Information on the 4Cs of Diamonds
Intro to the 4c’s
Commonly referred to as the 4C’s, it is our standard structure for grading diamonds. Every diamond is unique and distinguishable from others, that is why we have a grading system named the 4C’s to establish an identification for each diamond.
The 4C’s are:
- Cut
- Clarity
- Color
- Carat Weight
Not only do the 4C’s grade the diamonds but they give each diamond it’s own character. A common balance of all 4C’s is the ideal diamond to find. It is important not to have an exaggeration of any one of the characters but to have a proportional diamond where the cut, clarity, color, and carat weight become part of one another to maximize the brilliance in a diamond.
CUT
The term cut does not mean the shape of a diamond but refers to the facets on the surface of a diamond. The precise proportions and alignment of these facets are crucial factors in determining the brilliance of the diamond. The cut is very crucial because two diamonds having the same clarity, the same color, and the same carat weight could look completely different if the cut of each diamond was not like the other.
A round brilliant cut diamond consists of 58 facets; 33 facets on the crown and 28 facets on the pavilion. It is important to understand that adding or subtracting facets in a diamond does not equal to more brilliance on the contrary it takes away from the sparkle of a diamond.
Shallow Cut
A diamond can be cut with a shallow pavilion and a large table size. This is created by the diamond cutter to retain weight. Although the diamond is fashioned to create the illusion of a large stone the brilliance of the diamond is lost and light may escape on the side of the stone, or leak out the bottom of the stone.
This poor condition takes away from the brilliance of the stone.
Deep Pavilion
The pavilion on the diamond can be cut deep, this makes the diamond look very small and light will leak in a similar way as the shallow cut from the side and bottom.
Good (Ideal) Cut
In a good cut the light enters a diamond, disperses inside the diamond and returns as much light as possible to the eye.
Cut Grading Scale:
Ideal: Alignment and the precessions of the facets are cut to perfection
Very Good: Alignment and the precessions of the facets are cut to near perfection
Good: Alignment and the precessions of the facets are cut to above average proportions.
Medium: Alignment and the precessions of the facets are cut to average proportions.
Poor: Alignment and the precessions of the facets are poorly cut.
Clarity
When we speak of a diamond’s clarity, we are referring to the presence of inclusions and surface irregularities .Inclusions are internal flaws that are found inside the diamond. Surface irregularities are also called blemishes . Some blemishes occur during the cutting processes (most often at the girdle). Diamonds with no or few inclusions and blemishes are more highly valued than those with less clarity because they are rarer. Diamonds are usually graded by 10X magnification.
| Flawless ( F ) |
Internal Flawless ( IF ) |
Very Very Small Inclusions (VVS1 - VVS2 ) |
| No internal or external flaws | No internal flaws | Extremely minute inclusions |
| Very Small Inclusions (VS1 - VS2) |
Small Inclusions (SI1 - SI2) |
Included ( I1 I2 I3 ) |
| Small Inclusions difficult to locate under 10X magnification | Small Inclusions easy to locate under 10X magnification | Eye visible inclusions |
Colour
Colour refers to the absence of color in a diamond. The less yellow within the diamond , the higher it will be graded on the alphabetical scale.
D-F: Colourless
G-J: Near Colourless
K-M: Slight Colourless
N-R: Light Colour
S-Z: Colour
