The 4C’s of Diamonds
Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat.
Color
Diamonds come out of the earth in many different colors. The market has traditionally valued white diamonds higher than others, and the grading scale offers five groups of 23 letters to reflect that. At the top of the scale is “D” which means the most colorless and rare diamonds.
Clarity
A diamond is a thing of nature. Like any rock or mineral, diamonds can have flaws. Choosing a diamond with a difficult-to-detect inclusion or blemish can be a great way to save on cost without sacrificing beauty. The GIA Diamond Clarity Grade scale has five main categories of clarity characteristics with 11 grades in all. “F” is the highest clarity grade and is incredibly rare. However, VS or SI are considered by most to be "fine quality" diamonds.
Cut
Cut refers to a stone’s shape, facet, and polish. Sometimes diamonds are cut so they’re heavier, thus fetching more value for their carat weight. Sometimes they’re cut to hide or minimize inclusions by expert diamond cutters skilled at bringing the brilliance out of each diamond they work with.
There are three factors that determine a diamond's cut quality:
Proportion: The relative size and angle of each diamond facet
Symmetry: The precision of the cut design, especially the facets
Polish: The smoothness and luster of the diamond's surface
Carat
Diamond carat weight is the measurement of how much a diamond weighs. A metric "carat" is defined as 200 milligrams.
Each carat can be subdivided into 100 'points.' This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. A jeweler may describe the weight of a diamond below one carat by its 'points' alone. For instance, the jeweler may refer to a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats as a 'twenty-five pointer.' Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals. A 1.08 carat stone would be described as 'one point oh eight carats.'
