When measuring the qualities of a diamond, there are 5 major things that diamond evaluators look at. They consider a diamond’s cut, clarity, color, carat weight and cost. These 5 C’s determine the 6th C of diamonds … certificate.
Cut
Cut really is the craftsmanship applied in cutting the facets of Diamond. Cut of a diamond reflects light and responsible for the gem’s brilliance, sparkle, beauty and value. The cut of a Diamond refers not only to the quality of the cut, but also to the shape of the diamond and the number of its facets. A well cut diamond regardless of its shape, sparkles, has more fire and offers the greatest brilliance, and called “Brilliant Cut”.
Cut Too Shallow
When a diamond is cut too shallow, light escapes through the bottom, reducing the brilliance of the stone, making the general appearance watery glassy and dark.
Cut too Deep
When a diamond is cut too deep, light escapes through the bottom, reducing the brilliance of the stone, making the center appear dark.
Ideal Cut
Light entering the diamond reflects internally from facet to facet and is reflected back out only through the top. Therefore, an ideal cut yields maximum brilliance.
Color
Color is the natural body color visible in a diamond and is the one C determined completely by nature, not man. As rule, the closer a diamond is to colorless, the more valuable and beautiful it is, the diamond color grading scale uses the letters of the alphabet, beginning at “D” (colorless) and going to “Z”.
Clarity
Clarity is an indication of a diamond’s purity. Expert grade a diamond’s clarity on the number, size, type and location of inclusions and blemishes. A diamond with greater clarity will have greater brilliance and value.
Carat
A diamond’s size is measured in carat weight means carat is a unit of measurement for diamond. Diamond prices tend to rise exponentially with carat weight. Each carat is equal to Milligrams and divided into 100 Cents.
Cost
The one of the most significant part of today’s 6 C’s Diamond world is cost. If someone is unable to get the Diamond at best price it is worthless to but. This cost factor makes the 6th C
Certificate: – Perhaps the 5th ‘C’ when purchasing a diamond is the CERTIFICATE or diamond report. This important document validates the diamond’s characteristics. A diamond certificate from a ‘no name’ laboratory or jewellery shop is not worth the paper it’s written on, insist on quality grading documents. The world’s foremost diamond report and the leaders in diamond research are the inventors of the ‘4C’s ’; the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). There are other laboratories that also use the GIA methods and/or have a very good reputation they are:
1. GIA: – Gemological Institute of America
2. AGS: – American Gemological Society
3. HRD: – Antwerp World Diamond Centre
4. IGI: – International Gemological Institute
5. EGL: – European Gemological Laboratory
6. IGC: – International Gemologist Centre
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