The Four C's of a Diamond
1) Cut:
The cut of a diamond is commonly confused with the shape of a diamond.
The cut of a diamond pertains to the tiny facets that have been cut
into a diamond by a craftsman. If a diamond has a good cut, then it
will sparkle very nicely when hit by light. If the diamond has a poor
cut, then it will look dull.
2) Color:
Diamonds can range from colorless to a faint yellow, to a yellowish
brown. Some rare diamonds are even mined in the colors of pink, green,
and blue. However, a top quality diamond (and a most expensive
diamond) will show no color at all.
3) Clarity:
Most diamonds contain impurities or birthmarks which can be easily
seen under 10 power magnification. When a diamond is mined, it is
extracted from carbon, and because it is extracted from a natural
element, there are usually traces of the element found in the diamond.
This is natural, but the fewer the carbon impurities, the higher the
diamond's clarity. A diamond with fewer impurities will also sparkle
more because there are fewer barriers for light to pass through.
Clarity levels start with Flawless and move down to Very Very Slight
(VVS), Very Slight (VS) and Slightly Included (SI).
4) Carat:
A diamonds weight is measured in Carats. This term came from the
country of India, where diamonds were first discovered. Larger
diamonds are harder to find, which usually increases the cost,
especially with a high color, cut, and clarity rating.
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