cut carat clarity colour
THE FOUR C'S DIAMOND GUIDE
CUT
When selecting a diamond, your first priority should be to choose a cut. The cut of a diamond not only refers to the diamond’s shape, but also to how effectively the diamond returns light back to the viewer’s eye. Learn about round brilliant diamonds and fancy shaped diamonds such as princess, emerald, and oval cut diamonds.
The cut of a diamond is the factor that fuels a diamond’s fire, sparkle and brilliance. Precise workmanship Is required to cut a diamond so its proportions, symmetry, and polish maximise its beauty. The allure of a particular diamond depends more on cut than anything else. The quality of cut is crucial to the diamond’s value.
CARAT
Carat is the measurement of how much a diamond weighs. A metric ‘carat’ is defined as 200 milligrams. All else being equal, diamond price increases with carat weight, because larger diamonds are more rare and more desirable. However, two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values (and price) depending on three other factors of the 4cs: Colour, clarity and cut.
CLARITY
Clarity refers to the presence of inclusions in a diamond. Practically all diamonds contain naturally occurring internal inclusions. Inclusions are natural identifying characteristics such as minerals or fractures, appearing while diamonds are formed deep beneath the earth’s crust. The size, nature, location and amount of inclusions determine a diamond’s clarity grade and affect its cost. One unique advantage of the ideal cut is that its sparkle can mask otherwise noticeable inclusions.
COLOUR
Colour refers to the natural body colour of a diamond and not to the reflection of spectral colours that flash when a diamond moves. Most diamonds naturally exhibit slight hints of yellow, brown, or grey. This colour is caused by natural trace elements of nitrogen that were present when the diamond formed under the earth’s crust. The less colour a diamond exhibits, the higher the rarity, and therefore the higher the value. After cut, colour is the next most important characteristic to consider when choosing a diamond.
The classification of body colour of a diamond extends from d (colourless) to z (light yellow). Colour grades are determined by comparing each diamond to a master set. Each letter grade represents a range of colour and is a measure of how noticeable a colour is.
