4Cs – carat weight, clarity, color, and cut Carat Weight: Diamonds are weighed in carats. One carat equals 1/5 gram, and is divided into 100 points. Diamonds are weighed to an accuracy of 1/2 point or 5/1000 carat – in everyday terms, that’s one 35 millionth of an ounce! Color: Diamonds occur in a wide variety of colors, but most range from near colorless to light yellow, brown, or gray. Although absolutely colorless diamonds are very rare, they’re considered part of the normal market range. Diamonds with natural colors outside the normal range are classified as fancy color. These include deeper yellows and browns, as well as all shades of other colors. Within the normal market range, the less color a diamond has, the higher its color grade will be. Cut: This can refer to the diamond’s shape and cutting style; for example, round brilliant, princess cut, or marquise. It can also refer to how well the cut’s design and execution show off the diamond’s light performance and ensure its value and wearability. Clarity: Clarity is a diamond’s degree of freedom from blemishes and inclusions. Blemishes are surface irregularities such as scratches. Inclusions are internal features such as tiny crystals of other minerals. Both types are also known as clarity characteristics. Almost all diamonds have clarity characteristics. The fewer and less prominent these are, the higher the clarity grade will be. In most cases, however, clarity characteristics have little or no effect on a diamond’s beauty
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 23:11:03 +0000
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