Learn How to Purchase Your Diamond by Understanding the Four C’s

When you plan on buying yourself or your loved one a diamond, it is important to know as many details as you can. Always do a thorough homework before you decide to buy a diamond. There are four words you need to come to terms with when you want to buy a diamond. These are color, cut, carat weight, and clarity.

The 4 C’s and their meaning

• Color – Quality diamonds come in many different colors. They range from colorless to light yellow or light brown. Colorless diamonds are known to be the rarest and most expensive ones. Other natural diamond colors that you will find on the market are red, blue and pink. These are known as fancy diamonds and their color grading is different from the colorless ones. The color codes for diamonds are:

D – Colorless

E-F – Colorless

G-J – Near colorless

K-M – Faint yellow

N-R – Very light yellow

S-Z – Light yellow

After the letter Z on the color scale, then the diamonds become fancy yellow, which costs more because they are a rare commodity.

• Cut – The cut of a diamond has the greatest effect on a diamond’s beauty.  To determine the quality of the cut, the diamond experts like Michael Fried assess the cutters’ skills in forming the diamond. The better the cut, the more captivating it is to the eye. Experts can tell you what type of cut suits you and can read any cut presented to them easily. The cut simply describes the proportions, not the shape.  The cut angels should be correctly done to allow the light to pass through the stone. When a diamond is cut too shallow or too deep, the light that enters through the top escapes through the bottom, which does not allow the maximum beauty of the diamond to be experienced.       
• Carat weight – The carat is the physical weight of a diamond as measured in metric carats. One carat is equal to 1/5 grams. It is the determining factor of the pricing.  The greater the carat weight, the rarer and more valuable it is. Each diamond has its own weight depending on its size and the type of setting.
• Clarity – The clarity of this stone will be determined by the number of flaws and their location.  Diamonds have characteristics that are known as inclusions or external ones known as blemishes. A diamond without either a blemish or an inclusion is rare.  The fewer the inclusions, the more beautiful and expensive the diamond will be. Most characteristics will not be seen by the naked eye; they can also be seen using a magnification glass.   

The fifth C that every buyer should have is:

• Confidence – You will only be confident if you know what you want and where to get it from. Confidence also comes from finding the right seller who will not only be quick to sell you the diamonds but teach you more about it. You can test the skills of the diamond seller by asking direct questions and listening keenly to the answers.   

Photo courtesy of Beyond 4Cs.