Chips - Chipped diamonds should never be sold but some unethical jewellers may try to conceal chips beneath the prongs of the setting.

Peripheral Inclusions - Inclusions that breach the surface of the diamond may  damage the integrity of the stone, potentially causing chips or cracks to develop.

Misty Colouring - If a stone has a milky, cloudy appearance it will never exude the  brilliance that diamonds are famous for.

Scratches - Are self explanatory and have a severe impact on the value and beauty of the stone.

Graining - Internal graining is naturally found in all diamonds and is completely normal but if there is extensive graining in terms of waves or streaks within and on  the stone then that is unacceptable.                       

Knots - sometimes a miniature diamond may develop within another diamond which violates the quality of the stone.

Fluorescent Excess - Sometimes a diamond can be too incandescent with the radiant glow overpowering the natural colour. If a diamond glows under ultra violet light then it may suffer this affliction. Diamonds exhibiting this trait will appear cloudy and substantially less grand in natural light.

Unnatural Enhancements - The unconscionable practise of attempting to enhance the diamond by way of colour modification or heat treatment.

Drill And Disguise - The absolutely unacceptable practise of utilising a laser drill to “dig” out imperfections and then filling the holes with foreign matter to camouflage the stone’s faults.   

Rosendorff absolutely reject any setting that has any of the following manufacturing faults. Rosendorff also condemn the numerous tricks used by unscrupulous jewellers to exaggerate a diamond’s value. We want your patronage for life and we treat you accordingly. With respect.       

The girdle is the fine band that encircles the diamond, dividing the crown (top) of the diamond and the pavilion (the underside).

• Imperfect circles - If the girdle is not round and symmetrical when viewed from above, the symmetry of the diamond is compromised.   
• Non Parallel Lines - If the “table” top of a diamond’s crown is not parallel with the girdle band it severely impairs the stone’s charisma.
• Extravagant Girdle - If the girdle is of exaggerated thickness it will add excessive carat weight, (but not value) the retailer can unfairly charge a higher price and the diamond’s brilliance is diminished.
• Uneven Girdle – If the girdle is uneven and wavering, the symmetry is severely impacted and light will not be reflected in the optimal fashion.  

If a stone is cut to incorrect proportions with a larger table and a shallow pavilion, it will give the impression the stone is larger than what it really is. The result is a stone that lacks life or allure. The fisheye effect is experienced when you look through the crown of the stone and is caused because the imperfect cutting impairs the proper reflection of light.

Conversely if the pavilion of the stone is cut too deeply, light will seep out of the sides of the diamond and an unattractive dark “nailhead” will appear through the middle of the diamond.

It is commonly accepted that a “clear” diamond’s brilliance and reflection of light will be optimised when cut into 58 facets (panels) so cutting more facets doesn’t necessarily result in any tangible benefit. In fact it can actually damage the symmetry of the stone and its charisma.
Extra facets may be added to remove or conceal a fault in the stone. Facets must also be perfectly placed and proportioned or the light’s passage through the diamond will be compromised along with the beauty.

The “table” is located on top of the diamond and the “culet” is located at the lowest point on the pavilion. If the table is off centre it will be unable to evenly distribute light, be it incoming or reflected. The net result is that the diamond’s ability to “shine” will be seriously impeded. If the culet is off centre the facets will be out of alignment and the volume of light refracted back into the stone will be tragically compromised. Both of these imperfections have a negative impact on the brilliance of the piece.               

Along with the cradle in which the diamond sits the prongs are responsible for securely   embracing your precious stone. Needless to say they must be perfectly equipped for this crucial duty. Firstly prongs must never be too short. The prong tips must be of adequate length to grip the crown of the stone, not the girdle. Also the prongs must be carefully adjusted to grip the stone gently but firmly and the stone should never rattle.

Aesthetically speaking the prongs must be no thicker than necessary otherwise they detract from the stone itself and impede light from reaching the stone. All prong contact points that touch the diamond must also have metal excesses shaved down to ensure perfect beauty and avoid causing damage to the stone.                              

All Rosendorff ring prongs are manufactured from either high-grade platinum or white gold or yellow gold to ensure optimum strength and safeguard your diamond setting.   

Polish marks, proportion errors, abrasions and sub standard finishes are also evidence of shoddy workmanship and are not accepted under the Rosendorff quality control regime. “Polish marks” or lines occur when the craftsman has not polished the stone perfectly and the pure sheen of the stone is compromised.

The “proportions” of the whole piece must be considered, in that the setting should never overpower the diamond and conversely the stone should never render the setting anonymous. “Abrasions” occur when the facet convergence lines on a diamond have suffered abrasive contact with other diamonds which can cause significant disfigurement.

Substandard finishes are self explanatory but obvious examples include crooked settings, where the setting has not been mounted in an absolutely perpendicular position on the ring’s shank or haphazard soldering where there is discoloured metal where setting and ring meet.