THE 4C'S Todays diamond is judged by four distinct factors
that combine in a number of ways to arrive at its value. These are
called the 4Cs.
CARAT WEIGHT As with all precious stones, the weight- and
therefore the size -of a diamond is expressed in carats. The word
carat originated in a natural unit of weight: the seeds of the carob
tree. Diamonds were traditionally weighed against these seeds until
the system was standardised and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams
(one fifth of a gram). One carat is divided into 100 'points so
that a diamond of 25 points is described as quarter of a carat or
0.25 carats.
CLARITY Almost all diamonds contain minute traces of non-crystallized
carbon, the element from which they were born. Most are not discernible
to the naked eye and require magnification to become apparent. Called
inclusions, they are nature finger print and make every diamond
unique. However, the fewer there are, the rarer the stone will be.
COLOUR Diamonds can cover the entire spectrum of colours;
the majority range from those with a barely perceptible yellow or
brownish tint, up to those that are very rare and are described
as colourless. Some even rarer stones are naturally coloured and
are often referred to as Fancies. These diamonds are only found
very occasionally and come in tints such as green, pink, blue or
amber
CUT Of all the 4C~, cut is the one most directly influenced
by man. The other three are dictated by nature. The cut or make
of a diamond will dramatically influence its fire and sparkle. And
it is the skill of the cutter that has most dramatically affected
our perception of the diamond.
HOW A DIAMOND HANDLES LIGHT
The cut enables a diamond to make the best use of light.
- When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light is reflected
from one facet to another and then dispersed through the top of
the stone.
- If the cut of the diamond is too deep, some light escapes through
the opposite side of the pavilion.
- If the cut is too shallow light escapes through the pavilion
before it can be reflected.
