4 Cs of Diamonds | Fascinating Diamonds

Four C’s central to a Diamond

At Fascinating diamonds we make your diamond buying experience a pleasurable one. Our diamond education guide is exclusively designed to give you all the information that you need to properly assess any diamonds quality and value with confidence before making a purchase. Every diamond is unique, and that is the reason there’s an assortment of factors which have an effect on the price of a diamond. All you need to do is just focus on some prime aspects that would hold importance to you, and choose the diamond that would satisfy your individual standards of luxury and value. At Fascinating Diamonds, we assist you in finding the best diamond, one that yields back the value of your money.

Diamond Grading terminology

A diamond's cost majorly depends on its characteristics commonly known as the "4 C's". These 4C's of a diamond that are the principal descriptor and elements which mutually determine the value of a diamond are Clarity, Color, Cut, and Carat. The nearer a diamond shifts to the left of these grades on a scale the rarer and the more expensive it will be. Of all the "C's", clarity is habitually assumed to be the most important factor, but the fact is that color and cut (especially cut) have a more profound effect on the visual appearance of a diamond.

Color of a diamond: the shade
Diamonds naturally come in every color of the rainbow. But what most people are concerned with is the diamonds that appear in the range of white or transparent. The best color for a diamond is no color at all or what one cannot see. They are valued by their nearness towards transparency or colorlessness – the lesser the color, higher goes their value (an exception to this case is the fancy-color diamonds, such as pinks, blues, and even some yellow ones that are highly prized and lie outside this color range). An absolutely colorless diamond allows light to pass through it quite easily, resulting in the dispersion of light as the color of a rainbow. Colors are graded from entirely colorless to light yellow. Differences from one grade of a diamond to another is quite faint, hence grading is done under restricted lighting and it takes a skilled eye many years of practice for color grading diamonds.

GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America's) color-grading scale for diamonds is marked as industry standard guide. The scale begins with the letter D, which signifies the whitest of diamonds or the most transparent ones and continues with escalating presence of color ranging from (light yellow to brown) to grade Z. Each letter grade has a evidently defined range of color appearance. Diamonds of recognized color are used as evaluation stones for grading. Grading is done by comparing the diamond to be graded against these "master stones" under either mock or natural light. A machine called the “Colorimeter” is also used at times for color grading but there is no substitute for a skilled human eye. Additionally, natural diamonds also found in shades of blue, green, yellow-orange, pink, red, and even black. Commonly known as 'colored fancies', these stones are exceptionally rare and precious and thus are graded according to the intensity of their color and are classified into a separate segment known as ‘Z+.
GIA Diamond color scale
Colorless comprising of grades D, E, AND F
D

E

F

D: They are 100% colorless. This is the highest color grade a diamond can obtain. D graded diamonds are extremely rare and very expensive.

E, F: graded diamonds are colorless and extremely transparent. It is immensely difficult to detect traces of color in this grade of diamond. These diamonds are equally rare and expensive.
Near colorless comprising of grades G, H, I, and J
G

H

I

J

G, H: They are practically colorless. Unless the diamond is compared with a master stone of higher color grade, the color of a diamond in this grade is nearly untraceable. These diamonds are rare, but slightly less expensive and are considered of a good value.

I, J: These grade diamonds are almost colorless. The color in these diamonds is slightly visible. The slight amount of color is unnoticeable by the unaided eye and hence is primarily used for ornaments such as engagement rings, earrings, pendants etc. These diamonds are of superior value and less costly.
K

L

M

Faint Color comprising of grades k to M

K-M: Diamonds under this grade are of faint yellow in color which is easily noticeable. Yet some diamonds in this range can be stunning and beautiful.
Very Light color comprising of n to z
N-R

S-Z

N-Z: With easily detectable color, diamonds in this grade range varies from very Light to light yellow color. These diamonds are not suitable to be used as gemstones, except if a person desires to have a diamond with an amber color.
clarity of a diamond
Diamond’s clarity is ascertained by the nature, number, position, dimension, and color of its inner attributes called "inclusions" and surface features called "blemishes". As known to all diamonds are formed deep within the earth, under extreme heat and pressure, they often hold distinctive birthmarks, which are either internal (inclusions) or external (blemishes). These are naturally occurring features like minerals wisps, un-crystallized carbon, and tiny cracks that are formed deep within the diamond when it was first shaped. The word clarity addresses about how clear a diamond is. It illustrates the existence or nonexistence, of inclusions (flaws) within the diamond or any blemishes on its surface. Though usually invisible to the naked eye, they can manipulate the way light is reflected and refracted. Inclusions interrupt the flow of light in the diamond so that some of the light reflected is lost.

With the assistance of GIA International Diamond Grading System, diamonds are allotted a clarity grade that ranges from pure (flawless) to heavily included (I3). Nearly all diamonds are graded for clarity by means of the 11 point diamond clarity scale created by the GIA (each of our diamond is GIA certified). Every diamond is exclusive and in grading diamond clarity, GIA thoroughly checks for the number, size, color, reflectivity, and position of every defect visible in a diamond under 10x magnification and good lighting by a qualified grader.

Very Slightly included diamonds contain minute inclusions like crystals or feathers, which are difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to detect under 10x magnification.
GIA diamond clarity scale
- Flawless or FL :No inclusions or blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification.
- Internally Flawless or IF : No inclusions, only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification.
- Very Very Slightly Included or VVS1/ VVS2 : Inclusions are difficult to detect for a skilled grader under 10x magnification.
- Very Slightly Included or VS1/ VS2 : Inclusions are negligible and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to detect it under 10x magnification.
- Slightly Included or SI1/SI2 : Inclusions are obvious to a skilled grader when using 10x magnification.
- Included or I1/I2/I3 : Inclusions are noticeable under 10x magnification and may influence transparency and brilliance.
Carat of a Diamond: The weight

Diamonds are sold by carat (which is written as ct.), the unit of weight, which is perceived by many in terms of size. The word "carat" derives its name from the carob seeds that people used in olden times to counterweight their balance scales. These seeds are so homogeneous in shape and weight that even today's sophisticated instruments cannot detect more than three one-thousandths of a difference between them. Currently one carat is equivalent to 0.2 grams or 0.007 ounces (of about the weight of a paper clip). One more way of expressing the weight is by means of points. One carat is equivalent to 100 points hence a 0.25 carat diamond can well be referred to as a 25 point diamond. The size of a diamond is relative to its carat weight. Basically when a crude diamond is cut and polished it loses about 2/3 of its total carat weight.

A point which also needs to be considered is that carat weight a diamond never defines its actual shape. It is even possible to have two diamonds which have similar carat weight but have an entirely different look, which is due to the disparity in their cut and shape. Also, it is rare to find bigger rough gems of high quality in contrast to the smaller rough gems as a single 2 carat diamond can be pricier than 2 one carat diamonds of the equal quality.

It should be noted that when the carat size of a diamond increases, its price also increases at a growing rate. Bigger the diamond, progressively more rare it is. Chances are very few that one in a million mined rough stones would be large enough to produce a finished 1 carat diamond. That is the reason when the carat weight increases one has to naturally pay more not only on the whole, but on a price-per-carat basis as well. So whenever you plan to buy a perfect piece for yourself or even as a gift certain points that you need to keep in mind are the budget, taste and preference, as well as the style and setting of the ornament.
Cut of a Diamond: The craft
GIA Cut Grades
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
A first-class cutting is what brings blaze to the ice. One of the most significant and important characteristics of a diamond is its cut. Cuts of a diamond refer to its proportions, evenness and polish. It is the cut that verifies the symmetry of the stone's facets, its overall proportions, and its capability to reflect light. A well cut diamond will attains high level of brilliance, sparkle, and durability. Even if a diamond is graded well in other areas, a poor cut can give a dull and muted outcome. A diamonds beauty greatly depends on cut than any other factor. In simple words, if a diamond does not catch your eye or it doesn’t flash in light it can be labeled as not well cut.
Following scale is assigned as a cut grade by the GIA:
- Excellent Maximum fire and brilliance. Reflects almost all of the light that enters the diamond, creating excellent sparkle and life.
- Very Good Appropriately reflects most of the light that enters the diamond, producing superior fire and brilliance. In normal lighting conditions, it appears very similar to outstanding cut, at a lower price.
- GoodReflects a most of the light that enters the diamond, for an above average look. A superb value in comparison to higher cut grades.
Cut

It is the cut of a diamond that decides how much light is reflected back to the wearer, directly influencing its brilliance and fire. Diamonds are categorized into three main types of cuts:
Shallow cut
Even though a shallow cut diamond creates the illusion of a larger stone, it allows light to escape out of the sides instead of reflecting from the top, generating a lack of brilliance and sparkle.

Ideal cut
If you're looking for a high quality diamond that brilliantly reflects light, this is the cut for you. This leading cut style is well-balanced and vigilantly angled to achieve a luminous look.

Deep cut
This type of cut scantily reflects light, resulting in a dull, muted appearance.

Attributes of a Cut
Cut is the sole factor that stimulates a diamond’s brilliance, fire, and sparkle. Though exceptionally difficult to analyze or quantify, the cut of any diamond has three primary attributes:

Brilliance
Brilliance refers to the white light reflections from the inner and outer facet surfaces of a diamond. Whenever light strikes the diamond's surface, some light enters it and is returned back. The most instantaneous light reflected back is returned by the crown's angles.

Fire
Fire speaks about the spectral of colors which are produced as a result of the diamond dispersing the white light. Once the light springs back from the inner walls towards the centre of the diamond, it then discharges back through the top of the diamond. Because the light is a little bent by the diamond, a color spectrum becomes visible when light exits the top of the diamond.

Scintillation
Scintillation refers to the tiny flashes or sparkles of light that become visible when the diamond, light source or the viewer is moved. The light that is not directly reflected back enters the diamond and reflects from the inner walls towards the centre of the diamond. This light, which bounces off the inner walls of diamond, is labeled as scintillation.
Shallow Cut

Ideal Cut

Deep Cut