Diamond's 4 C's

Diamonds are not all equal. In fact, there are significant differences in quality and value. To evaluate a diamond, the professional uses the famous " 4C's" (Color, Clarity, Carat & Cut).

Color

Most diamonds used in jewelry appear colorless. True, colorless diamonds are rare, as are strongly colored ones. Rare in this case means very, very expensive.

Diamonds are found in a range of colors, from faint yellow or brown, to the rarer pinks, blues, greens and even dark red. These diamonds are known as "Fancies".

The Gemological Institute of America grades diamonds for their color as follows:

Colorless: D,E,F
Near Colorless: G,H,I,J
Faint Yellow: K,L,M
Very Light Yellow: N,O,P,Q,R
Light Yellow: S,T,U,V,W,XY,Z
Fancy: Z+

D shows no absorption of the various hues of yellow, brown, blue or gray, whereas Z shows intense color.

Clarity

Clarity means absence of inclusions. Diamonds may show tiny traces of other minerals trapped during the crystallization process. They typically show up as minute black or white marks. Light passes most optimally through a diamond that has no inclusions.

Nature makes nothing absolutely pure and perfect. There are, however, diamonds that at 10x magnification show no inclusions. These are called "Flawless". At the other end of the scale are diamonds that show impurities that are easily visible to the naked eye.

The scale used simply ranges from the most difficult to the easiest to see at 10x magnification. The clarity of most diamonds available on the market falls between these two extreme values.

FL-IF: Flawless & Internally Flawless. No inclusions visible under 10x magnification.
VS1-VVS2: Very, very slight inclusions. Extremely difficult to find under 10x magnification.
VS1-VS2: Very slight inclusions. Difficult to find under 10x magnification.
SI1-SI2: Small inclusions. Noticeable under 10x magnification.
I1-I2: Flaws visible to the naked eye.

Carat

Diamonds are weighed in carats. One carat is the equivalent of 0.2 grams, or about 0.007 ounces. For practical reasons, carats are broken down in decimals called points. There are 100 points in one carat.
The most common sizes in the jewelry trade range from 0.01 to 3.00 carat. Larger stones are more rare, and therefore tend to be more valuable. However, size often is the least important factor in determining a diamond's ultimate value. A poor cut, leaving extra material to save weight, will sacrifice the diamond's ability to reflect light.

Cut

A well-cut and well-proportioned diamond allows the maximum amount of light to enter, reflect and return to your eye. Any variation of these optimal proportions allows "light leakage", and diminishes the value of the stone. Cut refers to whether a diamond is properly proportioned. It should be your most important consideration, even though cut is the least talked about component of diamond value. Differences in color or clarity may be detectable only by experts, and might even be invisible to the naked eye. Differences in cut can result in dramatic differences in appearance. It is the cut that provides a diamond with brilliance, and brilliance is what diamonds are all about.

Diamonds First Found in India

The first diamonds were found in ancient times in India. Large diamond deposits were found in Brazil around the 1720's.

In the 1860's, diamonds were found in South Africa. Now, most of the world's diamonds come from South Africa.