Diamonds are valued according to the four C's of diamond grading, namely cut, clarity, color, and carat. All diamonds are separated and graded based on their four characteristics at a number of heavily guarded centers, such as the DTC. Let's take a minute and look at these characteristics so that you have knowledge about the diamond in your diamond ring, engagement ring, or other piece of jewelry purchased form Unclaimed Diamonds. If you would like to learn more about the “4 C"s of diamonds, please come into Unclaimed Diamonds, in the heart of Jewelers Row in Philadelphia PA and speak to one of our many certified gemologists.
What to Consider When Shopping for a Diamond
The clearer a stone is - -the more value it has, so stick with the market and buy the clearest stone you can afford. The purist diamonds are always transparent and colorless. Jewelers often rate "Cut" as the most important of the "4 Cs". You will have to trust your jeweler for a good evaluation of the cut since it takes a trained eye to see the quality of a good "Cut". The cut will determine the brilliance and the amount of light refraction. The clarity is a measure of the internal structural imperfections called "inclusions". If that all seems confusing, we will break it down to its separate characteristics: cut, clarity, color, and carat.
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Diamond Cut
The cut is the only part of a diamond that is dependent on man. Diamond cutting has been traced to the late Middle Ages when they first improved on Nature’s design by polishing the crystal faces - - now called point cut. Most admired today,the round brilliant, with its 58 facets, was not perfected until 1919 --that is when the modern jewelry saws and good jewelry lathes were developed. There are many other shapes for diamond cutting; however, none of the early cuts could reveal what a diamond is prized for today, namely its strong dispersion or "fire".
It is the quality of the cut and the final polish that reveals the beauty of a diamond. A vital aspect of a diamond is the cut. The way a diamond is cut determineshow much light the stone will refract and reflect. Therefore, the more delicate and precise its cut is, the more the diamond will sparkle and the more brilliant it will be. A diamond that is cut too shallow or too deep for its width will alter the light's path through the stone; thus it will not receive the ideal amount of refraction or reflection, reducing brilliance. So the angle of the facets is of central importance, as well as the stone's polish,,inrevealng the stone's beauty. So remember that the value of a stone rests partially on the quality of the cut. Unusual-shaped stones will be given a " fancy cut� that a particular crystal shape lends itself to, the cut being other than the round brilliant.
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Diamond Color
Although most diamonds appear colorless, subtle differences do exist. How close a diamond is to colorless determines its value, and less color is more valuable although they will almost always have a tint of yellow or brown due to trapped nitrogen inside the stone. The gemological Institute of America uses a "D" to "Z" scale for color where "D" is colorless and "Z" is mostly yellow.
- Colorless D-E-F
- Near Colorless G-H-I-J
- Slightly Tinted (Faint yellow or brown) K-L-M
- Very Light Yellow (or brown) N-O-P-Q-R
- Light yellow (or brown) S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
However, when a diamond's color is more intense than the "Z" rating, it enters the realm of "Fancy Color". In this case, the intensity of the color plays a major role in its value. A "Fancy Color" diamond may surpass the value of a colorless diamond if the intensity is high and the color rare. "Fancies" exist due to trace elements being trapped in the diamonds; the colors can include the entire spectrum. A fancy pink or blue diamond will command higher prices. Fancy colored diamonds such as the deep blue Hope Diamond are particularly valuable.
While prices are higher for colorless diamonds, the exact color most valued by a customer is a matter of personal preference. Some prefer the transparent D-F range while others prefer the warmer " yellow "tone and still others want a clearly visible color. |
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Diamond Clarity
Diamonds, like people, are unique. As diamonds are being formed, small amounts of minerals are trapped in them during the crystallization process. These are termed "inclusions"(meaning internal structural imperfections). Their location, number, size, and color determine the diamond's value. The fewer visible inclusions, the higher the clarity of the diamond, the more light it will reflect and the more valuable the diamond will be deemed. Gemological Institute of America has grades of clarity to measure the internal imperfections called "inclusions". I won't list all the grades since the information is available for anyone interested. It is worth mentioning, however, that the grade for "flawless" is FL and "I1.I2.I3 are the grades given to "imperfects" -imperfect and visible to the naked eye. For I3, the inclusions affect the brilliance and are large and obvious. |
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Diamond Carat
The last consideration in a diamond's value is the carat weight. This is the physical weight of the stone. But what does the unit carat represent? Interestingly enough, the weight of one carob seed, a product of a locust tree. These seeds are nearly uniform in weight and therefore were used by early gem traders as a unit of weight by which to measure their diamonds. But in our age of current technology, on carat weighs exactly 0.2 grams or 1/142 of an ounce. Each carat is divided into 100 points, therefore 1/2 a carat is 50 points, written as 0.50 ct, and in translation is 0.1 gram. But remember, in between a large and a small diamond, the smaller could be more valuable if it has a better cut, clarity, and color. Indeed, the larger the diamond, the rarer it can be. A three-carat diamond, for example, can cost up to seven times more than a one-carat diamond of equal color and clarity and only one polished diamond in a thousand is over one carat. |
 Anatomy of a Diamond
The more expertly a diamond is cut- the more brilliant the diamond will be. With an ideal cut the light is, internally, reflected from faucet to faucet then dispersed through the top (table) of the diamond. If it is cut too shallow or too deep some refracted light will escape through the pavilion (bottom) of the diamond. The top of the stone (above the girdle) is called the crown and the part below the girdle is called the pavilion. |
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