At Alice Herald we are passionate about natural diamonds.

We take pride in being ethical, transparent, and specialists in sustainable luxury.

We have created the AH Diamond Story as a guide. A process the team and I have developed over the years to establish standards and to bring both my learning and history together with the desire to guide my clients and source their perfect diamond.

Our diamond story

Our Diamonds

Diamond origin matters.

In their raw natural essence, diamonds are miracles from Mother Earth, each embodying a unique fingerprint, telling the story of their origin and history.

Such is the beauty of untouched nature. 

Knowing the provenance of your diamond provides confidence and a sense of responsibility and accountability along the supply chain. We know that ethically-sourced diamonds sustain communities, support human rights, fair labour, and environmental conservation.

All our diamonds are GIA certified and can be supplied with certificates of origin. We work directly with authorised diamond sightholders to source our diamonds, cutting out many middle men along the supply chain.  These suppliers also operate strictly under the Kimberley Process.

Alice has built trusted relationships within the diamond industry and continues to work with suppliers whose goals are:

“To make diamonds a force for positive social change, because greater transparency leads to greater accountability.” GIA

Shape

Allow the diversity of diamond shapes to speak to your unique style and personality.

Round brilliant diamonds are undoubtedly the most popular diamond shape.  They are cut to maximise the light and brilliance and ‘crushed ice’ look of a diamond, and so their price point often comes in at a premium.

However many other shapes are equally beautiful with their own differences and personalities.   

Both the radiant and emerald cuts have similarities with their cut corners, however their return of light are very different due to the way their facets are cut.

A radiant cut will return a lively ‘crushed ice’ look similar to that of a round brilliant diamond, whereas an emerald cut looks clean and sleek and will emit a glassier edgy light due to its long and open facets.

Both different, both beautiful.  We will guide you through these differences and more when helping you select your shape.

CARAT

Carat indicates the weight of a diamond and gives an idea of size. 

Whole numbers such as 1.0ct, 1.5ct or 2.0ct diamonds can often have price premiums, therefore it is important to know what is your main driver – physical size or carat weight?

Luxury White Gold Herald Brilliant Halo Diamond Ring

COLOUR

Colour refers to how ‘free of colour’ the diamond is.

We only accept colourless or near colourless grades, ranging from D (the purest most colourless) down to H (near colourless).

Clarity

Clarity refers to the natural inclusions within a diamond. These are natural characteristics which formed many millions of years ago and are a part of the diamond’s identity.

All our diamonds are eye clean (no visible inclusions to the naked eye), ranging in clarity from IF (internally flawless) down to VS2 (very slightly included).  

Depending on the location of the inclusion (i.e in the diamond’s table, pavilion or girdle) some VS2 diamonds are much better options than others which we will always advise on.  The ‘type’ of inclusion is also considered.

Cut

We believe this to be the most important aspect of choosing your diamond.  It dictates how well the facets are cut and your diamond is made. 

The cut is commonly overlooked and its importance quite often misunderstood.  The difference between an excellent cut and a poor cut can have an enormous effect on the overall appearance of a diamond.  An excellent cut radiates brilliant light whereas poor cuts can leak light and create dark angles and patches.

For example, a perfect round brilliant 1 carat diamond is 6.5mm round in diameter.  However some diamond cutters will cut corners to reach the “desired” 1 carat, resulting in dimensions being out of proportion and resulting in a darker diamond.

 As trained diamond graders we know exactly what to look for when considering cut – looking at all facets, pavilion and crown angles to choose a diamond which retains the most light and truly sparkles.

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Alice believes both a diamond and its wearer roughly embody the same characteristics and ideology.  So when sourcing your diamond, we like to get to know you and your key values, which in turn enable us to personalise and guide you through the diamond selection process. 

At Alice Herald we believe a story, as does a diamond, passes from one generation to the next – creating chapters in your personal life story for future generations to cherish.

Natural Diamond Fun Facts...

  • INDESTRUCTIBLE ORIGINS – the word ‘diamond’ traces its roots back to the ancient Greek term ‘adamas’ meaning indestructible.  Today, when we say ‘diamond’, it’s a nod to this ancient Greek idea of strength and resilience.
  • TIMELESS TREASURES – diamonds are ancient, ranging from 900 million to 3.2 billion years old, formed during a tumultuous pre-Ice Age era of volcanic activity.
  • DEEP DIVE – diamonds were formed when carbon atoms crystallised under extreme conditions of heat and pressure, approx 120-150kms deep with the earth’s upper mantle.  They then emerged during volcanic eruptions, allowing their beauty to be later discovered.
  • CARBON CREATIONS – both diamonds and graphite are composed of the same single element – carbon.  Whilst a diamond is one of the hardest known materials, graphite is the softest.  The difference is the unique arrangement of the carbon atoms and how they are bonded together.
  • TEXTURE TALES – raw diamonds can have unique textures depending on their origin.  For example, Canadian diamonds often have better clarity due to their crystalline structure, while Namibian diamonds may have smoother surfaces resulting from the erosive action of water as they are washed out to sea by rivers.

  • INCLUSION INSIGHTS – a diamond inclusion is simply uncrystallised carbon that failed to dissolve under extreme heat and pressure – a visual capture of a moment in time.  All inclusions are different and may appear as a transparent wispy cloud, a feather, a pin point, a colourless or dark crystal, or multiples of the above.  Occasionally a foreign inclusion may be present, e.g. a red garnet crystal which would be considered highly valuable.
  • COLOUR CHEMISTRY – coloured diamonds derive their hues from additional gases and trace elements which were present during their formation. Coloured diamonds in shades of yellow, green and blue can indicate the presence of nitrogen, sulphur, and boron.
  • PINK PERFECTION – pink diamonds are even more rare and unique.  They were formed under the most intense isotrophic pressure, creating a distortion in the diamond’s crystal lattice – resulting in densely packed graining planes that emit a pink hue.  The denser the planes, the pinker the diamond.
  • UNIQUE IDENTITY – no two diamonds are the same.  Each diamond’s combination of carat weight, colour, clarity and cut gives it a unique fingerprint.
  • SORTING STORIES – De Beers Mining Group meticulously sorts over 10,000 different categories of diamonds across 8 sorting floors.  This highlights the immense diversity and complexity within the world of diamonds.

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