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Facts&Myths |
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Before you begin your
search for a diamond of your own, you should know as
much about how diamonds are graded. That’s where
this guide comes in. When you’re done with your
Diamond Education here, you’ll be able understand
what the jewelers are talking about.
The first things you should learn are the 4 C’s.
That’s Carat, Color, Clarity and Cut. Once you know
this stuff, you will be able to evaluate diamonds on
your own. |
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Carat
A carat is a measure
of weight used to weigh diamonds and other gem
stones. The word “carat” is a term taken from
ancient history, the carob seed. Carob seeds
were used to balance scales because of their
uniform shape and weight. Even with today’s
measurement devices, these seeds weight is
uniform to three one-thousandths of each other.
The process that creates diamonds happens very
rarely and the natural materials required for
this to happen are found only in small amounts.
That means that larger diamonds are much more
rarer than smaller diamonds causing the price of
larger diamonds to rise exponentially according
to its size.
Note: Do not
confuse “carat weight” with “karat,” the term
used to determine the purity of gold. |
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Color
Diamond color is
determined by the amount of color in the stone.
The less color there is in a diamond, the
better. Color in a diamond will diminish the
fire of the diamond. |
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D |
The
highest color grade which is extremely rare. The
diamond is perfectly white. |
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E |
Colorless.
Only minute traces of color can be seen by an expert
gemologist. Also very rare. |
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F |
Colorless.
Slight color can be seen by an expert gemologist,
but is still considered colorless. This is a high
quality diamond. |
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G-H |
Nearly
colorless. The color can be noticeable when compared
to a diamond with a better grade. These diamonds are
an excellent value. |
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I-J |
Nearly
Colorless. Color slightly detectable. Still and
excellent value. |
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K-M |
Yellowish
or Brownish Color. Color is detectable with the
naked eye. |
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N-Z |
Yellowish
or Brownish Color. Color is detectable from a mile
away. |
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Note that fancy colored
diamonds such as yellow fancy and blue fancy colored
diamonds do not follow this chart. |
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Fluorescence
Some diamonds contain minerals that fluoresces
(glows) blue or yellow under a UV lamp. A diamond
with strong or very strong fluorescence can give it
a slight hazy or oily look. Some people admire this
effect while some avoid it. In diamonds with a low
color rating, a high fluorescence might be desirable
since it makes the diamond appear whiter. The high
fluorescence will add to the value of the diamond.
The fluorescence scale rates from none to very
strong. |
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Clarity
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F |
Flawless. No flaws detectable even under 10x
magnification! Extremely Rare! |
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IF |
Internally Flawless. No internal flaws, but
some surface flaws. Very rare! |
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VVS1-VVS2 |
Very, Very Slightly included. The inclusions
are hard to see in these diamonds. |
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VS1-VS2 |
Very Slightly included. Minute inclusions
are difficult to see under 10x
magnification. |
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SI1-SI2 |
Slightly Included. Minute inclusions are
easier to see with 10x magnification. |
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SI3 |
Slightly Included-3. SI-3 is a rating that
was devised by a some gemological labs to
fill a gap between SI-2 and I1. Because of
this, not all gemological labs recognize the
SI-3 rating such as GIA. |
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I1-I3 |
Included. Inclusions are visible with the
naked eye. |
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Cut
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The cut of a diamond determines its
brilliance. There is no single measurement
for determining the cut of a diamond. The
cut is however a collection of the
measurements and observations of a diamond
that shows its light performance, dimensions
and characteristics. If a diamond has
perfect color and clarity, a diamond with a
poor cut will have low brilliance. The width
and depth of a diamond can have an effect on
how light refracts within the diamond. |
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Too shallow: Light is
lost through the bottom
giving the diamond a poor
brilliance.
Too deep: Light is
lost through the sides
causing the diamond to
appear dark and dull. |
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