4 C's of Diamonds: Cut, Clarity, Color, Carat
Besides being the hardest material on earth, diamonds are valued as gems for their remarkable optical characteristics. Diamonds are transparent crystals of carbon atoms that are tetrahedrally bonded. They are formed deep below the earth's surface, under high temperature and high pressure conditions. Because of their brilliance, these gemstones have been highly revered since ancient times. Even today diamond jewelry is highly valued as a gift, not only for its value, but also due to the fact that they are considered to be the best expression of one's emotions. It always helps to know about the cut, clarity, color and carat of a diamond, to help in choosing and buying the best variety available.
The 4 C's of a Diamond
Cut
It is the brilliance of a diamond that makes it such an expensive gem. Of all the various properties of a diamond, it is the cut that gives it the brilliance. Probably this is what makes the cut one of the single most important characteristic of a diamond. A diamond gets its brilliance from the light rays that enter it and get reflected back to the observer's eye. In case of a diamond that has been ideally cut, light rays enter the diamond through the table, strikes the sides of the pavilion, and makes its way out of the diamond and into the eyes of the observer through the table. However, if the diamond has a shallow or very deep cut, the light rays are not able to reach the eyes of the observer. Instead they are lost from the sides or bottom of the diamond. Since the cut is so important, diamonds have been graded into the following categories:
- Ideal
- Premium
- Very good
- Good
- Fair
- Poor
A diamond's clarity refers to how 'clean' the diamond is. A diamond may have certain impurities that have been part of it right since the time it started forming inside the earth. However, there are a few clarity flaws like scratches, air bubbles and other foreign material either inside the diamond or outside it, that reduce the quality of this precious gem. The clarity of a diamond is graded depending upon the color, size, number, and location of the inclusions or blemishes. These clarity flaws are observed under 10x magnification. The various clarity grades of a diamond are:
- FL (Flawless): A diamond is said to belong to the FL grade if no clarity flaws are detected when observed under 10x magnification.
- IF (Internally Flawless): An IF diamond has flaws that are present only on the surface. These can be removed by further polishing.
- VVS1, VVS2 (Very Very Slightly Imperfect): These diamonds have inclusions that are present, bu difficult to see even under 10x magnification.
- VS1, VS2 (Very Slightly Imperfect): These diamonds have inclusions that can't be seen with the naked eyes, but are visible under 10x magnification.
- SI1, SI2 (Slightly Imperfect): These are diamonds in which the flaws are visible to the naked eye.
- I1, I2, I3 (Imperfect): These refer to diamonds wherein the imperfections can be clearly seen with the naked eye.
After the cut, it is the color that determines the quality and price of a diamond. It is needless to say that the colorless or the white diamond, which is the rarest variety, is also the most expensive. Diamonds are graded alphabetically, from D (colorless) to X (colored). Color grading of diamonds is done by placing them face down on a white background and comparing their color to a set of master stones graded by the Gemological Institute of America.
Carat
Carat refers to the standard unit of weight that is used to measure the weight of a diamond. One carat equals to 200 milligrams. Once the cut, color, and clarity have been decided, it is easy to determine the carat of a diamond. Sometimes a diamond is classified based on its carat size which is expressed in 'points'. One carat equals to 100 points. Carat refers to the weight and not the size of a diamond. A shallow cut diamond may have a larger diameter and look bigger than a deep cut diamond of the same weight.
There is hardly any other material on earth that can beat the brilliance of these glittering crystals. Diamonds come in various colors and sizes, and make excellent gifts for special occasions. Traditionally used to express the feeling of love, and thus associated with wedding and engagement jewelry, today diamonds form an integral part of a woman's wardrobe!
