White diamonds are known as the stone of eternal love and purity, makes sense since people often associate them with engagement rings. We love using ethically-sourced natural white diamonds in our pieces, find out why!
History of the White Diamond
The first documented use of the diamond as an engagement ring was in 1477 by an Archduke in Vienna. But diamonds only gained popularity in engagement rings in the United States in the 1930s. White diamonds are incredibly rare, with only about 1% of all diamonds mined are white.
What is a GIA Certified White Diamond?
There is a grading scale used and created by the Gem Institute of America (GIA) used to determine the whiteness of a diamond. The scale looks at the 4 C’s; color, carat weight, cut and clarity.
GIA Clarity Scale
The clarity scale measures the amount, size and placement of inclusions on the inside and surface of the diamond. Your diamond’s grade can range from Flawless (the far left of the scale) - a diamond that has no visible inclusions at 10x magnitude - all the way to Included, a diamond that has inclusions easily visible. At Alexis Russell we typically work with white diamonds that are VVS1 to SI1.
GIA Color Scale
The color scale measures the diamond’s absence of color. The less color in a diamond the more valuable it is. The color scale includes 23 different grades from "D - Z". "D" meaning there is no detectable color in the diamond and "Z" meaning the diamond has light color.
How We Set White Diamonds
We love a white diamond as the main attraction for an engagement ring, but we’ve also found other ways to set them to complement a different center stone and add even more sparkle. For example our Jade ring puts two white trillions on either side of the main stone, while our Ivy ring adds 6 round white diamonds instead of trillions. We’ve added subtle sparkle with our Willow style that features a white diamond pavé band - and even white diamond halos with our Compass, Camellia and Dahlia styles. Take a look at all of our engagement ring styles to discover the ways we set white diamonds.
White Diamonds...Not Just for Engagement Rings Anymore
While an engagement ring really gives a white diamond the chance to shine, we also use white diamonds in our fine jewelry. Whether you want a stacking or wedding band, a pair of earrings or even a necklace we can have you covered head to toe with white diamonds. Check out some of our popular white diamond fine jewelry.
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