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Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has established a system for grading
diamonds, commonly known as the four c's. This system, when used accurately
and completely, is the best way to assure the quality and value of a diamond.
It is possible to send a diamond in to the GIA, and they
will grade the diamond. This is what is referred to as a GIA certified
diamond. The simple fact is all jewelers cannot sell
the same diamond for the best price, but they still must make it appear
that way. Thus many other certificates exist that are far from accurate,
and it appears you are getting the same grade diamond, for much less money.
In the end, the real question is, just because some certificate states
the diamond is a certain grade, will GIA agree? Most likely not, thus
these other certificates, including EGL, can be discounted quite substantially,
depending on how inaccurate they are. Wherever you end up buying, stick
with a GIA certified stone, they are the industry standard.
There are many other grading systems that are used to represent
diamond quality. However, it is the GIA system that is recognized in the
diamond industry. The GIA is a non-profit organization that has no interest
where you purchase your stone. Unfortunately, too many other so called
"independent" labs are for profit, with the jeweler's best interests
in mind, not the consumers. Here's a brief summary of the GIA's
grading system commonly called the Four C's.
Four C's
CARAT WEIGHT
Carat is actually a measurement of weight, NOT size. However, it should
be relative to size. One carat is divided into 100 points. Two diamonds
of equal quality can have vastly different values depending on their cut,
color and clarity. This is illustrated in the two diamonds below.
Carat weight is the easiest of the four c's to determine,
however the diamond MUST be loose. Too many jewelers approximate carat
weight, for instance, when you buy a 1/2 carat diamond, which you assume
to be 50 points, you may actually be getting less than that. Many store
sell as low as 45 points, and represent it as "approximately"
a 1/2 carat. There is nothing wrong with buying a "light" 1/2
carat, however the cost is significantly less. You should know that is
what you are buying, and pay accordingly.
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CUT
By cut, we are referring to two things,
the first being the shape of the diamond. By this we mean round, marquise,
pear, oval, princess, emerald, oval, heart or trillion. Many people think
fancy shaped diamonds cost more. In most cases, it is exactly the opposite.
Many fancy shape diamonds actually cost less than a round.
When a gemologist talks about cut, what is
really being referred to is quality of proportions. The fact is many diamonds
today are not cut as well as they could be. Many cutters choose to sacrifice
some of the diamond's beauty to achieve a stone that is a larger carat
weight. Cut, more than any other quality aspect, gives the diamond its
sparkle. A diamond gets its brilliance and scintillation by cutting and
polishing the diamond facets to allow the maximum amount of light that
enters through its top to be reflected and dispersed back, also through
its top.
As you can see below, when all the angles
are correct, the light that enters is dispersed back through the diamonds
top facets. When a stone is cut too shallow or too deep, the light that
enters through the top is allowed to escape through the bottom and does
not allow the maximum beauty of the diamond to be realized. The reason
these poorly cut diamonds are sold in stores is cost. The wholesale cost
of these diamonds are significantly cheaper than a well proportioned diamond.
Remember, just because two diamonds have the same weight, does not mean
they are the same size.
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COLOR
Diamonds come naturally in almost every
color of the rainbow, however most people are concerned with diamonds
in the white range. Along with cut, this "C" is also very important
in determining the overall beauty of the diamond. Color starts with the
letter D, being the whitest, or best, and goes down the letter Z, being
more yellowish. It is the lack of color, or whiteness in a diamond that
allows the light to pass effortlessly through the stone and disperse that
beauty back to the observer. Color is not so much white versus yellow,
as the chart tends to indicate, it is more light versus dark. A white
diamond will look very clean, crisp, and brilliant, with a lot of pizzazz.
A yellow diamond will not really look yellow, as it will look darker and
dirty, without nearly the same brilliance. These are differences that
you can clearly see, as you do not need to be a gemologist to see these
differences.
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CLARITY
Clarity refers to how many flaws, or inclusions,
are in the diamond. In most cases, clarity has very little to do with
the beauty of the diamonds, rather it effects how the diamond looks under
the microscope. To determine a diamonds clarity grade, it must be examined
loose, under 10x magnification by a gemologist. Whatever minute inclusions
there may be make every diamond unique. These are nature's fingerprints
and in most cases do not mar the diamond's beauty nor endanger it's durability.
Without high magnification, these flaws are invisible. However, the fewer
inclusions, the rarer your diamond will be.
Generally, if a diamond is SI-1 or above,
it is flawless to the naked eye (VS-2 for emerald, princess and radiant
cuts). If there is even a tiny inclusion visible to the unaided eye, the
stone is usually graded an SI-2 or I-1. It is extremely important to view
the diamond loose for clarity grading, as it is very easy to set an I-1
diamond, and by concealing flaws in setting, make the diamond appear to
be much better. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as this is represented
accurately and you pay according.
Need more information on diamonds?
Visit the DeBeersŪ web site at www.adiamondisforever.com.
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