Diamonds How To is your definitive source for information about diamonds, with detailed information about the famous 4 C's, how to pick and care for diamonds, as well as history and other information about diamonds and diamond trade.
The 4 C's regarding diamonds are carat weight, color, cut, and clarity, although certification is sometimes considered the 5th C. Diamonds are found in such a great range of varieties that it is important to take into consideration each C in assessing the value of a stone. Carat is the term used to describe the weight of a diamond. Larger carat diamonds are rarer than smaller ones and are more expensive because of that fact. A two carat diamond is probably going to be more expensive than double the price of a one carat diamond of the same quality. Diamond cut is also important because the right cut for the right diamond can make it shine more brilliantly than another cut. An ideal cut is one that many jewelers and consumers strive for because it is not too shallow and not too deep, hence allowing light to reflect off of it in precisely the best way to assure a brilliant twinkle. The clarity of a diamond is another important characteristic. The clearer the diamond the more rare and expensive it will be. The term 'inclusions' is used to describe flaws within the diamond while 'blemishes' describes faults on the surface of the stone. A scale is used to tag stones of different clarities. F1, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, and I1, I2, and I3 is the range used with diamonds not being very high quality starting from the I1 category down. Each diamond which has been looked at by a group of gemologists is certified with paperwork stating its pertaining 4 C's.