see and hear when preparing to buy diamonds. If you need further assistance, call Remy Sales or come by the store today to speak with one of our experts who will be happy to help you find the perfect diamond and setting.