The 20 year selection Before the bench

For Michelle

Eighteen remarkable diamonds, handpicked for the years ahead.

I narrowed the field so you can focus on the part no grading report can answer. Every diamond here begins with exceptional color, clarity, and finish. The round and oval selections let you compare two very different kinds of presence. What remains is the personal part: the silhouette, the facets, and the one that will feel right in your filigree setting.

The part only you can choose

Grades tell us how rarefied the field is. They cannot tell us which pattern will hold your gaze, which scale feels right on your hand, or which one makes you smile. That is what this inspection bench is for.

The shared baseline

Nine round. Nine oval.
Color E
D E F G–J K–M N–R S–Z

D–F is the colorless band. E is its second step, so visible body color has already been screened to a very high threshold.

Clarity VVS
FL IF VVS1 VVS2 VS SI I

Nine are VVS1 and nine are VVS2. At both grades, minute inclusions are difficult for a skilled grader to find even at 10× magnification.

Craft Excellent ×3
Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor

Cut, polish, and symmetry all carry the highest named grade. Those describe light-oriented proportions, surface finish, and facet alignment.

Presence 2.91–4.70 ct
Round · 9.16–10.52 mm Oval · 11.41–13.62 L · 8.06–9.48 W mm

All report no fluorescence. Shape and size are the deliberate variables: both shortlists run from substantial to full spectacle on a very small hand.

Inspect nine selected round diamonds

Option 01

The maximum statement

Top view of option 01
Actual top view
Diameter 9.84 mm
3.63 ct Round
E / VVS1 Excellent finish

Capture lighting varies. Use these views to compare facet pattern and contrast, not relative brightness.

The Round selection

01

The maximum statement

Is this the one you want to live with?