4C Of Diamonds – Assessing The Quality Of Diamonds
The 4C of diamonds – cut, color, clarity, and carat plays an important role in determining the quality of a diamond. The grades a diamond receives in these four areas give a clear picture of the diamond’s quality and how much you should pay for your Lab grown diamond jewelry. Let us check out each of these components in detail and how it influences your choice of diamond jewelry.
Let Us Understand The 4C Of Diamonds
One can assess the quality of diamond through its 4C’s:
Cut
the quality of facets, proportions, angles, and finishing details.
Color
how transparent and colorless your diamond is.
Clarity
how much your diamond is devoid of any inclusions or blemishes. It means how eye-clean your diamond is.
Carat
how much your diamond weighs. It does not exactly refer to the size of your stone.
The 4C of diamonds are the key components that influence its structure and beauty. The 4C’s interrelate with each other within the diamond to dictate its appearance and quality. For instance, the ability of the diamond to reflect light primarily depends on the cut and its clarity and color.
Only professionals know Diamond 4C’s who grade them on a consistent scale. The grading scale gives consumers a consistent tool to evaluate diamonds.
Quality Of Lab Grown Diamonds India.
Understanding the 4C’s gives a consumer a more objective way to calculate and determine the quality of the diamond. You cannot quantify the diamond quality without knowing the 4C’s. Any diamond vendor could claim that they are selling superior-quality diamonds and thus can charge you more.
Thorough knowledge of the 4C’s gives consumers a more objective guide on what makes the diamond low or high in quality. Each component of the 4C’s gives a more quantifiable description of the quality of the diamond in certain aspects. This description makes it easier for consumers to decide whether they should spend their money on this luxurious piece of gemstone.
Evaluating The 4C Of Diamonds Quality Chart
Cut
Diamond cut is the most important aspect of a diamond quality among the 4C of diamonds that impacts its beauty. The cut of the diamond particularly refers to the quality of a diamond’s proportions, angles, brilliance, fire, and finishing details. These factors directly influence the ability of a lab grown diamond rings to sparkle and its overall aesthetic appeal.
The GIA grades the cut of the diamond based on Ideal, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor. Depending on the diamond’s shape, the Ideal and Excellent scale signifies angles and proportions cut for maximum fire and brilliance.
The cuts of diamonds vary significantly even if two diamonds are given the same grades. Sometimes a diamond cutter may aim for maximum carat weight but can leave the diamond too deep or too shallow. Other times a diamond is cut to reduce the number of inclusions, enhancing its clarity. But it can reduce the sparkle of diamonds.
Understanding the 4Cs of a diamond is very important so that you pay the right price for your investment. Since the cut of the diamond plays such a vital role in determining its beauty, you need to review its cut and ask for an expert’s opinion.
Color
Among the 4C of diamonds, the color determines how white or transparent a diamond is. The GIA grades diamond color on a scale of D to Z, where D is the most colorless and Z has a brown or yellow tint.
Let us understand the Diamond color chart –
- Not good value but perfectly clear – D, E, F
- Has a noticeable yellow hue – M, N, Z
- Depending on the situation, it may provide a good value and has a slightly warm hue – J, K, L.
- The best balance of value and quality – G, H, I
Although the diamond color chart gives you a fair idea of each grade’s appearance, it is important to look at each diamond individually. Depending on the carat, weight, shape, and cut, the color of the Lab grown diamond might appear different in different diamonds. The color of the two diamonds is not similar.
The grade of the diamond is determined by its price. Generally, naked eyes cannot differentiate between two adjacent color-graded diamonds, although they may have a significant price difference. The important aspect while determining the color grade of a diamond is whether it appears colorless with its setting. You also have to be sure that the diamond lacks tinting that interferes with its colored or white light reflections.
The color among the 4C of diamonds plays a vital role as it decides the aesthetic appeal of the diamond. It is a general recommendation to review each diamond closely and ask for an expert’s opinion.
Clarity
Among the 4C of diamonds, the diamond clarity shows how clean and transparent a diamond is from both blemishes and inclusions. The GIA grades the clarity of the diamond on the following basis:
FL – Flawless
IF – Internally Flawless
VVS1 – Very, Very Slightly Included 1
VVS2 – Very, Very Slightly Included 2
VS1 – Very Slightly Included 1
VS2 – Very Slightly Included 2
SI1 – Slightly Included 1
SI2 – Slightly Included 2
I1 – Inclusions 1
I2 – Inclusions 2
Now let us understand the diamond clarity chart of Lab grown diamonds
| IF
IF’s are 100% eye-clean |
VVS1
VVS1’s are 99% eye-clean |
VVS2
VVS2’s are 99% eye-clean |
| VS1
VS1’s are 95% eye-clean |
VS2
VS2’s are 85% eye-clean |
SI1
SI1’s are 50% eye-clean |
| SI2
SI2’s are 15% eye-clean |
I1
I1’s are 1% eye-clean |
I2/I3
They are 0% eye-clean |
Based on location, size, and darkness of inclusions and blemishes, the imperfections of the diamond interfere with the passing of light through the diamond. When there is an obstruction in the passage of light, the brilliant sparkle and beauty of a diamond are dulled, taking away the beauty of the high-quality cut.
Carat
When people hear the term ‘carat’, they think it mentions the size of the diamond. However, among the 4C of diamonds, carat weight refers to the weight and not the size of the gemstone. One carat equals 200 milligrams (a quarter of a raisin). Two one-carat diamonds can be quite different in size depending on the diamond’s shape and cut.
While the carat of the diamond plays an important factor among the 4C of diamonds, the overall shine and appearance should be the deciding factor.
The 4C Of Diamonds And How They Work Together
Each component of the 4C of diamonds works together to contribute to the overall aesthetic of diamonds. Our naked eye faces difficulty differentiating one diamond feature from another, such as color or clarity. Thus, it is vital to consider how the 4C of diamonds influence each other.
Which Among The 4C Of Diamonds Is Most Important?
Cut
It is the most important component among all the 4C’s as it influences a diamond’s beauty. A consumer should try looking for a high level of fire and brilliance and should be willing to lessen expenditure in other areas such as color or clarity.
Color
The second important component among the 4C of diamonds is its color. The visibility of the diamond should be transparent or colorless to the naked eye. A consumer should ensure that the diamond’s color does not interfere with the white or colored light reflection.
Clarity
The third on the list is the clarity of the diamond. Consumers should ensure they choose a diamond that is eye-clean to the naked eye. The inclusions or blemishes should not distract a viewer from the brilliant fire and shine of the diamond.
Carat
Lastly, the diamond’s carat weight is determined by how well you balance the other 3C’s of a diamond. If you balance out everything perfectly, you will end up with the largest and the most beautiful lab grown diamond.
What To Look For In A Lab Grown Diamond Jewelry
- Give importance to the cut among all the 4C of diamonds. If a consumer purchases a Round-cut diamond, ensure it is in Ideal or Excellent grade.
- Try finding a balance among the 4C of diamonds so that you can purchase the best-quality diamond available.
- Make sure you purchase a GIA-graded diamond as they are quite accurate and help you get the best return on your investment.
Things To Avoid While Diamond Shopping
- Try reducing your expenses on the color and clarity of the diamond. A higher grade in these two components may cost you an astronomical price tag with no visible difference.
- Avoid giving too much importance to the carat weight of the diamond while sacrificing other components of the 4C.
- One should not purchase diamonds just based on their grade. Assess the diamond yourself to ensure it is living up to its certificate.
The 4cs play a very important role in determining the quality and aesthetic appeal of the diamond. Try to balance all four components so that you can buy the perfect diamond jewelry for your loved ones or yourself!
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