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4C's
4 C ’ s OF DIAMOND VALUE
1. CARAT (WEIGHT)
2. CLARITY (PURITY)
3. COLOR (TRANSPARENCY AND TONE)
4. CUTTING (POLISHING)
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CLARITY
(PURITY)
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ANY IMPURITIES, FLAWS, OR ADDITIONAL CHEMICAL OR MATERIAL IN
THE DIAMOND REDUCES ITS VALUE. THE IDEAL DIAMOND APPEARS
PURE AND FLAWLESS UNDER 10X MAGNIFICATION. |
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COLOR
( TRANSPARENCY AND TONE )
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DIAMONDS IN NATURE MAY BE
TRANSPARENT OR OPAQUE, AND MAY
HAVE SOME COLOR (WHITE, BLUE,
YELLOW, MULTICOLORED ) FOR FINE
GEMS, THE IDEAL IS COLORLESS ( OR
NEARLY COLORLESS ) AND TRANSPARENT. COLORED DIAMONDS ARE
UNIQUE AND VERY RARE, SO THEY ARE NOT CLASSIFIED IN THE 4 C
SYSTEM.
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CUTTING
( POLISHING )
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THE STANDARD PROFESSIONAL
CUTTING PRODUCES A 56-FACET AXIALLY
SYMMETRIC DIAMOND, WITH ALL FACETS
PROPORTIONATELY EQUAL. THE CLOSER
A DIAMOND IS TO THIS CUT, THE MORE
VALUABLE IT WILL BE. OTHER STYLES
OF CUTTING MAY PRODUCE A
HEAVIER STONE, BUT THE VALUE WILL
BE LESS THAN A STANDARD CUT STONE
OF THE SAME WEIGHT.
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CARAT
(WEIGHT)
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1 CARAT =
200 mg
0.75 CT =
150 mg
0.50 CT =
100 mg
2 x HALF A CARAT
= 1 CARAT
TWO HALF CARAT DIAMONDS ARE WORTH LESS THAN ONE FULL CARAT
DIAMOND OF THE SAME QUALITY.
FOR AN EASY EXAMPLE, IN SIZE A HALF - CARAT DIAMOND IS ABOUT
THE SAME AS A POPCORN KERNEL.
THE WORD “CARAT” SPACE COMES ORIGINALLY FROM THE SEED OF
THE CAROB TREE.
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EFFECT OF CUTTING ON BRILLIANCY AND SPARKLE
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THE STANDARD CUT IS DESIGNED TO
MAXIMIZE THE BRILLIANCE
AND SPARKLE OF POLISHED DIAMONDS , ABOVE IS A DIAGRAM
SHOWING THE EFFECT OF POOR CUTTING.
1. WHEN THE CUT IS TOO SHALLOW,
THERE IS NO REFLECTION AND THE
APPEARANCE OF THE DIAMOND IS TOO TRANSPARENT.
2. WHEN THE CUT IS TOO DEEP,
THE LIGHT WILL BE DIRECTED OUT THE
SIDE OF THE DIAMOND AND IT WILL
APPEAR TOO DARK.
3. IF THE CUT IS PERFECT, THE
LIGHT WILL BE REFLECTED BACK OUT THE FRONT SURFACES AND GIVE
THE MAXIMUM BRILLIANCY.
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