To make it a little easier, here are are the Five Characteristics of a Diamond you should know: Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat Weight and Certificate.
Actually diamond has four main characteristics such as clarity, cut, carat and color. Each characteristic has an impact on cost and price of diamond thus, it's important to know what these characteristics are and how they affect the diamond's price.
The four Cs are the four characteristics traditionally used to determine the quality and value of a diamond: carat, cut, clarity, and color. The characteristics of a diamond are graded and categorized by the diamond industry to establish its retail value.
A combination of The 4C's; Cut, Carat, Colour and Clarity determines a Diamond's rarity and value. The 5th C, Certificate gives you peace of mind, knowing that the Diamond you are buying has been independently assessed and graded.
What is a Type IIa Diamond? Type IIa diamonds have no measurable nitrogen or boron impurities. They are the most chemically pure diamonds and have the highest thermal conductivity. Type IIa diamonds are often colorless or near-colorless.
Red diamonds are the rarest and some of the most expensive in the world. Also known as Fancy Reds, they come in a variety of shades ranging from orange-red to brownish red. Majority of the world's red diamonds come from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia.
Flawless diamonds have no inclusions and no blemishes on the surface. Internally Flawless diamonds have no inclusions, but can have small blemishes on the surface, which can be polished away. Sure, these diamonds fit the textbook definition of perfect, but their high cost makes them impractical.
The 4Cs—color, clarity, cut and carat weight—are the globally accepted standards for assessing the quality of a diamond. A diamond's quality depends on a combination of all the four Cs.
Diamonds are associated with strength, love and health. As we have uncovered, throughout history, diamonds have been worn by leaders or power figures to symbolise strength and invincibility. Diamonds have also been associated with good health and represent long life and good heart health.
Take a few minutes to study the 4 Cs (Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat) of diamonds below and become an informed engagement ring shopper.
Diamond cut is the single most important of the 4Cs when it comes to the physical beauty of a diamond. Why? Because a diamond's cut determines how much it sparkles. The number of facets, the angle of the facets, and the symmetry and alignment of the shape will affect how the diamond returns light.
Diamonds are graded using a universal system that assesses the stone on its colour, clarity, cut and carat-weight, commonly known as the 'Four Cs'. Every diamond, no matter how large or small, has a set of unique characteristics that determine its value.
The best diamond clarity grade is FL, flawless.
The perfect diamond is colorless, and any hint of color makes a colossal difference in the quality of your diamond. As you move down the color scale, tinges of yellow or brown appear in the stones, and this colored tint reduces the value and quality of the diamond.
If you have a loose diamond to test, fill a regular glass about ¾ of the way full with water. Gently drop the diamond into the glass. If the diamond sinks to the bottom, it's real. If it floats at the surface or just underneath, it's likely a fake.
The way that diamonds reflect light is unique: the inside of a real diamond should sparkle gray and white while the outside should reflect a rainbow of colors onto other surfaces. A fake diamond, on the other hand, will have rainbow colors that you can see inside the diamond as well.
Simulated diamonds are also known as diamond simulants and include things like cubic zirconia (CZ), moissanite, and YAG. They can also include some natural clear gemstones like white sapphire, white zircon or even clear quartz.
Diamonds glow in black lighting due to a phenomenon called fluorescence and roughly 35% of natural diamonds exhibit some degree of this effect. In nature, the presence of certain chemical impurities within the diamond's composition triggers this glowing effect in the presence of an ultraviolet light source.
Red diamonds are the rarest of the colored diamonds, with only 20-30 existing in the entire world. They get their beautiful red color from a rare process during their formation, which changes the crystal structure of the diamond and causes light to pass through it differently than colorless diamonds.
D color diamond is the highest grade and is extremely rare—the highest color grade that money can buy. Eight percent of customers choose a D color diamond.
Moissanite has unparalleled sparkle! It has a higher refractive index than diamond, resulting in greater brilliance than diamond. Moissanite also has greater dispersion (fire) than a diamond, so you will notice more rainbow flashes of light.
Because diamonds reflect white light, colorless diamonds produce the best sparkle and fire. In fact, the more color a diamond has, the less likely it is to reflect white light. And as a result, will produce less sparkle. A D-color diamond is the highest quality, and will offer the greatest sparkle.
You should seek the largest carat size (a.k.a. diamond weight) available within your budget. However, if exceptional sparkle is most important to you, then you should seek the highest quality diamond available within your budget.