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The 4 C's in Diamonds

When you are planning on purchasing a diamond it is important that you know as much as possible about how diamonds are classified. The four topics you need to become familiar with are: Cut, Colour, Clarity, and the Carat Weight.

The most crucial of the Four C's for generating the sparkle or the light performance of a diamond is the cut. In an ideal diamond cut, light should be reflected through the body of the diamond, and back out through the top, or table, or the stone. In lesser quality, or more shallow cuts, light will leak out through the bottom of the diamond. This dramatically affects our perception of the beauty of the diamond, and can affect in natural colour diamonds, how deeply the colour of the stone can be seen.

A diamond's cut will most certainly influence its fire (the lovely rainbow colours that flash from within) and brilliance (the liveliness and sparkle), as well as its perceived size and even, to some degree its apparent colour. Different cuts reflect light in different angles. A diamond must be cut in a geometrically precise manner to maximize its brilliance. Cut actually refers to two aspects of a diamond. The first is its shape (round, marquise, etc) the second is how well the cutting has been executed.

Cut Grades:
- Poor Cut
- Fair Cut
- Good Cut
- Very Good Cut
- Ideal Cut

The Four C's Clarity:

Diamond clarity related to the number of blemishes or inclusions that are visible inside the body of a diamond. Many gemmologists and experts believe that clarity has little affect on the appearance of a diamond. In fact, in natural colour diamonds, lower clarity stones often possess deeper colour tones than those with better clarity. Better clarity grades are applied to diamonds with fewer or small imperfections, often not visible to the naked eye.

The clarity of a diamond is determined by the amount and location of flaws, or blemishes, in the diamond when viewed under 10 power (10x) magnification. GIA rates clarity grades in diamonds from Flawless to Imperfect 3. Escade Diamonds offers you diamonds from the Imperfect 1 grade through Flawless.

Most diamonds contain very tiny birthmarks known as inclusions. An inclusion can interfere with the light passing through the diamond. The fewer the inclusions, the more beautiful the diamond will be. Diamonds have the capability of producing more brilliance than any other gemstone. A diamond that is free of inclusions and surface blemishes is very rare, and therefore, very valuable.

All diamonds have identifying characteristics, but most are invisible to the naked eye. To view a diamond, experts use a 10x magnifying loupe which allows them to see the appearance of tiny crystals, feathers or clouds. These natural phenomena are called inclusions. There are five categories in class that anyone interested in purchasing a diamond should be aware of when grading clarity.

DIAMOND CLARITY SCALE:

FL (Flawless) - IF (Internally Flawless)
Flawless Diamonds reveal no flaws on the surface or internally are the rarest and most beautiful gems.
Internally Flawless Diamonds reveal no inclusions and only insignificant blemishes on the surface under 10x magnification.
VVS1 - VVS2 (Very, Very Slightly Included)
Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. These are excellent quality diamonds.
VS1 - VS2 (Very Slightly Included)
Only looking through a 10X loupe can pinpoint the inclusions in this category and are nearly impossible to see with the naked eye. These are less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.
SI1 - SI3 (Slightly Included)
Diamonds with inclusions easily identified under 10x magnification. Finding flaws in this category with the naked eye is difficult. The gems in this category maintain their integrity, depending on the location of the inclusions.
I1 - I3 (Included)
Diamonds with inclusions which may or may not be easily seen by the naked eye.
The flaws on the stones in this category will have some effect on the brilliance of your diamond.

In white diamonds, being colourless is ideal, however, at the opposite end of the colour scale are Fancy coloured diamonds, which possess a rarity and uniqueness that gives them their own value scale. This scale includes: Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Deep and Fancy Vivid.

Colour in natural fancy coloured diamonds occurs in a variety of ways, such as trace elements such a nitrogen, in the ground around the diamonds during formation, or radiation present during the creation process. Inclusions in the diamonds can in fact enhance the depth of colour in fancy colour diamonds, creating higher value unnamed colourless counterparts.

Diamonds come natural in every colour of the rainbow. However, most people are concerned with the diamonds in the white range. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) rated the body colour in white diamonds from colourless to light yellow.

The best colour for a diamond is no colour at all. A totally colourless diamonds allows light to pass through it easily, resulting in the light being dispersed as the colour of the rainbow. Colours are graded totally colourless to light yellow. The differences from one grade to the other are very subtle and it takes a trained eye and years of experience to colour grade a diamond.

The colour used in this diagram is for presentation purposes and is not actual colour. Many experts name colour as the number one consideration in choosing a diamond. A diamond's colour is graded on an alphabetical scale from D-Z, with D being absolutely colourless and Z being light yellow. Beyond "Z", a diamond is considered to be an exotic or "Fancy" colour.

DIAMOND COLOUR SCALE:

Since colour differences can be so subtle, they are impossible to determine by the untrained eye. To grade a diamond, gemmologists often place it on a white background next to another diamond that has been previously graded. If all other factors are equal, the less colour in a diamond or the higher colour rating, the more valuable a diamond becomes. Likewise, as the amount of colour increases, the price of a diamond decreases (though this does not necessarily reduce the beauty of a diamond.)

The Four C's Carats:

One carat is divided into 100 point, so that diamond of 75 points weights .75 carats. The carat-weight of a diamond is the easiest measurement to determine. Most importantly, two diamonds can be equal in their carat-weight, but their value can differ greatly due to their cut, colour, and clarity. Don't rush into your diamond purchase. Take your time and evaluate your choice carefully. It took billions (yes, billions) of years for nature to form your diamond and the skill of a master diamond cutter to bring your diamond to you. The time you spend now can bring you a lifetime of pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness.

Carat: (This diagram is for presentation purposes and is not to scale).

Carat is often confused with size even though it is a measure of weight. The cut of a diamond can make it appear larger or smaller than its actual weight.

One carat is the equivalent of 200 milligrams. One carat can be divided into 100 "points". A .75 carat diamond is the same as 75 points or a 3/4 carat diamond. Since larger diamonds are rarer than smaller diamonds, the value rises exponentially with carat weight. Carat weight simply the measure of a diamond's weight, but may not necessarily be indicative of a diamond's size. A diamond's size is generally judged by the carat weight in combination with the measure of the top of the diamond, as this is the view of a stone when set in jewellery.