The 4 C's refer to Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat, and each plays an important role in the beauty of a diamond.
What Is Diamond Cut?
The cut of a diamond directly relates to the overall sparkle, beauty and brilliance. It does not refer to the shape of the diamond such as pear shape or circle. Diamond Cut is how well a diamond is cut, polished and proportioned, along with its depth and symmetry. A well cut diamond is luminous and reflects white and coloured light back to your eyes. A poorly cut diamond is dull and lacklustre. The cut grades are rates between excellent, great, good, fair and poor. An excellent cut grade will display high brilliance and sparkle while maintaining little to no shadows created within the diamond.
A diamond’s cut is the quality that most significantly impacts its beauty.
What Is Diamond Colour?
Colour refers to the natural colour or lack of colour visible within a diamond, based on the GIA grade scale. In general, the highest quality diamonds are totally colourless, while low quality diamonds may often have a slight yellowish tint.
The GIA colour scale goes from D (colourless) all the way to Z (light yellow or brown in colour). Between D and Z (the normal colour range), there are numerous diamond colour grades, ranging from near colourless to slightly yellow. As the scale progresses, the differences are subtle to the untrained eye. For example, an “E” grade diamond might not appear to be different from an “F” grade diamond, but they might vary highly in price
Colour in diamonds are caused by different trace elements present while the diamond is being formed. Fancy coloured diamonds are diamonds that exhibit colour outside of the normal colour range. Diamonds come in every colour, but colours outside of fancy yellow, brown, grey, or pink diamonds are incredibly rare and may be more expensive than white diamonds that are of similar carat weight and quality.
What Is Diamond Clarity?
Clarity is determined by the visibility of natural inclusions and imperfections within a diamond. Diamonds with little to no inclusions are highly valued.
When diamonds form, natural microscopic characteristics can be trapped within or on the diamond. The lower the number of blemishes and flaws, the higher the clarity grade. No diamond is entirely pure, but the closer it gets to purity, the clearer it becomes. Most defects are invisible to the naked or unassisted eye.
What Is Diamond Carat?
Carat is the unit of measurement used to describe the weight of a diamond. According to Wikipedia, the term diamond carat comes from the Greek word meaning “fruit of the carob tree.” In ancient times, the seeds of the carob pod were used as standards for weight measurements, since the size of their seeds were almost always identical. This provided a natural standard of measurement.
Keep in mind that carat weight will show up differently depending on the shape and type of the diamond. For example, a 1.00 ct. round diamond will measure around 6.5mm, and a 1.00 ct. round sapphire will measure around 6.0mm.
Total carat weight (t.c.w.) represents the total weight of all diamonds/other gemstones in a piece of jewelry that has more than one gemstone. For example, diamond solitaire earrings are usually quoted in t.c.w., which represents the combined weight of all the diamonds in both earrings.
If you would like more information on any of the 4 C's feel free to reach out to us anytime, or stop by in store. We are always happy to help!
Images Credit: GIA
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