THE DIAMOND 4 C’s
A diamond is considered one of the most precious stones in the world. Not just a jewel, a diamond is a symbol of love. They were naturally formed millions of years ago making them even more valuable.
If you’re ready to purchase a diamond, it would be a good idea to know about the 4C’s, which determine the value of a diamond.
The 4 C’s are CARAT, CUT, CLARITY and COLOR
CARAT:
Carat refers to the weight of the diamond. One Carat weighs 0.2 grams and is divided in points.
100 points equals 1 Carat (Ct), so a half Carat would be the same as .50 Ct.
Let’s not confuse CARAT with a C. with KARAT with a K. KARAT with a K refers only
to the weight in Gold CARAT with a C is for the weight in gems.
This C (CARAT) refers only to the weight of the diamond. The size of a diamond does affect the price.
The bigger the diamond, the hardest it is to find, therefore making it more valuable.
CUT:
The Cut is a very important factor when selecting a diamond. Don’t confuse the cut with the shape of a diamond.
The cut is influenced by a person, who brings the brilliance and sparkle from a rough diamond to a beautiful gem.
The Cut deals with proportions, angles and percentages.
A round diamond for example has 58 facets and when cut perfectly,
it’s brilliance and sparkle would be excellent. No matter what the shape is, the cut brings out the true beauty of a diamond.
CLARITY:
The Clarity of the diamond refers to how clear or clean the diamond is from the inside and out.
The inside natural characteristics or imperfections in a diamond are called” inclusions”.
Any external imperfections on a diamond are called “blemishes”.
The fewer inclusions or blemishes a diamond has, the rarer it will be making the diamond more valuable.
In regards to Clarity, a diamond is given a Clarity Grade after being analyzed with a 10X magnifying loop.
The grades are:
FL- Flawless- (Shows no inclusions or blemishes)
IF- Internally Flawless- (Shows no inclusions with hard to find minor blemishes)
VVS1/VVS2 – Very Very Slightly Included- (Contains minor imperfections that are still very difficult to see)
VS1/VS2 – Very Slightly Included- (Contains minor imperfections still a little harder to find)
SI1/SI2 – Slightly Included- (Contains inclusions or blemishes easier to see by an experienced grader)
I1/I2/I3 – Included- (Contains obvious inclusions and blemishes, and affect the beauty of a diamond)
COLOR:
What you need to remember with COLOR, is that with a diamond, the less color the better.
If a diamond is very white or no color, it will be more valuable because it is very rare to find colorless diamonds.
A grade is also given to a diamond in regards to color when analyzed with the 10X loop.
Here, the alphabet is used starting with the letter ‘D’ and all the way to ‘Z’.
The best grade a diamond can receive in regards to color would be a ‘D’.
Making the diamond more valuable.
NOTE: Color diamonds do exist.
There are red, yellow, blue and other colored diamonds that are very rare.
They are called “Fancy Colors” making these diamonds even rarer and very valuable.
AT JALISCO JEWELERS, YOU’LL FIND BEAUTIFUL DIAMONDS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES.
WE INVITE YOU TO SEE OUR DIAMOND INVENTORY.