Standards of Tiffany Brilliance
Tiffany diamonds are brighter and more vibrant because we craft them that way. The combination of Tiffany’s exacting standards for cut and unparalleled craftsmanship produces the most beautiful diamonds in the world. And only the most perfectly cut diamonds earn the right to be placed in the legendary Tiffany Blue Box.
The most important of the 4Cs, cut, determines the shape and beauty of a diamond. What sets Tiffany apart is our commitment to crafting the most beautiful diamonds, maximising brilliance and fire. We craft the most perfectly proportioned diamonds, ensuring the meticulous positioning, shape and angle of each facet.
Too deep: Light escapes through the side.
Perfect proportion: Light reflects brightly.
Too shallow: Light escapes at the bottom.
Expert symmetry: Facets precisely matching in size, shape and alignment create brilliance.
Misaligned facets: Imperfect symmetry interrupts the movement of light from one facet to the next.
Diamond clarity is a measure of the purity and rarity of the stone, graded by the visibility of these characteristics under 10-power magnification. A stone is graded as flawless if, under 10-power magnification, no inclusions (internal flaws) and no blemishes (external imperfections) are visible. Absolutely flawless diamonds are exceedingly rare and priced accordingly.
Tiffany’s strict diamond grading standards are executed with expertise, integrity and accuracy.
When Tiffany believes that a diamond’s clarity is on the borderline between two grades, Tiffany will always assign the stone a lower grade—never falsely inflating a diamond’s clarity grade.
Colour refers to the natural tint inherent in white diamonds. In nature, most white diamonds have a slight tint of yellow or brown colour. The closer to being “colourless” a diamond is, the rarer it is. The industry standard for grading colour is to evaluate each stone against a master set and assign a letter grade from “D” (colourless) to “Z” (light yellow).
Tiffany only accepts diamonds in the “colourless” and “near colourless” range on a diamond colour scale. Borderline diamond colour classifications are automatically given the more conservative grade. Additionally, the Tiffany Gemological Laboratory will not accept stones exhibiting strong or excessive fluorescence, which, in natural lighting, can give diamonds a milky appearance.
Carat denotes the weight of a diamond. Tiffany diamonds are always cut to maximise brilliance, not carat weight.
Tiffany measures diamonds to 1/1000th of a carat; one carat equals .20 grams. Taken by itself, carat weight does not determine a diamond’s value. For example, two one-carat stones can vary widely in price when clarity, colour and cut are taken into consideration. When that is understood, it is clear that large diamonds of peerless quality are rare.
We believe fine craftsmanship starts with responsibly sourcing high-quality raw materials and continues through the creation of the final piece of jewellery. From the moment they’re unearthed, Tiffany diamonds selected for our engagement rings never leave the hands of highly skilled artisans, who work with passion and precision to unleash intense vibrancy and light. Once a rough diamond is deemed worthy of the Tiffany name, it is delivered to our diamond cutting experts and our master craftspeople. Tiffany is proud to employ more than 1,500 expert cutters and polishers in our own state-of-the-art workshops. Our sourcing practices honour the places and people that provide us with such astonishing beauty. We go above and beyond the Kimberley Process—with our own chain of custody controls and by advocating for stronger global standards—to ensure that human rights and the environment are protected.
