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Determining the Value of a diamond, The Four C's:
The "Four C's" - Carat weight, color, clarity, and cut -
explain why diamonds range in value:
Carat Weight. The larger a diamond, the more rare
The size of a diamond is measured on a diamond weighing
scale by carat weight. Just as there are 100 cents in a
dollar, there are 100 points in a carat. If you have 75
cents, you have three-quarters of a dollar. If you have
a diamond weighing 75 points, you have three-quarters of
a carat. A diamond weighing 100 points equals one carat.
The price per carat rises dramatically as the diamond
increases in size, simply because larger diamonds are rarer,
and found less frequently.
Diamonds of the same carat weight vary widely in price, because
of other factors which include clarity, cutting or proportion,
and color.
Color. The whiter the color in a diamond, the more
rare.
Diamonds occur in a wide range of colors from light yellow
to brown, to the rarest, which have no color at all.
Diamonds are graded by color with letter grades, which
begin with "D" (colorless) and continuing down through the
alphabet.
Virtually all diamonds exhibit at least a slight shading of yellow
color when graded by a diamond professional. Many will still be
quite beautiful, though, with yellow color, less rare, and, therefore,
less valuable.
| D E F |
G H I J |
K L M |
N O P Q R |
S T U V W X Y Z |
| Colorless |
Near Colorless |
Faint Yellow |
Very Light Yellow |
Light Yellow |
|
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| COLOR GRADING SCALE |
| AGS |
0 |
.5 |
1.0 |
1.5 |
2.0 |
2.5 |
3.0 |
3.5 |
4.0 |
4.5 |
5.0 |
5.5 |
6.0 |
6.5 |
7.0 |
7.5 |
8.0 |
8.5 |
9.0 |
9.5 |
10.0 |
Fancy Yellow |
| GIA |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
Fancy Yellow |
| |
Colorless |
Near Colorless |
Faint Yellow |
Very Light Yellow |
Light Yellow |
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Clarity. The Purer a diamond, the more brilliant.
Clarity refers to the internal clearness or purity of the
diamond.
There are few perfect diamonds from Mother Nature! Almost
all diamonds have internal characteristics - visible under
ten power or higher magnification. These inclusions are
frequently invisible to the naked eye, and may be considered
to be nature's birthmarks. They frequently look like tiny
crystals, clouds or feathers.
As a diamond's inclusions are more obvious, they affect the
passage of light through the stone, and thereby affect its brilliance.
As a diamond has more or larger inclusions, the clarity grade
is lower, and the diamond is less rare.
| IF |
VVS1 - VVS2 |
VS1 - VS2 |
SI1 - SI2 |
I1 - I3 |
| Internally flawless, no natural
characteristics visible under 10x magnification. Extremely
rare. |
Minute characteristics, extremely
hard to see even under 10x magnification. Extremely
rare |
Very minor characteristics.
Difficult to see even with magnification. |
Slight characteristics that
can be seen under 10x magnification. |
Characteristics are visible
to the naked eye. |
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| CLARITY GRADING SCALE |
| AGS |
0 |
0*** |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
| GIA |
Flawless |
IF |
VVS1 |
VVS2 |
VS1 |
VS2 |
SI1 |
SI2 |
I1 |
I2 |
I3 |
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Cut. The better a diamond is cut or proportioned,
the more brilliant it is.
When a diamond is cut to good proportions by a master
craftsman, the diamond can then - most efficiently - take
white light, and refract that light into all the brilliant
colors of a rainbow, thereby releasing its fire, sparkle
and beauty. And you can't buy a rainbow!
A diamond that is cut too deep or too shallow is simply not efficient
at refracting light. The result is a less brilliant and less beautiful
diamond. It is also a less valuable diamond as compared to a well-cut
stone.
| INFERIOR CUT |
| TOO DEEP |
TOO SHALLOW |
| When a diamond is cut too deep, light*
leaks out of the bottom, brilliance is lost and the center of
the diamond will appear to be dark. |
When a diamond is cut too shallow,
light* leaks out of the bottom, brilliance is lost and the diamond
appears watery, glassy and dark. |
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