Diamond Consumer Information
Care
At least 13 factors affect diamond value, including fluorescence, table percentage, symmetry and other crucial details.
The most important factors when determining the quality of a diamond are known as the 4Cs.These are the diamond’s carat weight, its cut, its colour and its clarity.
The key thing to note is that no one C is more significant than another. A particular combination of the 4 Cs can be chosen to suit a particular budget, occasion, design or jewellery piece.
Treatment
Color: stone can be bombarded (i.e. irradiated) by either atomic or subatomic particles; these particles damage the diamond’s internal structure, which may change the color. The longer the bombardment, the more intense the color. Color: The most recent and sophisticated development in diamond colour improvement is to treat brownish coloured diamonds to improve their colour. The colour change is to either colourless or fancy yellow/green depending on the starting material.
Color
Diamonds are found in almost every colour of the rainbow, but white-coloured diamonds remain the most popular.
There are more than 20 subtle grades of colour, identified in alphabetical order from D-Z.
Variations are so slight that colours must be graded by an expert under controlled lighting conditions and compared against a master set for accuracy.
Those at the upper end of the scale will be more expensive, as they are rarer. However, they are difficult to discern with the naked eye
Clarity
Naturally-occurring features – known as inclusions – provide a special fingerprint within the stone. Usually invisible to the naked eye, these tiny marks are minerals or fractures which appeared while the diamonds were forming in the earth
The number, type, colour, size and position of these inclusions can affect the value of a diamond
Many can only be seen by a 10-power magnification loupe or stronger
Flawless diamonds are rarer and thus more expensive. Small inclusions do not affect the beauty of brilliance of the diamond however
Cut
Cut is the shape and cutting style of a diamond.
The cut, polish and proportions of a diamond will determine its appearance.
The shape of a diamond is a matter of personal taste, with the round brilliant cut the most popular. Other shapes are the asscher, cushion, emerald, heart, pear, marquise, oval, princess and trilliant