Diamond Quality Is Determined By The Four Cs

If you admire diamonds, then you need to know diamond quality so that you can judge whether or not you're making a good diamond purchase and are being charged fairly for it. Most basically, you need to understand the four Cs. These include cut, color, clarity, and carat.

You have to examine a diamond carefully if you want to tell what its quality is. After you purchase a diamond, you'll also need to take care of it to maintain its beauty and quality.

Diamond Cut

Shape and make comprise the diamond cut component of quality. While a variety of shapes are available, the round brilliant cut is usually considered the best. Made with fifty-eight facets, this cut provides the diamond with a brilliant look. Other highly desirable shapes include marquise, princess and radiant.

A cut's make determines the quality or craft of the workmanship done on the diamond. If the diamond has a better make, this means that it has greater sparkle, and the make enhances its quality. A diamond's real beauty can be brought out with a top-notch make.

A Diamond's Color

Diamonds don't just come in the sparkling clear color we all think of when we think of diamonds. In fact, diamonds come in a range of colors. These colors are denoted by an alphabetical list, which ranges from D to X. White diamonds denoted by a "D" label represents the palest color. Yellow fancy diamonds are still high quality and are given an "S" label. Diamond colors E and F have excellent and beautiful qualities while J to M encompass desirable colors for diamonds that are larger. Diamonds that are blue, red, pink, green and brown usually denote diamonds that have been treated with radiation.

Clarity Of A Diamond

Clarity is an important component to diamond quality. The most desirable diamonds are flawless or perfectly clear, both inside and on their surfaces. Next in quality are diamonds that are internally flawless, but that have some minor blemishes on the surface. If diamonds have inclusions so that they are less clear, or if the inclusions can be seen with the naked eye, they rank lowest on clarity scales.

Diamond Carats

Diamond size is measured in carats. Out of all the four Cs, carat should be the last thing you consider. Sometimes, though, that's all we seem to think about. However, clarity, cut and color play a greater role in determining the gem's appearance although carat weight does influence the price of diamonds as well.

A diamond's weight in carats is usually measured in points. For example, a diamond that is one carat in weight is given 100 points, while a half-carat diamond is given 50 points, and so on. Depending on other qualities including carat weight, a diamond's price can vary significantly with as low a weight as 5 or 10 points. Therefore, this is also considered an important consideration of diamond quality.

If you measure the four Cs of diamond quality, you'll have no mystery when it comes to shopping for diamond jewelry. Best of all, you'll have the knowledge you need to make an informed buying decision so that you get the best quality diamond you can afford for the price.

By Grace Jennings