BUYING DIAMONDS GUIDE
MINERAL - DIAMOND
COLOUR - COLOURLESS
MOH'S HARDNESS - 10
BIRTHSTONE - APRIL
ANNIVERSARY - 60TH & 75TH
THE FOUR Cs
A diamond is given its value by taking in to consideration four main elements we call the Four Cs – carat, colour, clarity and cut.
CUT: The brilliance of a diamond is determined by the precision with which it is cut. Perfect proportions allow light to reflect internally and disperse through the top of the diamond, giving it that unmistakable sparkle. The round brilliant cut is the most popular shape, although there are others including freeform cuts :
COLOUR: Diamond colour is graded from D (colourless) to Z (tinted) using the international colour grading scale as reference. The closer a diamond is to colourless, the rarer and more valuable it is. Coloured diamonds are those which have a strong, even colour such as yellow, pink or blue. These are referred to as ‘fancy diamonds’ and are extremely rare. Natural brown diamonds, also called Cognac or Champagne diamonds, are growing in popularity and are a quirky alternative to the classic white diamond.
CLARITY: Clarity indicates the degree to which a stone is ‘included’. It is extremely rare to find a perfectly clear diamond therefore most have tiny inclusions otherwise referred to as nature’s fingerprints. Clarity grading ranges from internally flawless stones (FI/IF) to those that have tiny inclusions which can just be seen by the naked eye.
CARAT: The size of a diamond is determined by its carat weight. History suggests a ‘carat’ was equal to the weight of a single carob bean, used in the past when gemstones were traded. Today diamonds are described in carats and points. A one carat (1ct) diamond equates to 100 points, so a 1/2 carat (.50ct) equals 50 points. The larger the carat weight of a diamond, the rarer and more valuable it becomes – though clarity and colour will also determine its value.
