4 C’s of Diamonds

There are four factors in which Diamonds are judged and appraised for their value.  It is important to know these factors when making a diamond earring purchase to know first the Carat and the Cut, especially for studs, and secondly for Clarity and Color.  Note that with a purchase of diamond earrings, depending on the size of your diamonds, the clarity and color may be of less importance than the carat and the cut.  The carat and cut will determine the overall size and the brilliance of your diamond earrings whereas the clarity and color may be less important with a set of diamond earrings that are not under close scrutiny.

The Four C’s of Diamonds are Clarity, Color, Carat, and Cut

C is for Clarity

Clarity means the purity of the diamond.  Diamonds, when formed, often contain flaws under their surface.  These imperfections, while sometimes not visible to the naked eye, will affect the value of a diamond.  The clarity is also determined by the number of imperfections, their sizes, and the locations of the blemishes.   There is a grading scale for measuring the blemishes of a diamond:

Flawless – These diamonds contain no blemishes or imperfections

Internally Flawless – No visible imperfections with at least 10x magnification.

Very Very Slightly Included (1 & 2) – Extremely difficult to locate, but can be found at 10x magnification

Very Slightly Included(1 & 2)  – Minor blemishes found at 10x magnification, with some difficulty.

Slightly Included (1 & 2) – Imperfections are noticeable at 10x magnification

Included (1, 2 & 3) – Imperfections are noticeable with the naked eye.

C is for Color

Color is the amount of a color that a diamond contains.  Traditional diamonds contain no color and are the most transparent substance on Earth.  Colors in diamonds come from chemicals that are infused in the diamonds (Nitrogen content will produce a Yellow color).  Diamonds are graded on the amount of color that the diamond contains.  The colors can be yellow, gray, blue, pink, red, and black.  Typically these ‘fancy” diamonds are more valuable since they are more rare, and the more intense the color, the more valuable they are.

C is for Cut

Cut is a grading defined by the proportions, polish, symmetry, and finish of a diamond.  A good diamond with professional cuts will sell at a much higher price than a diamond that has been poorly cut.  A skilled jewelry craftsman will produce high precision cuts that bring out the brilliance of a diamond.  The more facets on a diamond’s surface, the more “glimmers” across the surface area.  Today, machines can measure how accurately a diamond is cut within seconds, as opposed to traditional equipment.

The way the facets of a diamond’s surface are arranged will bring out the true quality of the diamond and give it the reflective brilliance that makes them worthwhile.

C is for Carat

Carat, or “weight” of a diamond is the unit weight measured in 0.20 grams.  One cart is 0.20 grams, but the value of a diamond is raised per carat, meaning larger diamonds are worth more.  This is because larger diamonds are less common in nature than smaller diamonds.    For example – you have ten 1-carat diamonds and one 10-carat diamond.  The 10 carat diamond is worth FAR more than the ten 1-carat diamonds!

Carat is the unit of weight for the diamond.  A carat is further subdivided in 100 points ( 0.01 carat = l point ). One carat is equal to 0.20 grams.  Value per carat increases with carat size, because larger rough diamonds occur less frequently.  In other words, 2 half-carat diamonds taken together will not cost as much as 1 one-carat diamond, as the one-carat stone is more rare.