Chaumet selects only the most high-quality diamonds.
Through its collections, the Chaumet House offers a wide range of cut shapes: round brilliant, princess, pear, cushion, oval and emerald, all designed to enhance the stone. The pear is the House signature cut, adorning delicate settings such as those of the Joséphine collection.
The word diamond comes from the Greek « adamas » meaning invincible, indestructible. Fruit of the stars for Hindus, shards of stars for the Greeks and tears of the gods for the Romans, the diamond is a symbol of positive virtues.
Chaumet’s creations are adorned with precious stones, diamonds being the most often used gem. The embodiment of purity, perfection and eternal love, the diamond is the most celebrated of all precious stones.
The Company chooses its diamonds using a universal standard certified by the GIA (Gemmological Institute of America). This ensures that Chaumet sets its creations with the highest-quality diamonds, by being extremely selective through the GIA criteria known as the 4Cs: ” Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat weight “.
Every Chaumet diamond of more than 0.30 carats comes with a GIA certificate and an individual certificate number engraved on the stone. Invisible to the naked eye, this engraving guarantees the authenticity and uniqueness of the Chaumet diamond.
In addition to the 4Cs, the final criterion is the Company’s own, the harmony of the stone. Chaumet’s diamond expert selects each diamond using light, magnifying glass and microscope for the specific emotion it arouses, its brilliance, its fire and its sparkle.
The 4Cs according to Chaumet
COLOR
In order to enhance its creations, Chaumet rigorously and exclusively selects extremely white (colourless) diamonds, with a colour range from D to G.
The less colour a diamond has, the more valuable it is. The international classification established by the GIA has a colour-grading scale which begins at D (perfectly colourless diamond) and continues to Z (diamond of a » tinted white » or » light yellow « ).
CLARITY
Chaumet diamonds do not have any inclusions visible to the naked eye (natural vision without the aid of a magnifying glass). Thus the House only selects diamonds graded in the FL to VS (Very slightly included) categories. These very slight inclusions, when present in the diamond are recorded and mapped on the GIA diamond certificate.
Each stone is unique and characterised by its degree of clarity. A diamond’s clarity is determined by the number, size and position of inclusions (impurities) that it presents. These inclusions are marks left by nature when the diamond was formed. The clarity scale developed by the GIA ranks diamonds from FL (Flawless = no defects) to I3 (Included = inclusions visible to the naked eye).
CUT
The Chaumet House only selects its diamonds from the two best cuts: Excellent and Very Good.
A diamond’s cut corresponds to the balance of its proportions and angles. A diamond cut with the greatest precision works like a mirror: it captures the light and reflects it through its facets, delivering the best brilliance and « »fire » » of the stone under the gaze of the person admiring it.
In 1919, the physicist Marcel Tolkowsky published a study on the optical properties of the cut of the brilliant round diamond and the desired optimal proportions. These values are still current and used in the international classification defined by the GIA, presenting a cut scale ranging from Excellent (perfect cut) to Poor (mediocre cut).
CARAT WEIGHT
Chaumet offers a wide range of diamonds of all weights, set in a great variety of settings.
The universally-recognised unit of measurement for the weight of a diamond is the carat, which is 0.20 g. The weight, combined with the three other « »Cs » » of the GIA classification, determines a diamond’s value. The greater a diamond’s weight, the more valuable and rarer it is.
The creation of an engagement ring
For more than two centuries, the Maison Chaumet has been loyal to its tradition of « Jeweller of Feelings », through exceptional tiaras and bridal sets, authentic pledges of love.
Ethical Commitments
In accordance with the Kimberley process and as a member of the RJC, Chaumet pays the utmost attention to the sourcing of its raw materials.
GIA Certification
Find out more about the Gemmological Institute of America on their website