The Four C’s of the Diamond
All diamonds are valuable to a certain extent, and like anything, they are based on a grading system. We call them the 4 C’s and they are the cut, clarity, carat, and color. This combination determines the price and how valuable your diamond can be. The better your diamond scores on the scale, the more valuable it will be, you will soon discover what your unique diamond combination is worth.
Diamond Cut
The better the cut on the diamond, the more brilliant it becomes, allowing light to pass through it giving the great brilliance of your diamond. Nature is the biggest determination of the diamonds clarity and a master craftsman releases it into the fire to obtain its beauty. Diamonds that get cut too deep lose light, and when the diamond is cut to proportion the light will reflect like a mirror resulting in top brilliance and fire like.
Diamonds are cut into shapes and they vary from Round, Oval, Heart, Marquise, Princess, Pear, and Asscher.
Round Brilliant is the most popular of all diamond cuts and it appears larger than a round stone.
Diamond Color
This is pretty simple, its graded on a scale from the letter D (being the best) to Z (not the best). While most diamonds look white to the untrained eye it needs to be examined for tints that make it more or less valuable.
Diamonds that are graded D, E and F are far more expensive.
Diamond Clarity
The more clear a diamond is the more brilliant and valuable it becomes. All diamonds contain characteristics that are invisible to the naked eye and under the microscope inclusions can be seen. They are natural birthmarks that look like crystals, clouds or feathers. It’s simple, the more clear means more money.
Diamond clarity is graded on a scale from FL to I3. The bigger the inclusion the less value the diamond becomes.
Diamond Carat Weight
This is simple, more weight = more money, larger diamonds are rare and are not found often, which is why the price increases substantially by the size. But don’t forget a large diamond with bad clarity and color can be worth less than a smaller diamond with exceptional clarity and color.
