In today’s blog, we’ll look at each of the 4Cs of diamonds in detail to help you choose the best fit of diamonds!
Just like a human fingerprint, every diamond is unique. While most diamonds may externally look similar in terms of size and colour, there are a few parameters that differentiate one diamond from the other. The 4Cs of diamonds that are colour, clarity, carat, and cut play a prominent role in defining their beauty and radiance.
Over the years, the four Cs are have become a globally accepted formula to assess the quality and value of a diamond.
Are you willing to buy a diamond jewel but cannot decide which diamond to choose? We’ve got you!
The cut is undeniably one of the most important aspects of diamond quality that is not affected by nature. It refers to the quality of symmetrical facets, angles, and proportions in a diamond. Further, a diamond’s sparkle, brilliance, fire, and scintillation depend heavily on the diamond’s cut.
Also, a diamond’s cut determines its appearance and beauty.
The colour of a diamond refers to the slight shade present inside a diamond. Haven’t you heard about fancy coloured diamonds such as red, green, pink, blue, or yellow?
Sometimes, some diamonds gain their colour during the process of refinement. For instance: the ‘lab-treated black diamonds’.
Moreover, the more colourless a diamond is, the higher is its demand as so is its market value.
In simple words, clarity refers to how free a diamond is from internal inclusions and blemishes.
As a diamond is formed deep within the earth in response to extreme heat and pressure, it develops inclusions. These inclusions might be in the form of fractures, slight traces of minerals, or even uncrystallized carbon. Also, inclusions affect the way light refracts and reflects on a diamond.
Thus, scrutinizing the clarity of a diamond is necessary while purchasing it.
Carat is the weight of a diamond (not the size of the diamond). In general, a one-carat diamond weighs 200 milligrams or 0.2 grams. Also, some diamonds lower in carats might look bigger due to their shape and cut. Thus, while buying a diamond, greater importance needs to be put on shape, colour, cut, and clarity than the carat.
Let’s have a look at the grading system in detail!
| FL: Flawless | Extremely rare and valuable among all diamonds. Very few diamonds have the diamond clarity of FL. |
| IF: Internally Flawless | Less than 3% of all diamonds have a clarity of IF. |
| VVS1–VVS2: Very Very Slightly Included (1 and 2) | Slightly included diamonds either on the pavilion or on the crown. |
| VS1–VS2: Very Slightly Included (1 and 2) | Inclusions are invisible to the naked eye. However, on close inspection, one can see the inclusions. |
| SI1–SI2: Slightly Included | The diamonds with this clarity can reveal inclusions on close inspection. |
| I1, I2, I3: Included (1, 2 and 3) | This set includes diamonds that are heavily included and often more prone to breakage. |
The carat (or weight) of the diamond affects its price to a great extent. However, carat is not the only determinant of the price of a diamond. It can be affected due to shape, cut, and colour.
In general, as the carat of the diamond increases, its overall market value increases. This can be shown in the following table.
| Diamond Carats | Price per carat* | Total Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 carat | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| 1.5 carat | $3,500 | $5,250 |
| 2.0 carat | $4,200 | $8,400 |
| 3.0 carat | $7,500 | $15,000 |
*The prices given are hypothetical.
| Excellent | A diamond with excellent cut grade offers maximum brilliance and fire. |
| Very Good Cut | Diamonds with this cut grade offer brilliance and fire somewhat less than the excellent cut grade. Moreover, it is comparatively less expensive than excellent cut diamonds. |
| Good Cut | Diamonds with a good cut grade offer average spark and brilliance. |
| Fair Cut | Fair-cut diamonds usually let the light escape from the sides or bottom thus, offering minimum sparkle. |
| Poor Cut | Poor cut diamonds appear dull and lifeless and offer no sparkle at all. |
As the diamond gets refined, it develops a structure with unique characteristics. These characteristics are often referred to as the anatomy of a diamond.
In general, there are ten main characteristics of a diamond. They are as follows:
Simply put, a diamond shape is the outline of a diamond as it looks from top to bottom. There are many diamond shapes present in the market but, let’s look at some of the most popular diamond shapes used in jewellery.
Want to learn more about diamond shapes? Check out our ultimate guide on the same!
Before reaching the end-user, a diamond goes through a long process of evaluation. Once designed, diamonds are sent to reputable diamond certification labs that assess the quality of a diamond and offer a laboratory certificate. This certificate claims the legitimacy of the diamond to the buyer. It is also used for insurance purposes of a diamond.
Also, keep in mind that a diamond certificate does not show a diamond’s market value. It merely assesses its quality and characteristics.
This grading system is widely trusted throughout the world.