Archive for the ‘The 4Cs: Cut, Color, Clarity and Carats’ Category:
The 4Cs: Cut, Color, Clarity and Carats. And Conscience.
The 4Cs of diamonds are cut, color, clarity and carat weight. You can read more about each of them by clicking on the relevant word. In today’s world of social justice and ecofriendliness, another C has been added to the traditional 4Cs – Conscience. In a nutshell, conscience refers to [...]
Diamond Cut
Diamond Cut is probably the most important of the 4Cs (cut, color, clarity and carats) since it determines the reflective qualities of a diamond and is used as a guide when shaping a diamond for polishing. A diamond cut, though hard to define, has three distinct attributes: Brilliance, Fire and Scintillation. [...]
Diamond Color
When it comes to diamond color, less is best. Transparent diamonds, also known as colorless or white diamonds, are more valuable than diamonds with hues or tints of color, all other qualities being the same. There are also colored diamonds, which are the rarest of the rare. The Gemological Institute [...]
Diamond Clarity
Diamond clarity measures the existence and appearance of inclusions (e.g. foreign material, another diamond crystal, cracks) in a diamond, or blemishes (defects on the diamond’s surface). The number, size, color, relative location, orientation, and visibility of inclusions affect the relative clarity of a diamond. Most gem diamonds contain visible inclusions. While such inclusions do not [...]
Carats
The carat weight measures the mass of a diamond, with 1 carat weighing 200 milligrams. ’Carats’ is not be confused with ‘karats’, which is used to measure the purity of gold. It also should not be confused with ‘carrots’, the orange vegetables that weigh far more than 200 milligrams. What’s the [...]
3 Basic Steps to Buying a Diamond
Buying a diamond can be a significant purchase – both emotionally and financially. As with any major acquisition, you want to make sure you have a basic understanding of what to look for so that you get the ring or other diamond jewelry you want. According to the Gemological Institute [...]
How to Buy a Diamond
People mark special events with sentimental gifts of jewelry. While weddings reign as the biggest diamond event, there are many small yet glorious celebrations that are honored with beautiful sparklies, too, such as new jobs, anniversaries, graduations, births…the list, happily, is endless. So how do people learn about diamonds so [...]
The 6th ‘C’: Cost
In addition to the traditional 4Cs of Cut, Color, Clarity and Carats, and the 5th ‘C’ Conscience, there is always (well, not always but for most of us consumers!) the issue of Cost. How much should I pay for my diamond? Diamonds are unique – no two stones are the same, and there a [...]
The 5th ‘C’: Conscience
In addition to the traditional 4Cs of Cut, Color, Clarity and Carats, another ‘C’ has been added: Conscience. In today’s world of social justice and ecofriendliness, diamond and jewelry consumers wish to ensure that there has been no negative impact on people or the environment anywhere along the production chain [...]