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Diamonds & The 4 C's
Cut: Many people confuse cut with the shape of
a diamond. Most diamonds are cut with a full 58 facets and a
good cut or make has more brilliance, fire and ultimate
beauty. However, the shape you select is a matter of
individual taste and today your choice is only limited by
the skill and imagination of the craftsman.
It is the precision and delicacy of the cut that dictates
the maximum amount of light that will be reflected through
the diamond.
1. When a diamond is cut to good proportions light is
reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed
through the crown or the top of the stone.
2. If the cu of the diamond is too deep some light escapes
through the opposite side of the pavilion or bottom.
3. If the cut is too shallow light escapes through the
pavilion or bottom before it can be reflected.
The eight most popular shapes of a diamond:
Round, Brilliant, Marquise, Pear, Emerald, Oval, Heart,
Princess (Square)
Colour: The most sought after colour for a
diamond is one where no colour is evident because it is the
totally colourless diamond that acts as a prism allowing
light to pass effortlessly through to be transformed into a
rainbow of colours. Whilst the majority of gem diamonds
appear to be colourless, others can contain increasing
shades of yellow to brown, some of which are referred to as
champagne diamonds. Other diamonds of exceptional colour,
red, blue, pink and amber are known as "Fancies"
The colour grading scale varies form totally colourless to
light colour or tinted. The differences between one grade
and another are very subtle as can be seen by the number of
grades within any one category.
D Exceptional white (+) Colourless
E Exceptional white Colourless
F Rare White (+) Colourless
G Rare White Near colourless
H White Near colourless
I Slightly tinted white Near colourless
J Slightly tinted white Near colourless
K Tinted White Faint Colour
L Tinted White Faint Colour
M Tinted Faint Colour
N-R Tinted Very light colour
S-Z Tinted Tinted Light colour
Clarity: Diamonds more than any other gemstone
have the capability to produce the maximum amount of
brilliance. Whilst almost all diamonds contain minute traces
of non-crystallised carbon or small non-diamond crystals,
one that is virtually free of interior or exterior
inclusions (commonly clawed flaws) will be of the highest
quality. In such a diamond nothing interferes with the
passage of light through it; thus it's clarity only serves
to intensify it's beauty and fire.
To determine a diamonds clarity it is viewed under a 10x
magnification by a trained eye. What minute inclusions there
are make every diamond quite unique. They are natures
fingerprints and neither mar it's beauty nor endanger it's
durability. However, the fewer seen, the rarer the stone
will be.
Carat Weight: As with all precious stones, the
weight- and therefore the size- of a diamond is expressed in
carats. One carat is divided into 100 "points" so that
a diamond of 25 points is described as quarter of a carat or
0.25 carats. Size is the most obvious factor in determining
the value of a diamond but now you know that two diamonds of
equal size can have very different values on their quality.
However, remember diamonds of high quality can be found in
all size ranges. |
