The 4Cs of Diamond Varieties

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Diamonds are among the rarest materials on earth. They exist in pure form being highly non-reactive. The luster they produce due to high reflective property make them the best choice to embellish as ornaments and jewelry. This precious material is found in different forms with sight variations. To make their classification easier they are classified under a specific rule popularly known as 4 Cs of Diamonds. These Cs are the four characteristics that determine quality and hence, the value of diamonds. These aspects are: Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat Weight.

Cut

Cut defines the basic shape of the diamond. This also define the reflective qualities of a diamond. Better the cut, better will be the shine and hence the quality of diamond. Therefore, Cut is the most important of all Cs as it determine the shape of primary feature of diamond. The brilliance of a diamond is based on the angles and finish of the cut. The best cut diamonds are those that follows mathematical formulas producing maximum shine and brilliance of a piece.

Clarity

Diamonds occur in natural condition after being subjected to immense pressure and temperature. Due to this, there might be certain flaws in diamonds that impacts clarity. There are two basic types of flaws, Blemishes and Inclusions. Blemishes are flaws on the surface of the diamond like scratches, pits and chips. Inclusions are found within the diamond like air bubbles, cracks and non-diamond materials. Flawless diamonds are considered as higher quality.

Color

As diamonds are generally colorless with high reflective property, Color refers to presence of any tint in sparkling diamonds. More colorless a diamond is more precious it would be. The highest rating for diamonds based on color is Grade D, which indicate that the piece is highly colorless. The rating may go down to Z in the scale.

Carat

It is measure of weight of diamonds. One Carat equals to 200 milligrams or 0.2 grams. It is different from ‘Karat’, which is used to define the purity of gold. Higher the Carat, bigger would be the size of the diamond.