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Four C’s of Diamonds
Main Index
Getting to Know Diamonds
Four major issues are looked at while determining a diamond's quality and value. They are known as the Four C's: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat weight. Understanding these four factors and how they interact can help you select a diamond that suits your tastes and your budget.
Diamond Color
Diamonds are not all truly colorless, but it's the colorless, or also called ‘white’ diamonds that other shades are judged against.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has devised a set of guidelines to grade diamonds by color. The color of graded diamonds is compared to the color of control stones, pre-selected gems of a specific color.
Facts About the Diamond Grading Procedure - Graded diamonds must be loose stones and not set on any jewelry, because the color of mounted stones can be affected by their mountings.
- Stones are placed table-down, pavilion-up and viewed with a 10X loupe.
- A lettering system from D to Z is used to identify the amount of color present in each diamond, with D awarded only to the rare, totally colorless stone.
Diamond Color Grades
Colorless diamonds and stones that are yellow or yellowish brown are grouped into the categories shown below. These grades do not apply to fancy colored diamonds.
D-E-F: Colorless
G-H-I-J: Nearly colorless
K-L-M: Faintly tinted, usually yellow
N-O-P-Q-R: Lightly tinted, usually yellow. Tint can be seen with the naked eye.
S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z: Tinted, usually yellow, may progress to brownish. Tint visible to the naked eye, even when mounted.
How To Evaluate Diamond Clarity?
Clarity is determined by the amount of flaws present in a stone. It is nothing but the absence or presence of flaws inside or on the surface of a diamond or other gemstone. If a stone does not have any flaws, it is a rare stone and is extremely expensive. The ones that have flaws also are difficult to be seen through a jeweler's magnifying loupe.
Expressions used to describe Clarity
Inclusions- Colored and uncolored crystals
- Faults, or flaws, inside a diamond.
- Small spots of white, black, or other colors.
- Fissures. While some are not too serious, some could cause the stone to break
Blemishes- Many of these occur during cutting and polishing process.
- Defects on a diamond's exterior surface.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grades diamond clarity standard All grading takes place under 10X magnification.
Fl (Flawless)- Absolutely devoid of internal or external flaws
IF (Internally Flawless) - Internal flaws absent. Minor external blemishes
VVS1 & VVS2 (Very, very slightly included) - Microscopic inclusions. Even an experienced grader will find it difficult to detect.
SI1 & SI2 (Slightly included) - Minor inclusions that are can be spotted by an experienced grader.
I1 & I2 & I3 (Included) - Evident inclusions that may affect transparency and brilliance.
If the clarity of the diamonds you select is not near the top the scale, do not be alarmed. These sort of stones are extremely rare and very expensive.
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