Which is the most Important C in the 4C’s of Diamond? Before we discuss about this let’s start with 4C The 4 C's were created by...
Which
is the most Important C in the 4C’s of Diamond? Before we discuss about this
let’s start with 4C
The 4
C's were created by GIA, which is the Gemological Institute of America.
The 4
C's stand for: Carat, Clarity, Cut, and Colour. It's a combination of the 4 C's
that determines a diamond's value. That's why it's incredibly important that we
understand what each C actually represents.
Let’s
start with Carat
Carat
is usually the easiest to understand, carat is basically a measure of weight.
So point 2 grams equals 1 carat. The way carats are measured is 100 points
equal 1 carat. When we're talking about carats, when someone says they're
looking for a 50 point diamond that means a half a carat.
Next
comes clarity
Diamonds
have flaws by nature. The more of these characteristics that you have, the less
rare or less valuable a diamond is. When a diamond is completely free of these
characteristics, it is known as a flawless diamond. Flawless diamonds are
extremely valuable and extremely rare.
Next
we are going to discuss on colour
Typically
people think that all diamonds are colourless, when in fact, colourless
diamonds are actually incredibly rare. So to find a diamond that lacks complete
colour is known as a colourless diamond and it's extremely rare and therefore
valuable. So most of the jewelry that you see out there has diamonds which have
a little bit of a tinge of yellow or brown in them, or near colourless as opposed
to completely colourless.
Diamond
colour falls into the D-Z range, which is known to be the colourless or the
white diamonds.
Then
the 4th C that you have is the cut. To me, the cut is the most important of the
4 C's. Cut as seen as two different aspects: You've got the shape of a diamond.
Diamonds can be cut into virtually any shape. The most common is round, known
as the round, brilliant cut diamond. There are other shapes too, they are
cushion, heart, pear and many more
When
we're talking about round shapes, GIA actually assigns a cut grade for round
diamonds that goes from poor all the way to excellent cut. An excellent cut
diamond by GIA standard represents less than 2% of diamonds in the world. The
majority of diamonds that you see out there are actually cut very poorly
Today
we would discuss more about the round cut diamonds. With regards to the round,
the reason why we find cut so important is that it's the cut of the diamond that
gives it that fire, the brightness and scintillation
I
think, at the end of the day, balance is the most important. So of course I
talked about the importance of cut, but to have a well-balanced diamond you
want a balance of size and carat, clarity, colour, that is also well cut.
There will be different people who focus on different attributes, but I think
that if we can find a diamond that is well-balanced, it will ultimately be the
most beautiful diamond.
