Dia-Education

The 4 C's

Various characteristics of diamonds are graded and categorized by the diamond industry. Learning about diamonds is first learning about the "four c's" of diamonds which are considered the most important grades and categories.

They are also the criteria jewelers use when grading diamonds, and they're the ones you'll need to understand to buy the right diamond for you.

Below are detailed descriptions of the four c's and why they are important.

Cut

Diamonds are cut according to an exact mathematical formula. A finished diamond has 58 "facets," which are the small, flat polished planes cut into a diamond, so that the maximum amount of light is reflected back to the viewer's eye. This reflection is called "brilliance," and is extremely important in evaluating the quality of a diamond. The widest circumference of a diamond is the "girdle." Above the girdle are 32 facets plus the "table," the largest and topmost facet. Below the girdle there are 24 facets plus the "culet," or point. Cut also deals with the shape of the diamond. Traditional shapes are round, princess cut, emerald, marquise, pear, oval and heart.

Color

Although a diamond may be any color of the spectrum, grading a cut stone for color means deciding the amount by which it deviates from the whitest possible (truly colorless). Completely colorless, icy-white diamonds are rare, and therefore, more valuable.

The best way to see the true color of a diamond is looking at it against a white surface. Although most diamonds are a shade of white, they do come in all colors - pale yellow, canary, pink, red, green, blue and brown. These are called "fancies," and they are valued for their depth of color, just as white diamonds are valued for their lack of color.

Clarity

Clarity is defined by a diamond's freedom from features professionally classified as blemishes or inclusions. Blemishes are surface irregularities such as scratches. Inclusions are essentially internal - for example, tiny crystals of other minerals within the diamond. The general term for both is clarity characteristics, and they result from various events in the "life" of a diamond. Some are natural byproducts of the carbon crystal's growth deep within the earth or the tremendous forces involved in the diamond's journey to the surface. Still others occur during mining, cutting, or other processing.

Virtually all diamonds have clarity characteristics, and in most cases they have little or no effect on the gem's beauty. In fact, these characteristics, like a person's fingerprint, make a diamond unique and identifiable. They help gemologists separate diamonds from imitations, as well.

To judge a diamond's clarity, a skilled grader examines it using 10-power magnification, assigning a clarity grade based on the number and visibility of inclusions and/or blemishes, and any influence they may have on appearance or durability. Clarity's affect on a diamond's value is directly related to rarity. The higher the clarity grade, the greater the rarity, and the more expensive a diamond may be. The most widely used grading scale in the United States was developed by the Gemological Institute of America, and uses descriptive terms and abbreviations to indicate the clarity grade.

• FL|IF - Flawless stones contains no internal or external inclusions. Internally Flawless contains no internal inclusions, but may have some external imperfections.
• VVS1|VVS2 - Very Very Slightly Included stones have an absolute minimum of internal inclusions which are very difficult to view under 10x magnification.
• VS1|VS2 - Very Slightly Included stones contain some internal inclusions which are nearly impossible to see unless under 10x magnification.
• SI1|SI2 - Slightly Included stones contain some inclusions which are visible under 10x magnification and may be visible to the naked eye.
• I1|I2|I3 - Included stones contain inclusions that are clearly visible to the naked eye.

Carat Weight

The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. Since larger diamonds are more rare than smaller diamonds, diamond value tends to rise exponentially with carat weight.

Cut and Shape

A good cut is essential to a diamond's beauty, because even a diamond with outstanding color and clarity will not display the sparkle that diamonds are famous for if its components don't interact with light as they should.

The proportions of width and depth have a large impact on diamond brilliance, the reflection of white light that we see when we look at a diamond.

Eighternity

A major advance in gem cutting technology, the Eighternity diamond shines like no other. Its unique design features eighty-one precisely balanced facets that create exciting new patterns in the heart of the diamond.

Cut and polished to the perfect size and symmetry, Eighternity’s gleaming facets are scientifically aligned to capture – and then reflect – the maximum amount of light possible. The goal of its creators was nothing less than to craft the most brilliant diamond ever.