Diamonds.co.nz Explain The '4 Cs'

We’ve all heard of the ‘4 Cs’ in relation to diamonds, Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat weight, but not everyone is aware of exactly what these terms mean, so the diamonds.co.nz website very kindly enlightens us as follows, starting with Cut. Cut has two meanings in the diamond and jewellery business and can be a little confusing. The first meaning relates to the shape and style of a polished diamond, such as Round brilliant and Emerald cut. The second meaning (in reference to the 4C's) is used to describe the relative quality of the proportions and finish of a polished diamond. In the trade this is normally referred to as Make. Finish refers to the quality of a diamond’s polish, the condition of its girdle and the precision of the faceting.

The cut or make of a diamond is the most important of the 4C's. This is a very complex subject and is an on-going study by the major diamond grading laboratories. Make is the only one of the 4C's that man, the diamond cutter, can control

The second of the 4 Cs is Colour. Diamond is composed almost entirely of carbon but does contain traces of other elements. These elements cause diamonds to have body colours in shades of yellow, grey and brown. Diamonds listed on the diamonds.co.nz database are graded using the Gemmological Institute of America nomenclature using letters from D to Z with D being colourless. Colour grades are established by comparing the diamond in question to a set of standard master diamonds, under controlled conditions.

Thirdly, we have Clarity. Clarity is another vital grading characteristic in diamonds. Clarity refers to the number, position and size of inclusions and blemishes that occur naturally in diamonds. The fewer and less obvious the inclusions are, the more valuable the diamond. Diamonds.co.nz uses the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) nomenclature with the addition of SI3

And finally, the Carat. A carat is the unit of measurement used to weigh diamonds and other gemstones. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams or 0.2 grams and is usually written as ct. All diamonds on the diamonds.co.nz database are weighed to three decimal places for accuracy, for example 1.028 ct. The word carat is derived from the seed from the fruit of the carob tree. The seeds are relatively uniform in weight and were once used throughout the Mediterranean basin as counterweights in simple balances. The word carat is supposedly derived from keration, the Greek name for the tree.

 For more information on this fascinating subject, please visit the website at www.diamonds.co.nz .