Bespoke

We are now designing and making many of our items, for sale on our website, in-house. Lookout for *MIH in the product description.

Alongside our beautiful shop range of jewellery we can also create a one off piece for you.

Commissioning your own jewellery is a very exciting process, and you’ll be surprised just how affordable it can be.

Come and visit us with your ideas and we will happily advise you on how we can create your vision.

We are also able to remodel and restore your old jewellery to give it a new lease of life.

Whether it’s a ring that needs reclawing, a sentimental piece that needs remodeling, or an old engagement ring that you may like as a pendant, we are happy to help. All work is carried out at our workshop and is handled with care.

Your guide to diamond quality and value.

A diamond is judged by four distinct factors that, in combination, determine its value. These are called the 4C`s, the first letter of cut, colour, clarity and carat weight.

Cut

Of all the 4C’s, cut is the factor most directly influenced by man, the other three being dictated entirely by nature. The cut or make of a diamond will dramatically influence its fire, brilliance and sparkle, so it is the polisher’s skill that determines whether its full beauty is released.

How a diamond handles light

It is the cut that enables a diamond to make the best use of light. When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light is reflected and refracted from one facet to another and then dispersed through the crown or top of the stone.
If the cut of the diamond is too deep or too shallow, some light escapes through the pavilion or bottom before it can be reflected.

colour

The colour of diamonds can vary appreciably, ranging from totally colourless through to a yellow, grey or brown hue. Rare fancy coloured diamonds are also found, and include blues, pinks, oranges, greens, yellows and browns.

clarity

Almost all diamonds contain extremely small inclusions. Most are not discernible to the naked eye and require magnification to become apparent. They are nature’s fingerprints and make every diamond quite unique. The fewer there are, the rarer and more valuable the stone.

Clarity is the term used to indicate the extent to which the diamond you purchase is free of these natural inclusions under ten times magnification.

There are three major grading systems for classifying diamonds – GIA, HRD, and CIBJO – and an international standard (ISO) is soon to be established. At present a stone is termed flawless by the GIA if it is without surface characteristics or internal inclusions and internally flawless if it has minor surface characteristics. Other systems use the term “Loupe Clean” which equates to both flawless and internally flawless.

Grades then gradually descend and are compatible in each grading system.

Carat weight

As with all precious stones, the weight of a diamond is expressed in carats. The word carat originates from a naturally occurring unit of weight – the seed of the carob tree. Diamonds were traditionally weighed against these seeds until the system was standardised, and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams (one fifth of a gram).

One carat is divided into 100 “points” so that a diamond of 25 points is described as quarter of a carat, or 0.25 carats.