SolveYourProblem 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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