A Quasar Diamond is a diamond which has a minimum "Excellent" or "Very Good" cut grade, therefore displaying maximum brilliance. Inferior diamonds sacrifice cut and beauty to save weight. This enables the seller to charge a higher price. Because Quasar diamonds are all hand selected we are able to guarantee the quality of all Quasar Diamonds. Quasar Diamonds are owned by a New Zealand company. The owners have been a leading supplier of diamonds to jewellers throughout New Zealand and Australia for over 30 years. Therefore, when buying a Quasar Diamond you will also be protected under New Zealand consumer laws.

Diamonds with the following characteristics frequently end up "stockpiled" on internet websites as they have been rejected by reputable dealers. Most genuine stones are bought by wholesalers "straight from the cutting wheel". It is difficult to gauge without seeing a diamond where in the grade the diamond lies. Customers need to be aware as this can greatly affect the price e.g high SI2 clarity can cost up to 75% more than very low SI2 (SI3). This is not made clear on the certificate. There are many of these "lower stones" listed on internet sites. Customers should be aware of the price decrease for smaller diameter stones even if they still get "Excellent" or "Very Good" cut grades. e.g A 6.3mm 1ct round diamond should sell for more than 20% less than a 6.4mm stone. This is because a 6.3mm stone is arguably a 0.9ct diamond with weight held on it. In our opinion, the correct diameters for round diamonds should be as follows: ● 2ct - 8.0mm+ ● 1.5ct - 7.35mm+ ● 1ct - 6.4mm+ ● 0.9ct - 6.2mm+ ● 0.8ct - 5.9mm+ ● 0.7ct - 5.7mm+ ● 0.6ct - 5.4mm+ ● 0.5ct - 5.1mm+ ● 0.4ct - 4.7mm+ There are some diamonds that emit light (fluorescence) when exposed to U.V radiation. The light lasts as long as the diamond is exposed to the U.V radiation. Fluorescence is described as None, Faint, Medium, Strong, and Very Strong. Nil to medium fluorescence has no noticeable negative affect on the appearance of a diamond. In some instances strong or very strong fluorescence will impact negatively on a diamonds appearance by making it appear oily or milky. There are a lot of these strongly fluorescent hard to sell stones listed on the internet. Some diamonds are "smoky". Smokiness is caused by sub microscopic particles and is usually not disclosed on diamond reports. Diamonds should be accompanied by a reputable suppliers report or independent certificate. The HRD and GIA (Gemmological Institute of America), are arguably the most respected international Diamond Grading Labs. There are many other international certificates such as IGL, EGL, AGS, CGL, etc. The standards of these other certificates vary, some being historically softer, some harder. In our opinion the main reason for a grading lab to give softer grades is to get more business from members of the diamond trade who want to increase their profits by selling lower quality diamonds given higher grades for higher prices. A lot of internet lists are virtual and the stones may no longer exist. Some certificates listed on the internet may be incorrect or fraudulent. Even with our knowledge, we wouldnt be brave enough to buy a diamond by observing a certificate, even a good certificate on the internet. In our experience, we would normally end up only buying 10% of stones actually viewed in person. In other words "buyer beware".

Diamond is a naturally occuring form of carbon crystallised at extremely high temperature and pressure. In nature, diamonds were formed approximately 200 kilometres below the earths surface approximately 3500 million years ago just after the formation of the earth. Diamond is by far the hardest of all known natural substances.

All Quasar Diamonds are supplied with a diamond report. This report measures 15 different parameters. Because no two diamonds are alike, the parameters measured on this report can be used to identify an individual diamond. All Quasar Diamonds have been purchased from sources not involved in funding conflicts and in compliance with UN resolutions.

The "Cut Grade" measures how the individual proportions of a diamond combine to affect a diamonds beauty. All Quasar Diamonds have "Excellent" or "Very Good" cut grades. Diamonds with "Excellent" and "Very Good" will display more: ● Brightness - white light seen when viewing a diamond ● Fire - when white light is dispersed into the spectral "rainbow" colours ● Sparkle - the sparkling flashes that come from the facets of the gem when it is tilted are known as scintillation or sparkle Quasar uses GIA Facetware to estimate a round diamonds cut grade.

Proportions are by far the most important factor responsible for a diamonds beauty and cut grade. The proportions refers to the diamonds dimensions, facet angles and the relationships between them. Symmetry refers to the exactness of its outline, as well as the placement and how "identical" each of a facet type is to the other facets of the same type. Polish refers to the overall smoothness of the diamonds surface. Symmetry and polish combined are referred to as the "finish".

At the present time there are no universally accepted cut standards for fancy cut diamonds. Quasar fancy cut diamonds are bought for their high standard of cut. Quasar allocates cut grades using SARIN LASER and visual imaging.

SI3 is a clarity grade universally accepted by most manufacturers and sellers of diamonds on the international market. It is not however recognised by the majority of gemmological labs including HRD and G.I.A. Because SI2 encompasses such a wide range of clarity (top SI2 is substantially higher in clarity than bottom SI2) the grade SI3 was given to diamonds at the very bottom end of SI2. These diamonds sell on the international market for SI3 price, are usually graded SI2 by the HRD or G.I.A but will occasionally be graded I1.

Some diamonds emit light (fluorescence) when exposed to U.V radiation. The light lasts as long as the diamond is exposed to the U.V radiation. Fluorescence is described as None, Faint, Medium, Strong and Very Strong. Nil to medium fluorescence has no noticeable negative effect on the appearance of a diamond. In some instances strong or very strong fluorescence will impact negatively on a diamonds appearance by making it appear oily or milky.

Some diamonds are branded "Hearts and Arrows". Hearts and Arrows refer to diamonds that have excellent symmetry. When viewed through a special machine "eight hearts" are displayed in the face down position, and "eight arrows" in the face up position. Sometimes Hearts and Arrows diamonds dont sparkle like they should. This is because some manufacturers do not cut the halves (halves are responsible for sparkle) deep enough into the diamond. The manufacturers do this to save weight and to produce a Hearts and Arrows pattern. Because different cut grades can display Hearts and Arrows patterns, we believe it is more important to buy diamonds with a high standard of cut rather than a diamond which gives a nice pattern viewed through a special machine.

In the past few years there has been a proliferation of diamond brands, many sold at a higher price than the same diamond without a brand name. In our opinion, if a high standard of cut is required we would recommend buying a diamond with a "Very Good" or better cut grade on G.I.A Facetware or similar recognised grading system.

All Quasar Diamonds are supplied with a diamond report. This report measures 15 different parameters. Because no two diamonds are alike, the parameters measured on this report can be used to identify an individual diamond. All Quasar Diamonds have been purchased from sources not involved in funding conflicts and in compliance with UN resolutions.