Diamond Education

by Sidsel Dalby

Color, clarity, cut and carat weight

The 4C’s of diamonds

Diamonds are one of nature’s greatest miracles. Made of pure carbon and with a hardness of 10 on Mohs Scale, diamonds are the hardest matrial on earth. High gem quality diamonds used in jewelry are rare and are only available in limited quantities. All diamonds are different. Like snowflakes, no diamonds are exactly alike.

GIA created the first, and now globally accepted standard for describing diamonds: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight. Diamond value is based on the 4Cs. In combination, these four factors provide a way to discuss diamonds and to compare one diamond to another. Dalby Diamonds is working with the GIA Diamond grading scale and the Scandinavian Diamond Nomenclature (Scan. D.N.) to ensure a clear communication with our clients.

1. Color

The diamonds that ranges from colorless to light yellow and brown fall within the normal D-to-Z color range, the standard color scale within the diamond industry. Each letter in the GIA D-to-Z scale represents a narrow range of color based on a diamond’s tone and saturation.

Colorless diamonds are rarer and in higher demand, and therefore more expensive than diamonds with a slight tint of yellow or brown. Most diamonds used in jewelry are basically near colorless with a slight tint of yellow or brown. Diamonds also come in deeper shades of yellow and brown, as well as in a variety of other colors. These make up the category “fancy colored diamonds”, where the opposite is true: more color usually means higher value.

If you’re looking for the best value, choose a diamond with a near-colorless grade of G, H, I, or J.

2. Clarity

Clarity is the relative absence of inclusions and blemishes called clarity characteristics. Inclusions are enclosed in a diamond or extended into it from the surface. Blemishes are confined to the surface of a polished diamond. Inclusions normally have more impact on a diamond’s beauty and value than blemishes. The size, number, position, nature and relief of inclusions can all affect the relative clarity of a diamond and thereby the diamond valuation. Since diamonds take shape inside the earth under extreme heat and pressure conditions, it is rarely to find a diamond without any clarity characteristics.

Since diamonds take shape inside the earth under extreme heat and pressure conditions, it is rarely to find a diamond without any clarity characteristics.

 

3. Cut

It is an art and a science to cut a gem-quality diamond out of a mined rough diamond. Cut refers to a diamond’s proportions and the quality of its finish. The beauty of a diamond lies in its complex relationship with light. An excellently cut diamond captures the light around it and makes it sparkling and brilliant. Cut also refers to shape and faceting style from rounds to emerald cuts, princess cuts, pear cuts, marquise cuts and many others.

Diamonds might be brilliant-cut, with triangular and kite-shaped facets that radiate from the center, or step-cut, with long, narrow facets in parallel rows. The most popular cut is the round brilliant cut where the diamond has 57-58 facets.

 

4. Carat weight

The carat weight measures the mass of a diamond. One carat is defined as 200 milligrams (0.200 g). Depending on quality, large diamonds are rarer and more valuable than smaller ones. A 1-ct. diamond weighs the same as four 0.25-ct. diamonds, but because it’s much rarer, the 1-ct. diamond would be worth many times more than the sum of the value of the 0.25-ct. diamonds.

Ethical source

Our business is rooted in knowledge, integrity and responsibility. By supporting the Kimberley Process, a joint initiative between world governments and the diamond industry, Dalby Diamonds is taking full responsibility in delivering conflict free diamonds to its clients. All our diamonds are exclusively selected from certified and world leading diamond trading companies.

Dalby Diamonds can ensure the integrity of the relationships between mine and market, as well as the ethical treatment of all the workers in the supply chain. This type of careful management ensures a steady supply of ethically sourced nascent stones of the best quality. Doing business with Dalby Diamonds is your guarantee of buying high quality diamonds at exceptionally good prices.

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