The Four C's
Diamonds are broken down into four categories that determine their value. These four categories are known as the four C's. They are Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat weight. Each C can drastically change the value and appearance of a diamond. Before shopping for a diamond it is important to understand how each C affects these two things. The categories below will help give you a better understanding of the four C's so you can select the perfect diamond for your special occasion.
Color
A diamond acts as a prism in that it refracts light out of the top of the diamond, and that light refraction is referred to as fire. When a lot of color is present in a diamond it acts as a filter and doesn't allow the light to be refracted properly. Diamonds with a color grade of D-J are either colorless or near-colorless and are very desirable because of their brilliance. Diamonds that are graded K-Z are a light yellow to nearly yellow color and detract from the overall beauty and are less desirable.
Clarity
Diamonds with few or no flaws(inclusions), are very rare and highly valued. Clarity is graded based on the number, size, location, and type of the inclusions found in the diamond which are listed and described below. Inclusions are very common in a diamond; however some are very small and impossible to see with the naked eye. The clarity scale is as follows:
Crystal Inclusions
Diamonds can have tiny crystals and minerals embedded within them. Most cannot be seen without a loupe, but although they may not be able to be seen, a large chunk of gathering crystals will lower the clarity grade.
Pinpoint Inclusions
Pinpoints are tiny light or dark crystals in diamonds that appear by themselves or in clusters. When there is a large cluster of minute pinpoints this can create a hazy area in the diamond, which is called a cloud.
Laser Lines
Laser lines show up on diamonds when a dark inclusion has been removed by lasers. You will see lines tiny lines that look like thread going downward and stopping at the point of the inclusion.
Feathers
Feathers are tiny cracks within the diamond resemble the shape of a feather. Small feathers generally do not affect the diamonds durability. However, if the feather spreads to the surface at the top of the stone. You need to be very careful if it gets to the top of the stone, since this is an area more likely to get hit.
Cleavage
Cleavage is simply a crack, but it does not look like a feather. You also need to be extremely careful if there is cleavage in your stone. If it takes blow at the right angle, your diamond can be split lengthwise.
Girdle Fringes, Bearding
Girdle Fringes otherwise known as bearding, are hair-like lines that occur around the girdle, which is the edge that is formed where the top and bottom meet. This is generally not a problem and can be polished away or the diamond can be recut if it becomes extensive.
Grain Lines, Growth Lines
Grain Lines are created by irregular crystallization during the forming process of the diamond. If a grain line is colorless it will not affect the diamonds clarity unless they are in large groups, however if the lines are either white or of color the clarity will be affected.
Cut
Cut pertains to the diamond's light performance, dimensions, and finish. Cut is often confused with shape. Shape refers to the overall outline of the diamond when viewed from the top. Round is by far the most popular diamond shape followed by squared shapes such as princess, emerald, and Asscher. Even if a diamond has perfect color and clarity, a poor cut can make a diamond look dull. The cut of a diamond has the most effect on the sparkle, or brilliance. Most gemologists consider cut to be the most important of the four C's. Cloud Nine Diamonds hand picks every diamond to insure that it has the highest possible brilliance.
Carat Weight
This is usually the first thing people look for when choosing a diamond engagement ring. But remember that the other three C's affect the price just as much, if not more, than carat weight. Carat weight refers to the actual size of the diamond. The reason larger diamonds are more expensive is because they are very hard to find. Carat weight is measured using points. A one carat diamond weighs one hundred points. Cloud Nine Diamonds offers a variety of sizes so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.
We want to make sure your diamond buying experience is both rewarding and positive. It is always a good idea to have at least a basic understanding of diamonds and their characteristics and value before buying your special ring.
Diamond Buying Tips
The diamond buying market has been changing and continues to change. Today's buyer is becoming more and more interested in the size of the diamond than they are in its quality. This can largely be attributed to what we call the "diamond arms race" among future brides. Once one bride-to-be has a large diamond engagement ring, it is almost a given that her friends and others are going to want a similar or larger sized diamond.
Recent market research also indicates that most prospective buyers become disgruntled with the diamond ring buying process because they feel pressured into buying something they don't want. Also, they feel embarrassed for not having the money to spend on diamond rings they are being shown in retail stores.
Another reality that should be discussed is the fact that the vast majority of people cannot tell the difference between diamonds unless the diamond is one of clearly inferior quality. Frankly, the average individual cannot distinguish between, for example, an F, VS1 versus an H, SI2 diamond. The naked eye simply cannot easily distinguish differences in diamond quality. Even using a loupe (the magnifying instrument used by diamontologists and jewelers) does not provide much help to the untrained eye.
It is no secret that those of us in the diamond industry typically make more money on diamonds of higher quality. If we can sell a diamond engagement ring of the highest possible quality and a relatively large size, our profits are enhanced. So why do we address this topic with such candor? We believe it is important to inform you of the challenges you could encounter when buying a diamond.
We firmly believe that too many diamond buyers overpay by caring too much about the quality and not enough about the size of the stone or by getting bad advice. Certainly we offer diamonds of the highest cut, color and clarity rating, but when we provide advice to clients we frankly do our best to provide the largest diamond of good quality at the lowest possible price. We do this because the vast majority of today's diamond engagement ring buyers want more diamond for their money.
When buying a diamond engagement ring, perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that you, or the recipient of the ring, must feel good about the ring that is purchased. Far too often a diamond ring buyer walks into a retail jewelry store only to be sold something that really does not meet their initial expectations. Once a sales person starts talking about the various alternatives available, it can become overwhelming and confusing for the buyer.
When shopping for your diamond engagement ring, diamond wedding ring or loose diamond, try to keep these tips in mind:
- Set your budget based on what you can reasonably afford to spend and then stick to that budget. Avoid letting a sales person persuade you to overspend.
- Understand the cut, color and clarity ratings for diamonds and then establish a range of values for each that you want to buy. For example, perhaps you will look at cuts ranging from good to excellent, color ranging from F to I and clarity ranging from VS2 to SI2. Doing this allows you a broad range of diamonds to consider and helps keep you from being "oversold".
- Research the shapes available. By far the most popular shape is round followed by princess. If you are interested only in round shapes, for example, that will help narrow your search. But above all, choose a diamond engagement ring that you like and not something that you feel pressured to buy.
Clarity Enhanced Diamonds
One of the most exciting advances in the diamond industry has been the rapid acceptance of clarity enhanced diamonds. We discuss these stones in more detail below, but it is important to understand that they are diamonds just like any other diamond, but have had some inclusions "cleaned" using sophisticated technology. The end result is simply a diamond that has had some of its inclusions removed.
Clarity enhanced diamonds are really no different than any other diamond and even trained diamontologists have difficulty determining if a diamond has been enhanced. Why is this so exciting? The bottom line is that a clarity enhanced diamond is equivalent to a diamond that has not been enhanced in terms of beauty and quality, but you will save a fair amount of money because the diamond industry has established lower pricing levels for these diamonds.
All of our clarity enhanced diamonds are natural diamonds that come from the same mines as any other diamond. Almost all diamonds contain small feathers (inclusions). During the clarity enhancement process a microscopic amount of material is inserted into the inclusions. The material that is inserted into the inclusions contains the same optical properties as the diamond itself. This means that when light passes through the diamond it is passed through as if it was a natural part of the diamond thus making the inclusion invisible.
Not only do you get a diamond that is as beautiful as a non-enhanced diamond, but you also save a considerable amount of money. The important thing to keep in mind is that the enhancement is not visible to the naked eye. Also, clarity enhanced diamonds don't require any special care. Normal wear and tear will not harm or alter the diamond. Very high direct heat from a torch or strong acids can possibly alter the enhancement, however. If any repairs or adjustments need to be performed on your mounting, simply notify the jeweler that the diamond has been enhanced. The jeweler should be able to make the adjustments without altering the enhancement. In the very rare instance something does happen to the enhancement, we will be happy to re-enhance the diamond at no charge to you.
