The 4 C’s of Diamonds 101

Having the right information and knowledge can really make a huge difference when shopping for an engagement ring. A one carat round diamond can range from $1000 a carat to $75,000 depending on the color and clarity. The very moment you ponder upon the idea of buying a diamond, particularly a diamond ring for the purpose of getting married and starting your own family, you become a changed person. It is very confusing out there.  99% of jewelers practice the smoke and mirrors technique and do not inform the client of really anything. Taking advantage of a clients’ lack of knowledge is why most couple fear the whole engagement ring experience. You work hard for your dollar. Why not make it go further? It is only fitting that you be equipped with the right knowledge to empower you as you take on those new responsibilities.

Overview of the 4C's

Here’s a brief overview of the 4C’s. That is, the starting point for the value of any diamond. My goal is to empower you with the correct knowledge when purchasing a diamond: how can you determine whether the diamond you’re about to purchase is authentic and worth its price? One very important thing to remember is that human beings aren’t perfect. Diamond Grading Labs employ gemologists who use “Master Stones” as references or color and clarity. Their gradings are often subjective and is subject to review. An important thing I learned when training with DeBeers Diamond Jewellers is that “The Diamond Chooses You.” No matter how many numbers and factors go in, some diamonds are just more attractive to some people than others.  Choose whatever stone you love, regardless of cut ratio, table size, etc.  Diamonds come out of the ground without a certificate. Certificates and diamond grading laboratories are run by people. Diamonds are made by Mother Nature and take usually billions of years to form, unless grown in a laboratory. Lab-created diamonds are a much more affordable way to buy diamonds and they are always guaranteed to be conflict-free.

Origins of the 4C's Value System 

There is an ongoing debate whether DeBeers, biggest diamond mining company in the world, or GIA came up with a way to standardize the quality of a diamond, a method which today is recognized the worldwide standard for measuring a diamond’s quality – The 4 C’s of Diamond Quality. Either way, we now have a universal guide to the value of any diamond.  And, more importantly, by working with a diamond expert like Pasquale Angelucci, you are able to navigate the labyrinth of the value system to get the most value for your dollar.  Or, in plain terms, the biggest and best diamond for the best price. There are really so many other factors when considering what to look for when buying a diamond.  But knowing the 4C’s is a great start.

Diamond Color

You might be wondering why color would be a factor in determining a diamond’s quality, but, as opposed to what many people think, diamonds actually come in all naturally-occurring colors including gray, white, yellow, green, brown, and even pink. Fancy color diamonds happen when carbon, which is what diamonds is mixed with other elements like boron(blue), nitrogen(yellow), crazy temperature and pressure conditions(pink) and so on.

So how do we determine a diamond’s quality based on its color? Simple. A diamond’s quality is measured by the absence of color pigments from the stone. In other words, the more colorless a diamond is, the higher the value. The now universal grading system for diamonds and color of diamonds begins with the letter D and goes all the way to Z.  The closer to D color, the higher the value. 

Color Grades

Diamond Color is another important variable in the diamond value system. The system goes alphabetically down from D-Z, D being much more expensive than an H color stone. Stones are graded against "master stones" that represent the middle of each color.  Color grading can also be improved by something known as Fluorescence, which is simply a diamond's capacity to refract UV light. I'v eseen K color stones that look like H color Diamonds with flourescence.  Flourescent diamonds years ago used to be valued more than those without.  However, supply and demand rule markets in every industry.  They are taboo but a best kept secret in my opinion.

Diamond Color Grades:

• D,E,F – Colorless
• G, H, I, J – Near-Colorless, no discernible color
• K – Faint color
• L-Z – Noticeable colors
• Beyond Z – Graded on the intensity, or saturation of color. (See Fancy Color Diamond Blog).

Diamonds graded D to F are the highest-quality diamonds and are also the rarest. Only 8% of customers who purchase diamonds choose such diamonds are they are also the most expensive. Diamonds graded L to Z have the most noticeable color and are therefore the lowest quality diamonds, also making them the least expensive. Forget about all this and just understand that whatever you can afford is perfectly fine and acceptable.  Everyone wants to do right by their loved one. But do the right thing financially as well. 

Diamond Clarity

When a diamond has a low clarity, it is generally less attractive to the naked eye. Most times stones with low clarity have a cloudy appearance and/or lots of visible flaws.  Clarity grading requires special tools to detect and includes quite a lot of factors to be considered for its grading. A diamond’s clarity is measured by how clear it is, and the two major factors to this grading system are its internal and external flaws. External flaws, also known as ‘blemishes’, can be seen on the diamond’s surface. Internal flaws are found inside the diamond and are also called ‘inclusions’, but gemologists like to refer to them as ‘internal characteristics’ because they’re what give natural diamonds (diamonds formed underground) their character. In most cases, these will not affect the beauty of a diamond since they can rarely be seen by the naked eye. One would need special tools, magnifiers known as ‘loupes’ to detect most of these flaws. The term “eye clean” is used to refer to diamonds whose flaws cannot be seen without such magnification.

Diamonds range exponentially in value depending on the color and clarity.

Clarity Grades:

1. I1, I2, I3 Included (I) Diamonds

• I clarity diamonds have obvious inclusions that are likely to be visible to the naked eye and affect the attractiveness of the stone.

2. SI1, SI2 Slightly Included (SI) Diamonds

• Inclusions are noticeable at 10x magnification
• If eye clean, SI diamonds are often the best value
• SI2 inclusions may be detectable to a keen unaided eye and some shapes hide clarity characteristics more than others like the Emerald cut due to its step-cut and large table.

3. VS1, VS2 Very Slightly Included (VS) Diamonds

• Minor inclusions ranging from difficult (VS1) to somewhat easy (VS2) to see at 10x magnification

4. VVS1, VVS2 Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS) Diamonds

• VVS diamonds have minuscule inclusions that are difficult even for trained eyes to see under 10x magnification
• VVS clarity is rare and results in an eye clean appearance
• Characteristics are minuscule and difficult to see under 10x magnification, even to a trained eye

5. Internally Flawless (IF) Diamonds

• Some small surface blemishes may be visible under a microscope on IF diamonds
• IF diamonds have no inclusions within the stone, only surface characteristics set the grade
• Visually eye clean

6. Flawless (FL) Diamonds

• No internal or external characteristics
• Less than 1% of all diamonds are FL clarity
• A flawless diamond is incredibly rare because it’s nearly impossible to find a diamond 100% free of inclusions

Aside from these clarity grades, there are 5 diamond clarity characteristic factors to be considered when looking at a diamond’s flaws: In other words, if a flaw is hidden on the corner of the stone and not in the middle of the diamond, the clarity grading is higher.

Important Diamond Clarity Characteristic Factors:

• SIZE- The larger or more noticeable a characteristic, the lower the likely clarity grade.
• NUMBER-This is the number of easily seen characteristics. Having fewer characteristics means a higher clarity grade.
• POSITION- What is the position of any given characteristic? Is it very visible and close to a pavilion (bottom half)? This position turns inclusions into reflectors, which have a bigger impact on the clarity grade.
• NATURE- The nature of a diamond characteristic relates to the type of inclusion and its impact on durability.
• COLOR AND RELIEF- Color and relief are essentially a measure of how easily a characteristic is seen, or how much contrast there is between the characteristic and surrounding diamond.

There are also multiple types of blemishes and inclusions that might be in a diamond. These include scratches, nicks, chips, clouds and feathers.  No diamond is ever perfect; they are all perfectly imperfect. Overall clarity grade of a diamond is based on all these factors, and will consequently affect the diamond’s price as well.

Diamond Cut

The diamond manufacture or cutting industry is driven by the idea that they MUST get the maximum yield for the rough diamond.  Laser technology and hand cutting are some of the techniques used by diamond cutters. Some diamonds, Like the Millenium Star Diamond owned by De Beers, took 3 years to cut! Three Years to cut one diamond. Imagine the pressure to get that right! This insanely large stone is 203.04 carats in weight and Pear shaped. Amazing. Large diamonds have a presence, an energy that is unforgettable.

If you’ve ever laid eyes on a diamond, you might have noticed that the stone has many, many surfaces. These surfaces are known as ‘facets’, and the grading of a diamond’s cut is determined by the proportion, dimensions, and positioning of these facets to refract light in such a way as to create sparkle and brilliance. For example, the ratio of a diamond’s diameter to its depth. This seems like a small detail, but it is essential in determining a diamond’s quality and, of course, its price.

Diamond Cut Factors: 

A diamond’s cut is graded from lowest quality to highest quality as follows:

• POOR – lowest quality
• FAIR – low quality
• GOOD – good quality
• VERY GOOD – high quality
• IDEAL – highest quality

 **In other words, the better the quality of a diamond’s cut, the higher the price will be. Every facet, or cut acts kind of like a hall of mirrors. So if even one cut intersection is not perfect, the diamond will leak, or lose light. Diamonds are cut to get the maximum yield, or highest carat weight usually. 

Diamond Carat Weight

Fun Fact for you! History tells us that markets in the Middle East used the carob seed as a unit of measurement because they were all the same.  Eventually, we adopted "Karat" for gold fineness and "Carat" for gemstone weight. 

The meaning of carat is a commonly misunderstood word. Many people think that the term ‘carat’ refers to a diamond’s size. In reality, it refers to a diamond’s weight: A one carat diamond weighs exactly a fifth of a gram. A diamond of 5 carats would weigh 1 gram. Other stones weigh a bit differently than diamonds do. Carat weight is also measured in points: 100 points is equal to a full carat. Another misconception about this is that carat is related to a diamond’s sparkle. Beautiful sparkle is the result of a well-crafted cut. As a matter of fact, a poorly-cut diamond with a high carat weight may even look smaller than a well-cut diamond with a smaller carat weight.

Things to look for when shopping for a diamond

Pro-tip: one of the things to really look out for when you want to emphasize on beauty and sparkle is to really focus on the diamond’s cut. Fancy-shaped diamonds are generally less expensive than an equivalent round diamond, and they can even appear larger than their actual carat weight size, especially when placed in a halo setting. Diamonds can vary quite a bit even if the on paper specs seem very similar.

The saying goes “A guy needs to spend 4 months salary on a diamond!” But when it comes to diamonds, bigger is not always better. Instead, to really get the best-quality diamonds, the best thing to look for is balance between all 4 C’s of diamond quality.

Angelucci Jewelry has added a special feature to our site – you can now customize and design your own rings using our state-of-the-art ring builder! The amazing thing about this is you can fully customize every aspect of your dream ring and we’ll be right here to give you professional assistance while you do so! We will guide you through the entire process. And if you’re very new to the world of jewelry or just really want to get all the help you can get, you can schedule for a free consultation. Knowledge is truly power and working with a knowledgeable diamond expert helps tremendously. 

I am here to guide you and help you save on your next diamond purchase!

• Reach out to me on Zoom at calendly.com/angeluccijewelry
• My direct cell is: 949-302-0155. Toll free: 800-462-7118
• Email me at service@angeluccijewelry.com

-Pasquale Angelucci    

CEO & Founder, Angelucci Jewelry