The Four C's of Diamonds and Why Are They Important

Anyone who has even tried to buy a diamond has probably heard of the four c's of a diamond. So, what exactly are the four c's and why do the matter so much for the person who buy the diamond? Well, the 4c's determine the quality of the diamond and therefore - it's worth. Let's take a closer look at these four quality parameters and understand them a little better:

Clarity - describes the clearness or purity of a diamond. It is determined by the number, size an shape of the flows, or imperfections, inside and outside the diamond. The clarity is expressed by a scale of clarity level. The highest level is F - which means "flawless" diamond (very rare). On the other side of the scale there's the I3 clarity degree, which indicates a diamond with very notable imperfections. The scale goes from I3, to I2, I1, SI2, SI1, VS2, VS1, VVS2, VVS1, IF and finally - F. Be aware that the clarity level of a diamond may change over time for many reasons.

Color - The color of a diamond is another factor that should be looked at when determining it's worth. Not all diamonds are clear in color, and some have a yellowish color to them. The color scale starts at D,E,F,G,H and I levels, which represent colorless (transparent) diamond, D being the most colorless. After that, J,K and L represent a diamond which is near colorless. M, N,O,P,Q and R represent a faint light yellow diamond, and the S,T,U,V, W,X,Y and Z letters stand for a light yellow diamond.

Cut - the beauty of the diamond is to a large extent, derived from the quality of it's cut. An ideal cut will reflect most of the light that hits the diamond, thus causing it to shine and look very beautiful. A poor cut will make the diamond look lifeless and in many cases a small diamond that has an ideal cut will look much better that a bigger diamond with a shallow or a heavy cut. In many cases, the cut has a great effect on the diamond's price. One might ask - if the cut is so important, why aren't all the diamonds cut in a prefect way? The answer to that is that the rough diamond doesn't always allow the diamond cutter to cut it in an idea way because rough diamonds are found in different shapes and sizes.

Carat - The weight of the diamond. 1 carat equal to 0.20 grams. A carat is also sub divided into points, where 100 equals 1 carat. The size of a single diamond adds to it's worth, so 2 half-carat diamonds taken together will not cost as much as 1 one-carat diamond. This is due to the fact that the one-carat stone is more rare.

After the 4 c's are evaluated, the diamond's price can be calculated. Of course, diamond's value is also effected by the market - if there is a great demand to certain diamonds, their price may go up beyond their "on paper" value.