Diamonds, Gemstones, & Pearls
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A diamond's value is affected by the Four Cs: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat.
To the naked eye, most people think that diamonds are colorless, but in fact diamonds used in jewelry have slight tints of yellow. The "colorless" diamonds are the most rare and valuable, and all other diamonds are graded according to how noticeable the color is. The GIA Color Scale begins with the letter D (colorless) and continues through Z (light yellow). Diamonds in the near colorless range appear colorless in the face up position.
A diamond is created with tremendous heat and pressure, as a result of this process, internal (inclusions) and external (blemishes) flaws are common. Nearly all diamonds have some kind of blemishes on the surface which mostly cannot be seen by the naked eye. The scale is based on the size of the inclusions ranging from the highest FL (Flawless) to the lowest (I3) Included. Inclusions can greatly differ from diamond to diamond, and this is the reason why sometimes diamonds with the same clarity grade can look completely different.
The cut of a diamond will determine which way light will travel through the diamond and in which way it will be reflected back to one's eye. A good diamond cut is well-proportioned and reflects light in a way that provides more fire, brilliance, and scintillation. In other words, the well cut diamond will sparkle much more than a poorly cut one. The Cut Grade Scale beings with Excellent (highest cut grade) to Poor (lowest cut grade).
A diamond's weight is measured in carat and and 1 carat equals exactly 0.2 grams. The carat weigt of a diamond impacts both the price and size of a diamond. A diamond with two carat does not appear twice as large as a diamond with one carat. This is due to the fact that most of the diamond weight is retained within the depth a diamond.
Images and Information Provided bySebastian Naturski.