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Color
While many diamonds appear colorless, or white, they may actually have
subtle yellow or brown tones that can be detected when comparing diamonds side by side. Colorless diamonds are the
rarest and most valuable of all. Color variations are a result of the natural forces (i.e., temperature, pressure,
trace elements) at work during the formation of diamonds within the Earth. Because subtle color variations
dramatically affect the value of a diamond, a color grading scale is used to categorize the shading differences
from one diamond to the next.
Diamonds are graded according to the GIA (Gemological Institute of
America) color chart.
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GIA color grade
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Description |
Appearance
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D
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Colorless |
Stone looks absolutely clear, with no hint of color to the
eye in color grading or mounted
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E
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F
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G
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Near Colorless |
Some color tint is visible during grading. Mounted in a
setting, stone appears colorless. GHI color diamonds are considered very nice diamonds for fine
jewelry.
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H
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I
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J
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K
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Faint yellow |
Yellow or grayish tint is obvious during color grading.
Mounted, this stone still shows a tint of color.
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L
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M
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N-Z
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Light yellow |
Obvious yellow or grayish color
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Z+
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Fancy |
Bright, remarkable color - usually blue, pink, yellow
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Clarity is
an indication of a diamond's purity. Clarity is determined by a diamond's naturally occurring internal
characteristics. These characteristics are sometimes not visible to the naked eye and they are what make
each diamond unique. The characteristics, or inclusions, may look like crystals, feathers, clouds or dark
spots and the quantity, size, and location of these inclusions does have an affect on a diamond's value. Diamonds
with fewer and smaller inclusions generally are more brilliant, assuming that the color and cut are the same.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has established the jewelry industry's
standards for diamond clarity based on 10-power magnification. A diamond is graded by its relative departure from
"flawless"--the complete absence of inclusions under 10x magnification.
Less than 1% of all diamonds ever found have had no inclusions and can be
called flawless (FL) or internally flawless (IF). VVS diamonds are also extremely rare. VS diamonds
are of superior quality and are used in extremely fine jewelry. This clarity grade becomes more important as the
diamond size increases. A large percentage of jewelry is made with SI quality diamonds. These diamonds are
perfect for diamond studs or multi-stone diamond earrings, rings and bracelets or as accents in gemstone rings.
I quality diamonds are acceptable as well for diamond jewelry or as accents but the sparkle is reduced by the
number and location of inclusions.
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Clarity Grade |
Description |
Appearance
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Flawless |
Clear stone, free of all flaws, even under
10x magnification
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Internally Flawless |
No inclusions visible at 10x magnification
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Very Very Slight Inclusion #1 |
Tiny inclusions are extremely difficult to
find, even under 10x magnification
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Very Very Slight Inclusion #2 |
Tiny inclusions are very difficult to
find, even under 10x magnification
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Very Slight Inclusion #1 |
Minor inclusions are difficult to see
under 10 x magnification
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Very Slight Inclusion #2 |
Minor inclusions are somewhat difficult to
find under 10x magnification
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Slight Inclusion #1 |
Inclusions are easy to see under 10x
magnification. These diamonds are considered "eye clean". In larger diamonds very very small
inclusions may be visible and still be classified as SI1.
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Slight Inclusion #2 |
Inclusions and/or blemishes are easy to
see at 10x. These diamonds are considered "eye clean". In larger diamonds very very small
inclusions may be visible and still be classified as SI2.
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Included #1 |
Inclusions and/or blemishes are obvious
and rather easy to see without magnification
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Included #2 |
Inclusions and/or blemishes are obvious
and easy to see without magnification
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Included #3 |
Inclusions and blemishes that are obvious
to the unaided eye
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Carat
Diamonds are measured in terms of weight, not size. The heavier the
diamond, the greater the carat weight. Two diamonds of equal weight can have very different values, because the
quality is still determined by the color, clarity and cut. As diamonds increase in size, their cost tends to
increase exponentially rather than arithmetically. Thus, a one-carat diamond can cost significantly more than a
one-half carat diamond of equal quality. The weight of a diamond less than one carat in size may also be
described in terms of "points". There are 100 "points" in 1 carat.
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Carat Weight |
Diameter |
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0.03 carats |
2 mm |
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0.10 carats |
3 mm |
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0.25 carats |
4 mm |
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0.45 carats |
5 mm |
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0.50 carats |
5.2 mm |
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0.80 carats |
6 mm |
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1.25 carats |
7 mm |
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Cut
Diamonds mined from the earth look like tumbled gems or beach glass.
To turn the diamond into a beautiful gem, the diamond is cut with precise facets, or tiny polished faces. There
are 58 total facets on the round brilliant diamond: 33 facets are in the crown and table (largest facet) located
above the girdle (the diamond’s widest point), 24 facets in the pavilion and 1 facet at the bottom, or culet.
A well cut diamond will have an amazing brilliance and fire. This is
caused by white light reflecting off the diamond’s surfaces and the mirrored depths of the pavilion. The key to
desirable fire and brilliance is proportion. Light striking a shallow cut diamond will fall out the other side and
not reflect back to the top. Light striking a deep cut diamond will get lost in the pavilion and also be unable to
reflect back to the top.
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