Diamond Quality: Judging Beauty, Value and Price

How to Use the Four C's: Carat Weight, Color, Clarity and Cut

Every diamond is uniquely beautiful with price and value determined by judging or grading the quality and rarity of the stone. Value factors for diamonds include carat weight, color, clarity, and cut. These are commonly called The Four C’s or 4 C’s when speaking of diamonds and deciding how much they are worth. Although diamonds are most often bought for romantic reasons or as symbols of love, power, strength, achievement or reward, there are some less subjective ways to value each stone. In addition to emotion, we use these four factors to grade, value, price and select a diamond. Pricing should reflect quality and value as measured by all four of these factors combined. Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. And the meaning of a diamond is as unique as the person who wears it!

For example, when you buy a diamond you might value size over color, or you might prefer clarity over size. You can also use these factors to compare and contrast and tell the difference in value between, say, two sparkly round brilliant cuts that look an awful lot alike at first glance. Since every diamond is different, you can use these measures to judge the value of a diamond based on which aspect is most important to you.

Here is a quick guide to the four ways, cut, clarity, color and carat weight, that diamonds can be graded or judged for quality and valued or priced accordingly. These criteria are often called the Four C’s or 4 C’s.

A Diamond’s Carat Weight Determines Value and Pricing

Diamonds are valued by weight, with the weight measured in carats. The most important thing to remember about carat weight is that the price per carat goes up as the size of the stone increases. Larger stones cost more per carat than smaller stones. (Information about Carat Weight)

Diamonds are Valued and Priced by Color

The most rare and desirable, valuable, traditional diamonds are colorless. Surprisingly, most diamonds are actually a bit yellow or brown. The closer to clear your diamond is, then the more valuable it is.

Colorless diamonds are graded by color using a scale from D to Z; D is the best possible grade and Z is the worst. A diamond with a good color grade will be worth more than a diamond with a lower color grade. (Additional information about Diamond Color)

(There are also some extreme colors in diamonds, such as intense blue and pink. These extremely rare vivid colors are graded separately as “fancy colors.” Details about fancy color diamonds.

Diamond Value and Price Based on Clarity

We tend to think of diamonds as being pure and flawless, yet nearly every diamond on earth has some inclusions and/or blemishes – fancy words for imperfections. But, that being said, you should definitely not be able to see marks or spots on the diamond with the naked eye!

Clarity grading is affected by inclusions (inside the stone) and/or blemishes (on the surface). Some clarity marks are basically insignificant and cosmetic only, others can affect the integrity and strength of the stone, and some affect how the stone sparkles.

A diamond’s clarity is checked under 10X magnification using a hand loupe, eye loupe or a binocular microscope. It is best to check the loose stone before it is mounted. ( More detailed information about diamond clarity)

How Cut Changes the Worth and Cost of a Diamond

Cut is also integral to the value of a diamond. Cut determines the stone’s final carat weight, determines its overall shape or outline and when done skillfully can sometimes even improve a stone’s color and clarity. By affecting its proportions, cut determine how well the diamond sparkles in the light. Of the four C’s, cut is the most difficult dynamic to understand but it is possibly the most important.

Always compare your diamond to others of similar size, style and price to check how well it sparkles. Lighting can make a difference, so examine the stones under natural sunlight as well as indoors. (More reference information on the styles of diamond cut)

The Four C’s Create the Beauty, Value and Price for Each Diamond

Although cut is possibly the most important property of a diamond, all four value factors – cut, clarity, carat weight and color -- combine together to create the full beauty and allure of your special diamond. They not only contribute to the unique value of each stone, but they work together to determine the price for a particular diamond.

Beyond the 4 C’s: The Magic Within Every Diamond

While the four C’s are useful tools in evaluating the quality and value of a stone, how much a diamond is worth and what a fair price for it might be, remember there is more to selecting a diamond than those cold, hard facts. Remember that the sparkle, fire and brilliance are what make the magic within each stone – bringing to life a beautiful diamond that is unique, powerful and pure enough to symbolize all that we attribute to it and being what sets the best diamond apart -- so it becomes that special diamond of your dreams.

SOME THOUGHTS ON BUYING A DIAMOND

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