Understanding the 4Cs of diamonds

DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND…

You've probably come across this famous expression countless times. You're probably trying to do your research now into how to buy diamond jewellery and are probably feeling overwhelmed by a lot of information coming your way from family, friends and colleagues advising you to look out for this or that. This is why we have prepared a simple easy to understand guide to buying Diamond jewellery.

UNDERSTANDING THE 4C'S OF DIAMONDS

Lets get started with understanding the 4C's of Diamonds. When it comes to buying diamonds consider the 4C's the equivalent too understanding a car's horsepower & fuel efficiency or memory & camera configuaration when buying a smartphone.

The 4C's: Carat, Colour, Clarity and Cut represent the 4 key specifications through which diamonds are valued. We'll go through each one individually but it's important to know that in the end the 4 need to be evaluated together.

CARAT: HOW BIG IS YOUR DIAMOND?

Carat (ct or cts) is the unit of measurement used for the weight of a diamond.

1 ct = 0.02g

Each carat can be subdivided into 100 points similar to how $1/1pound/ 1euro are divided into cents and pennies.

All else equal the price of diamonds will increase as the carat weight of the diamond increases since larger diamonds are more rare and more in demand. It is important to note that 2 diamonds with an identical carat weight can have dramatically different prices influenced by the Colour, Clarity or Cut.

You'll find that diamonds with carat weights just above a benchmark figure will cost much more than a diamond that misses the benchmark. For example a diamond with of 0.97 carats will be relatively much cheaper than a 1.03 carat diamond if everything else is equal. To the naked eye once both diamonds are set in jewellery there will not be much difference.

COLOR: IS IT WHITE, YELLOW OR A FANCY COLOR?

The colour of natural diamonds is the colour you see whether it is white, yellow, pink, blue, brown or any other color. Diamonds naturally can be found in any colour however are most commonly found as a shade between colourless or with hints of yellow.

When it comes to assigning a colour the industry has adopted the colour grading system introduced by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Diamond colour grades begin at D (colourless) and increases alphabetically to the letter Z as the presence of colour increases.

To the untrained eye there might not be a major difference between a few colour grades as the difference is very subtle however it can lead to major difference in terms of the diamonds quality, price and value. Generally the closer the colour grade is to D the higher the value of the diamond if all else is equal with the exception of diamonds which fall under fancy colours.

CLARITY: IS YOUR DIAMOND FLAWLESS OR DOES IT HAVE SOME NATURAL INCLUSIONS?

Diamonds are formed about 150-200 km (90-120 miles) below the Earths surface where pure carbon is exposed to extreme heat and pressure over a considerable time period. Though the process is the same each diamond formed is unique. Diamonds contain natural birthmarks or inclusions/blemishes as commonly known. These vary in size, position and can be found internally or on the surface of the diamond. The fewer these inclusions/blemishes the better the diamond clarity and hence the rarity of the diamond.

Diamonds are graded on a scale from flawless (FL) to obvious inclusions (I3) which are clearly visible to the naked eye without the need of any magnification tools. It is extremely rare for diamonds to be flawless and most diamonds usually have some inclusions which can be noticed either under 10x magnification.

The GIA classifies the clarity grades as follows:

• Flawless (FL) - Zero inclusions/blemishes visible using 10× magnification

• Internally Flawless (IF) - Zero inclusions and only blemishes are visible using 10× magnification

• Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 & VVS2) - Inclusions are tough to find under 10× magnification

• Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) - Inclusions are easily visible under 10× magnification but are considered relatively small
  Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) - Inclusions are clear and stand out using 10× magnification

• Included (I1, I2, and I3) - Inclusions are visible without any need for magnification and overall transparency, fire and brilliance of diamond is severely affected.

The closer the diamond grade to flawless the higher the rarity, price and value of the diamond if all else is equal.

CUT: HOW WELL HAS YOUR DIAMOND BEEN CUT AND POLISHED?

Perhaps the most complex of the 4C’s is qualifying the Cut of the diamond as this may refer to many factors such as the shape, symmetry, polish or cutting quality of the diamond. While the first three C’s are all determined by nature the Cut is influenced directly by the skill and experience of the diamond cutter.

The cut of the the diamond affects the way light travels through a diamond resulting in the diamonds sparkle, fire and brilliance. If diamond facets are well proportioned and the symmetry is correct the diamond will sparkle better. Likewise if the polishing is done well the diamond will sparkle brighter.

Diamonds are given 3 grades for quality of cut all marked on the scale shown above. A diamond graded excellent, excellent, excellent will be the most desirable. When buying diamond jewellery it is recommended to compromise over Carat, Colour and Clarity (in that order) rather than Cut.