What are the 4Cs?
Similar to human fingerprints, each diamond possesses distinct characteristics that differentiate it from others. These characteristics are commonly known as the 4Cs of diamonds, and include a diamond’s cut, color, clarity, and carat weight.
The most complex factor affecting a diamond’s price is the cut of a diamond. Diamond cutting is still done by human hands. When a diamond cutter cuts a stone, they must make difficult decisions about how large it will be, what shape it will become, and how many inclusion characteristics will be left in the final product. After these decisions are made, it is the craftsmanship and fine motor skills of the diamond cutter that determine how the stone will sparkle and how much attention it will draw. The slightest mistake can ruin a diamond’s symmetry and, in doing so, dramatically decrease the beauty and price of the stone. Even a flawless and colorless stone can become dull when poorly cut.
When properly cut, a diamond will reflect almost all of the light that enters it through its top. If improperly cut, some to most of the light will exit out of the bottom or side of the stone. A properly cut diamond will have symmetrical facets (the windows and mirrors of the stone), good proportions (not too deep or too shallow), and careful finishing details (like flawless polishing and permanent treatments). If properly cut, the diamond will return a white shaft of light from its top (called brilliance), sparkle every time that it moves (called scintillation), and send rainbows out of its many facets (called fire or dispersion). This is why cut is such an important aspect of the 4Cs of diamond buying.
Diamonds naturally come in every color of the rainbow, but the most common are those with a slight yellowness. The more common diamond colors are ranked on a scale from D (absolutely colorless) to Z (naturally yellow).
The rarest and most expensive diamonds are either D-colorless or of a natural fancy intense color such as blue, yellow, pink, or the most rare - red. However, not all colored diamonds are natural; some are treated with harmless radiation to artificially enhance color. These diamonds are significantly less valuable than natural-colored diamonds because they are not as rare.
A diamond’s color should be determined when it is loose - not yet set in a piece of jewelry. This is because the color of the jewelry can play visual tricks on the human eye, making a diamond appear more yellow in yellow gold or whiter in platinum. The color aspect of the 4Cs in diamonds is relatively subjective, depending largely on what the consumer wants. While colorless diamonds are the rarest, the wearer may be after a pink or yellow diamond. Although these fancy colors are usually not as rare as a colorless diamond, they are no less beautiful.
Clarity refers to the number of inclusions that are found inside a diamond. Inclusions are scratches, trace minerals, or other tiny characteristics that can detract from the way that light bounces from mirror to mirror (known as facets) within a diamond.
It is extremely rare to find a diamond without inclusions; when one is found it is ranked as flawless and is very costly. Inclusions are distinguishing characteristics which represent the uniqueness of each diamond and are often called the diamond's fingerprint because no two stones are exactly alike.
The number of inclusions in a diamond is ranked on a scale based on the visibility and location of these little characteristics when the diamond is under 10x magnification. Two common diamond grading houses are the Gemological Institute of America [GIA] and the American Gem Society [AGS]. Each has its own unique way to rank and grade a diamond’s clarity.
Inclusions are generally so small that they are hardly visible without proper equipment. The clarity aspect of the 4Cs is no less important than the other aspects, but can often give a consumer the most wiggle room when budget is a consideration.
When jewelers refer to a diamond’s carat, they are actually referring to the weight of the stone, not the size. In jewelry, the size of gemstones is measured in millimeters and, since diamonds can be cut shallow, deep or ideally, it is impossible to accurately convert a diamond’s carat weight into an exact mm size. However, a very rough conversion can be made. Despite the ability to very roughly convert carat weight to size, the only accurate way to know the true carat weight of your diamond is to weigh it. Thus, 1 carat has become universally known as being a metric weight of 0.02 grams. The weight of a diamond has the most significant impact on its price. Since the larger a stone is, the rarer it is, one 2 carat diamond will be more expensive than the total cost of two 1 carat diamonds of the same quality. The carat of a diamond is often very important to people when shopping, but sacrificing quality to afford size is not always the right choice.
There are setting styles that will make a 1 carat diamond appear larger, or certain shapes that make the stone look bigger than it is. The carat weight is another aspect of the 4Cs of diamonds that can give a consumer more wiggle room in finding a suitable stone for their budget.
