4'C of Diamond Education
The 4 C's are the major visual attributes of a diamond. They include Carat, Cut, Color and Clarity. These 4 characteristics are graded and categorized to identify the size and quality of the diamond. They also help is differentiating between similar diamonds and establishing the diamond's value and price.The grading scales for the 4 C's are established by the Geological Institute of America or GIA. The standardized grading scale practices allow consumers and gemmologists to accurately identify diamonds. Once you've mastered the 4 C's you'll be ready to effectively select a diamond that works within your price range and maximize the quality and size factors within that price. This guide will effectively be educated you on the basics so you know what to look for and how to evaluate a diamond and its quality/value.
CaratDiamond carat is its weight and reflects the diamond’s size. The larger the diamond, the rarer and more valuable it becomes. Carat is the most visible C. Not to be confused with karat (a measure of gold purity), a 1.00 carat or ct diamond weighs 0.20 grams. The size of a diamond is measured in millimetres by length and width or in other words the diameter of the diamond. It typically takes about 250 tons of rock mining to produce just 1.00ct of diamond. That is why diamonds are rare and expensive.
Diamonds within each carat range have average millimetre sizes so you can approximate their visual size. Although each diamond is unique, these millimetres measurements are typically the norm, especially since diamonds today are cut with machines to ensure precision. To truly understand the diamond’s size, evaluate the measurements. Well-cut Round diamonds have less depth than well cut fancy shaped diamonds (diamonds other than Round).
Diamond pricing increases exponentially, not linearly, as diamond carat weight increases. Once a diamond hits it’s critical weight, the price bumps up. The critical weights are: 0.30ct, 0.40ct, 0.50ct, 0.70ct, 0.90ct 1.00ct, 1.50ct, 2.00ct, 3.00ct, 4.00ct, 5.00ct, 10.00ct. Diamond cutters will do everything they can to keep the diamond weight at or above each critical weight.
The average diamond carat weight is 0.90ct. Consumers prefer Carat above the other C’s of diamonds because carat is the most visual C. When pricing diamonds, think about carat on one side and the other 3 C’s on the other side. In order to fit your diamond budget, as you increase carat, you may need to reduce the other C’s. Vice versa, if you increase the other C’s, you may need to decrease carat.
Diamonds are cut to maximize the sparkle, fire, brilliance and overall visual beauty of a diamond. The cut is a measure of light performance as light hits a diamond. Diamonds sparkle is a result of light performance. As light hits a diamond, it penetrates the diamond, bounces around and reflects within the diamond and ultimately returns light to your eye. That is the sparkle that you see.The cutting of a diamond directly impacts the amount of light performance achieved. The angles, locations, sizes and shapes of facets will determine the diamond sparkle.
Fair & Poor: Diamonds with significant light leakage earn a Fair or Poor grade. These diamonds tend to leak noticeable amounts of light from being too deep or shallow in height. These have little brilliance and are less visually appealing. Fair or Poor cut diamonds do not meet With Clarity’s minimum light performance criteria. This cut category represents the top 35% of gem quality diamonds. Avoid these diamonds as they will not make for sparkling jewelry.
Very Good: Very well-cut diamonds that capture almost all the potential of the diamond. Very brilliant with minimal light leakage. Diamonds cut often intentional cut to achieve a Very Good grade so that can improve the other characteristics of the diamond such as Color, Clarity or Carat. The top 15% of gemstone quality diamonds are Very Good cut. Very Good cut diamonds can be a great choice if looking maximize value on the other factors.
Good: Well cut diamonds that capture light and possess high degrees of sparkle. Good cut diamonds have some light leakage, but overall shine bright. These diamonds can have noticeably larger or even smaller measurements than perfectly cut diamonds of the same shape. Cutters may intentionally cut to Good proportions to achieve a particular look or style. The top 25% of diamonds have a Good cut grade. Good cut diamonds can be a good blend of value and size, however be careful and always ask a gemmologist to assess the particular diamond for you before you make a decision.
Excellent: The highest grade representing the top diamonds in the world. Diamonds with an Excellent cut grade are masterfully crafted and precisely cut to unleash the maximum sparkle and brilliance of a diamond. Little or no light leakage occurs as light passes through a diamond. This premium category represents the top 3% of all diamonds. Excellent cut diamonds are increasing with improvements in manufacturing technology. An excellent cut diamond is always a good choice regardless of diamond shape and size.
Cut is often considering the most important of the 4 C’s of diamonds (carat is more of a preference, not an art or science). When selecting a diamond, it will certainly important to ensure light is not lost. Excellent cuts are most premium and Very Good cuts offer more value. The differences in sparkle are quite subtle, but they are noticeable when compared side by side. We recommend maximizing on the Cut grade.
ColorWhen it comes to Fancy Colored Diamonds the most significant characteristic is the color. In fact, unlike a colorless diamond where the 4C's (carat weight, clarity, color, and cut) are all equally important to the overall value, the color characteristic plays the most important role in the value of the diamond, often outweighing other factors such as clarity.
With white diamonds, also called colorless diamonds, the absence of color is what makes the diamonds so precious. However, in the case of fancy colored diamonds, the presence of color, it's intensity and purity, are what increases the value of these stones.Most of the natural fancy color diamonds found are not a single or pure color. Some diamonds have a combination of two, three, and sometimes even four colors within the composition of the stone.
During the diamond growth process, microscopic impurities or imperfections become present within the diamond. These imperfections are known as diamond inclusions. Inclusions are extremely common within diamonds and are essentially birthmarks that give every diamond uniqueness. The inclusions cummulatively make up the diamond's clarity. This clarity is measured by gemologists and graded on a scale. Diamonds range in clarity from FL - I3. Inclusions are examined at 10x magnification. See our Diamond Color Guide for more in depth information.
When evaluating the 4C's, clarity is the third most important characteristic because most imperfections cannot be seen unless under at least 10 times magnification. (Cut is the most important 4C to consider). To maximize your budget, consider an SI quality diamond, knowing that it may have very slight inclusions visible to the naked eye if the stone is examined very closely.
