THE FOUR C'S HAVE BECOME COMMON KNOWLEDGE IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS, BUT DIAMOND GRADING IS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAT A FEW LETTERS, NUMBERS AND WORDS. 

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What are the four C's and how do they really impact the overall look of a DIAMOND? Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat are the four defining features of a diamond and they are defined as follows.

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COLOUR

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According to the GIA, COLOUR in diamonds is in fact regarded as the absence of colour. A 'perfect' diamond will contain no colour at all, similar to a drop of pure water. Starting at the letter D through to the letter Z, diamonds are graded in their levels of colourlessness. This colour, however, is not to be confused with DISPERSION which is more commonly represented as the fire or life inside a stone (the flashes of multi coloured reflections you see when looking into a FACETED stone under a light source). The D-Z scale actually refers to the HUE of the diamond crystal itself, which down towards the lower end of the scale will look yellow in colour, compared to the almost glass like appearance of a D colour. The difference between letters is very often inconceivable to the untrained eye but becomes much more apparent as the gap increases.

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CLARITY

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The clarity of diamonds, which is again frequently mistaken as the colour of the stone, refers to the characteristics (or more accurately the lack of) inside the diamond. These 'characteristics', known as INCLUSIONS (internal) or blemishes (external), are structural impurities inside the diamond, occuring as a result of small crystals being trapped within the carbon atoms that are formed over millions of years under extreme heat and pressure. These characteristics are graded by their visibility to the human eye and also their impact on the aesthetics of the finished diamond. As seen below, flawless (sometimes referred to as FL) is the tip of the scale. Naturally free of imperfections (see treatments), the flawless diamond is the most desirable diamond, which is often carries a price tag to reflect its superiority. This, however, does not mean that all other diamonds should be disregarded. Inclusions are normally microscopic crystals only visible under a minimum of 10x MAGNIFICATION, meaning a stone which is CERTIFICATED as VVS or VS will very often look perfect to the human eye which is more than likely the only way they will be seen once worn. Similarly, these inclusions are also seen as characteristics of the stone and not only allow us to tell the stones apart but give the wearer an insight to the story behind the millions of years that have gone into the construction of the diamond.

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CUT

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Arguably the defining factor of a diamond, the cut can make or break a diamond. The term cut in Diamond grading is often assumed to be the shape of the stone (round, princess, oval, heart etc), but actually refers to the proportions and angles of the stones FACETS. The cut is used to redistribute the light that enters the stone and is therefore responsible for the level of SCINTILLATION that we see when we look at the diamond. A perfect D Flawless stone can be left looking dull and ordinary without the proper cut and for this reason it is very important to pay consideration to this element before choosing your diamond. Two stones graded with the exact same colour and clarity can look miles apart owing to the level of cut, and it is this aspect which large online retail stores exploit by passing off sub-standard cut stones as 'ideal'. The GIA scale for CUT, despite actually being the most technically difficult to analyze, is the most straight forward to read. From Excellent to Poor, this grade is self explanatory in explaining how the well the stone has been polished. This grading is determined by the proportions of each aspect in comparison to the ideal proportions. These dimension coupled with the overall symmetry and polish determine the stones true beauty and decide how it is graded.

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CARAT

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Carat is the only of the 4 C's that is not classified as a matter of opinion. The word CARAT derives from the term carab or carab seed, which were small uniform seeds used to balance scales when trading in the early years. This has slowly translated into a universally accepted system where the carat is the same measurement in grams anywhere around the globe. One carat (1ct) is equivalent to 200mg or 0.2g, meaning that there are 5 Carats in every gram. In the jewellery trade, diamonds are most commonly available from 0.01 carat to 1 carat. These decimals are referred to as points, meaning that a 0.25ct stone is frequently called a 25-pointer, similarly, a 0.50ct stone is called a 50-pointer and so on. Because of the irregularities in the cutting stage, the size of a stone is defined and sold by its weight rather than its millimeter size.

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CERTIFICATION

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A certificate is your documentation to prove that the stone is exactly what it is being sold as. The certificate states that not only your stone is natural diamond, but also its colour, clarity and carat, as well as other defining aspects such as the level of polish symmetry and florescence. Not every stone will come with a certificate, as they are costly, but having the right certificate will bring you piece of mind when investing a large sum into a stone.

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ETHICS

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The Kimberley process scheme was introduced in 2003 and claimed to completely eradicate the use of 'conflict diamonds' in the jewellery trade, however this is not entirely true, as it does not require diamonds to be traced back to their original mines. This means that smuggled diamonds are able to enter the market as certificated 'conflict free' stones, despite being obtained through unethical processes harmful to both those that who have mined them and the areas that they have been mined from. It is important to have a close working relationship with your jewellery to not only ensure that they are operating within the means of the law and abiding by the kimberley process, but also to ensure they are taking necessary precautions to source and provide only true conflict free diamonds.

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If you are looking to purchase a diamond but would like more in depth information about the right stone for you,

request an appointment or give the office a call today for a no obligation introduction into the world of diamonds.

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