When you’re shopping for Diamond Jewelry, you want to make sure that the diamond you buy is 100% original and authentic before making a huge investment. It’s also important to understand how diamonds are actually priced. What are the factors that determine the price of a diamond?
Another most important thing you should look at is the quality of the diamond. However, the real question is: How can you determine the quality of a diamond? This is where diamond certificates come into play. A diamond certificate gives the proof of the identity of the diamond. It describes the main attributes of the diamond.
In order to understand the Diamond Grading system, let’s take a look at the four major factors also known as the 4 Cs: Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat that defines the Diamond Grading system. "Diamond Grading" Made Simple to Understand with Artisan Carat
The 4 Cs of Diamond
1. Color
Color is the criterion that is used to grade the diamond. Different kinds of diamonds like pink, yellow, and blue are used in jewelry. The less color the diamond has, the higher the quality.
There are a range of diamond colors between D and Z: D refers to colorless diamonds while Z denotes diamonds with some tint of color. All D-Z diamonds are white despite having varying degrees of color. Pink, yellow and blue diamonds are graded on an entirely different scale.
Diamonds with a D color grade are extremely rare and among the most expensive. Most of the diamond jewelry available in the market graded G or H have hues of yellow or brown.
2. Cut
Diamonds have the ability to sparkle and transmit light. Don’t confuse the meaning of Diamond’s cut for shapes like heart, oval, pear etc. What is meant by the Diamond’s cut is how the diamond’s facets interact with the light. The four metrics evaluated by the GIA are as follows:
-Fire: The white light disperses into a rainbow spectrum.
-Brightness: The internal and external white light that is reflected back from diamonds.
Scintillation: This is the amount of shine a diamond produces and the pattern of light caused by reflections in the diamond.
A well-cut diamond is much more expensive than a poor cut diamond. The cut scales vary from poor to excellent.
3. Clarity
The clarity of the diamond refers to the absence of the inclusions and blemishes. Inclusions refer to the internal flaws while blemishes occur at the surface. When carbon is exposed to a large amount of air pressure, diamond is formed. As a result, Diamond is found to have internal inclusions and external blemishes.
It’s important to identify the degree of imperfections found in the diamond. To determine the clarity grade of the diamond, GIA considers the following five factors: scope, size, nature, position and relief. The diamond clarity scale used by GIA has 11 grades:
- Flawless (F): Diamonds having a Flawless clarity rating means that there are absolutely no blemishes or inclusion under 10X magnification.
- Internally Flawless (IF): Diamonds having IF clarity rating have minor blemishes but zero inclusions under 10x magnification.
- Very Very Slightly Included (VVSI): Diamonds having slight inclusion under 10x magnification.
- Very Slightly (VS): This indicates that diamonds have slight inclusion that is insignificant as compared to VVS under 10x magnification.
- Slightly Included (SI): Diamonds have larger inclusions which can be easily identified under 10x magnification.
- Included: Included clarity diamonds have inclusions that are visible to one’s eyes under 10x magnification.
4. Carat
Lastly, Carat defines the weight of the diamond. Note that Carat isn’t the same as Karat which is used for Gold. Carat is the unit used for the diamond’s weight. When the diamond’s weight increases, the value of the diamond also increases. Remember that two diamonds having the same weight may vary in costs based on other 3 Cs: clarity, color and cut. The cut of the diamond matters the most. A 2 Carat Diamond having an excellent cut, it will cost more.
The Diamonds we sell at Artisancarat are certified from GIA and fully complies all of the necessary conditions of a Diamond grading report. With our diamond jewelry collection, you’ll be rest assured that you’ve 100% authentic jewelry.