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Article Series: Jewelry
A Quick Education On Jewelry
The
4 C's Of Diamonds
Most
people know about the four c’s of the diamond, but many people
aren’t aware of how the four c’s can affect its value. The
four c’s of the diamond are the carat, the clarity, the color,
and the cut, and these elements of diamonds all work together
to determine the value of the diamond. The carat weight is
used to measure the mass of a diamond. Experts define one carat
as a fifth of a gram, or 200 milligrams. The value of a diamond
increases exponentially in relation to its carat weight, since
large diamonds are rarer and more desirable for use as gemstones.
For example, a diamond that is 0.5 carat in size cost about
$1500 to $3000, whereas a diamond that is one carat in size
cost about $6500. The price increases with its size, and a
1.5-carat cost $8500 to $12,750, in comparison to a 2.0-carat
diamond that costs about $13,00 to $26,000.
Diamonds
price per carat does not increase smoothly with their increasing
sizes. Instead, there may be sharp jumps in price
around milestone carat weights, because demand is much higher
for diamonds weighing more than a milestone than for diamonds
weighing less. For instance, a 0.95-carat diamond may have
a lower price per carat than a 1.05-carat diamond, because
of the differences in their demand.
Diamond
clarity is a measure of internal defects, which is known
as inclusions. Inclusions
may be crystals of foreign materials, another diamond crystal,
or structural impurities, such as cracks that appear white
or cloudy. Systems to grade clarity have been developed by
the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and other organizations,
which are based on diamond inclusions that are visible to
trained professionals when a diamond is viewed under 10x
magnification. It is rare to find higher clarity grades, and only 20 percent
of all diamonds mined have a clarity rating that is high enough
for the diamond to be considered for use as a gemstone with
a significant portion containing one or more visible inclusions.
Diamonds that don’t contain visible inclusions are known as
“eye-clean,” and are the most preferred by buyers. Large cracks
that are close to or breaking the surface may also reduce a
diamond’s resistance to fracture. A chemically pure and structurally
perfect diamond is defined as a transparent diamond with no
hue or color. The color of the diamond is affected by chemical
impurities in the crystal lattice. A diamond’s color may detract
from or enhance the diamond’s value. Most white diamonds are
discounted in price as more yellow hue is detected, whereas
pink or blue diamonds may be much more valuable.
Nitrogen is the most common impurity, which replaces a small
portion of the carbon atoms in a diamond’s structure and causes
a yellowish or brownish tint. A color rating system was developed
by the GIA for the color in white diamonds from “D” to “Z.”
A D color rating is considered to be colorless, and a “Z” coloration
is considered to have a bright yellow coloration. Diamonds
with high color grades are more rare, which causes higher demand,
and a higher price than lower color grades. Diamonds that are
pink, blue, yellow, green, and other colors are known as “fancy.”
A diamond’s cut describes the manner in which diamonds are
shaped and polished from their beginning form as a rough stone
to their final gem proportions. The cut is also used to describe
the quality of workmanship and the angles to which a diamond
is cut. Specialists must use mathematical guidelines for the
diamond’s angles and length ratios to determine how a diamond
should be cut to reflect the maximum amount of light. Round
cut diamonds are the most common, and are guided by the specific
guidelines, but fancy cut diamonds are not able to be accurately
guided by the guidelines. The round brilliant cut was developed
by Marcel Tolkowsky, and calculates the ideal diamond shape
to return and scatter light when a diamond is viewed from above.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2008
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