Four C's

Fine diamonds are among the most desirable of all gem stones. Their value, however, differs widely from one diamond to another. Experts, such as the GIA, AGS, EGL, and IGI, evaluate every diamond for rarity and beauty, using four primary guidelines. These are called The Four C's—Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight.


CUT

When you think of the cut, you probably think of the shape of the diamond. You are partially correct. While cut does refer to shape, technically, cut is the craftsmanship applied in cutting, placing and polishing the facets of the diamond. The artisan attempts to cut a diamond to make the best use of the rough diamond and light.

Diameter: The width of the diamond as measured through the girdle.
Table: The largest facet of a gemstone. 
Crown: The top portion of a diamond extending from the girdle to the table
Pavilion: The bottom portion of a diamond extending from the girdle to the cutlet.
Cutlet: The facet at the tip of a gemstone. The preferred cutlet is not visible with the unaided eye.
Depth: The length of a gemstone measured from the cutlet to the table.

Cut Grades

There are five grades that you could choose from:

Ideal cut: Represents roughly the top 3% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects nearly all light that enters the diamond.

Very good cut: Represents roughly the top 15% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects nearly as much light as the ideal cut.

Good cut: Represents roughly the top 25% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects most of the light that enters.

Fair cut: Represents roughly the top 35% of diamond quality based on cut. Still a quality diamond, but a fair cut will not be as brilliant as a good cut.


COLOR

The finest quality as per color grading is totally colorless, which is graded as "D" color, meaning it is absolutely free from any color. The next grade has a very slight trace of color, which can be observed by any expert appraiser, such as a diamond grading laboratory. These are graded as “E” or “F” color diamonds. Diamonds which show very little traces of color are graded as G or H color diamonds. Slightly colored diamonds are graded as I or J or K color.

When diamonds are formed with traces of other minerals, rare and beautiful colors can result. These "fancy" colors can range from blue to brilliant yellow to red, brown, pale green, pink, and violet. Because of their rarity, colored diamonds are highly desirable and may be quite valuable.

D E F: Colorless and virtually colorless. Best color ratings a diamond can receive.

G H I: Near colorless. A very faint hint of yellow-ish color under close inspection, but is not very noticeable to the naked-eye.

J K L: Faint yellow color observable under close inspection, and a little more noticeable to the naked-eye. L is the lowest color rating that Luxury Exhibit offers.

N–Z: Light yellow-ish to yellow color is very noticeable to the naked-eye. These diamonds are usually not utilized in jewelry production.


CLARITY

A diamond's clarity is measured by the existence, or absence, of visible flaws. Minuscule surface blemishes or internal inclusions (even those visible only through 10x magnification with a jeweler's loupe) can alter the brilliance of the diamond and, thus, adversely affect its value.

Clarity levels:

Flawless (F) – No internal or external imperfections.

Internally Flawless (IF) – No internal imperfections. Flawless diamonds are very rare.

Very Very Slight (VVS1 & 2) – Very difficult to see imperfections under 10x magnification. An excellent quality diamond.

Very Slight (VS1 & 2) – Imperfections are not typically visible to the unaided eye. Less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.

Slightly Included (SI1 & 2) – Imperfections are visible under 10x magnification, and may be visible with the unaided eye. A good diamond value.

Included (I1, 2 & 3) – Luxury Exhibit does not carry diamonds of I-grade clarity.


CARAT WEIGHT

Carat, not to be confused with karat (gold content indicator), is the unit of measurement which the jewelry industry uses to weigh a diamonds.

Please keep in mind that: a bigger diamond isn't necessarily a more beautiful diamond. A two-carat diamond that is poorly cut is not nearly as beautiful as a smaller diamond, with an excellent cut grade. Or, it may be cut well, but have poor color and clarity. To be exceptionally beautiful, a diamond must be of high quality in all 4C's.

Because they are quite rare, larger diamonds of gem quality are much more valuable.

Diamonds of equal weight may appear slightly different in size, depending on their depth and proportions.

Total carat weight (t.c.w.) is a phrase used to describe the total mass of diamonds or other gemstone in a piece of jewelry, when more than one gemstone is used.