Every diamond is unique and is identified as a miracle of time, place and change. This globally accepted standard for characterizing diamonds is acknowledged as the 4Cs of Diamonds: Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat (weight). The creation of this universally accepted method is incorporated in this industry for two reasons - first, for individuals to be able to communicate about diamonds in a universal language, and second, for diamond customers to explicitly know what they are about to purchase with the right criteria in hand.
Being an informed diamond shopper will always come in handy, here are a few details about each ‘C’.
● Cut - Cut refers to how well a diamond’s facets interact with light. A well-cut diamond tends to direct more light through the crown.
● Color - the color of diamonds ranges from icy white to a light yellow. A colorless diamond is actually the rarest form of diamond, and thus is the most expensive. Diamonds are given letter grades ranging from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). However, a diamond assigned a “Z” grade is not classified as a fancy color. Yellow diamonds are graded as fancy when they fall outside the D-Z range.
● Clarity - the clarity of a diamond refers to the presence of the blemishes and inclusions. Clarity grades are: Flawless (no inclusions or blemishes), VVS (very very slight inclusions), VS (very slight inclusions), SI (slightly included), I (inclusions are extremely obvious).
● Carat - Simply put, carat refers to the diamond’s weight. A metric carat is approximately 200 milligrams and is divided into 100 points, thus 50 points is ½ a carat. Thus, making it easier to get precise measurements up to the hundredth decimal place. Jewelers, like us, describe diamond weight that’s below one-carat by its points; for example, 0.25 carats (or ¼ a carat) can also be termed as “a 25 pointer”.
Despite size being an important factor when determining the value of the diamond, the other 3 criterias are also important to take into consideration.