The 4 C's of Jewelry Design

Craftsmen who work in jewelry design usually purchase their stones from certified diamond wholesalers. Stones obtained from reputable diamond wholesalers have undergone a thorough diamond appraisal process as well as analysis by a certified gemology lab. Whether you’re in the market for investment jewelry or are purchasing wholesale diamond jewelry for resale as a retailer, it’s a good idea to confirm that the stones you’re considering for purchase have undergone a diamond appraisal as well as lab analysis for the “Four C’s.”

“Four C’s”?

“4Cs” refers to the way diamonds are described, graded and valued. Three of these – carat (mass and weight), color and clarity are objective qualities that are evaluated scientifically. The fourth “C” – cut – is a quality that is more subjective; evaluating a diamond’s cut is as much art as it is science.

A diamond appraisal means putting a dollar value on the stones in question. This is important is you are considering wholesale diamond jewelry as an investment, but also for your insurance company. If you are unfortunate enough to be in the midst of negotiating a divorce settlement, chances are that the opposing counsel will insist on an appraisal as well. Naturally, reputable jewelry wholesalers need such an appraisal as well in order to determine a selling price that is fair to both parties.

Finding Your Stones

Diamond wholesalers generally deal with gem-quality stones, which are of the most interest to investors and jewelry wholesalers. These cut stones should be accompanied by a certificate attesting to their authenticity (artificially produced diamonds are far less valuable, and more suited for industrial use in any event).

Value Added

When approaching diamond wholesalers, keep in mind that the value of diamonds can be affected by a number of objective and subjective factors. Objective criteria are those which can be quantified and measured: in short, the first three “Cs.”

Other factors affecting the value of diamonds are of course, cut – an improperly cut diamond can be worthless – and in some cases, setting. Just as a quality frame can add to the value of a rare painting, so can a quality setting by a skilled artisan increase the value of a diamond. This is something for jewelry wholesalers to consider when shopping for wares with which to stock their retail operations. It is also the factor over which diamond wholesalers understandably have no control. Diamond wholesalers are in the business of selling “loose diamonds” for either investment purposes or for the creation of costume jewelry.