Diamond Education

The 'Four Cs' of Diamonds

Color

When most people imagine a diamond, they picture one with little to no hue. Often when we talk about diamond color, we are actually talking about the absence of color. Diamonds form in a variety of hues, from colorless to yellow, gray, brown and nearly every shade of the rainbow. Luckily, diamond color isn’t a matter of opinion. Once properly evaluated, color is documented based on the D-to-Z Color Scale. From D for colorless to Z for colored diamonds.

Clarity

Every diamond is unique. Formed by extreme heat and pressure deep within the earth, it isn’t uncommon for diamonds to contain birthmarks. These clarity characteristics are created when small crystals are trapped in the diamond. As they grow, pressure and stress can cause inclusions and blemishes – sometimes only visible under a microscope. Internal and surface reaching characteristics are called inclusions, while external features are called blemishes. The Clarity Scale consists of categories ranging from Flawless to Included, and it contains 11 specific grades.

Cut

The cut of a diamond is a question of craftsmanship and refers to how a diamond interacts with light. When you hear words like Brightness, Scintillation and Fire, they describe how masterfully a diamond is cut. Diamond cut grades are only given to round brilliant cut diamonds because they are the only cut that have standardized facets.

Brightness: The total internal and external reflection of white light. 

Fire: The dispersion of light into the colors of the spectrum. 

Scintillation: The pattern of light and dark areas, and the sparkle when moved.

Polish: The overall condition of a finished diamond’s facet surfaces.

Symmetry: The exactness of the shape and the placement of a diamond’s facets. 

Carat

Carat measures weight, not size. A metric carat is defined as 200 milligrams. Each carat is subdivided into 100 points, allowing for measurement to the hundredth decimal place.If two diamonds were identical in color, clarity, and cut, but one had a larger carat weight, then that diamond would be more rare and the price would likely increase accordingly.