The Four Cs of Buying Diamonds — and the Fifth C

The four Cs are the four characteristics generally used to decide the quality and value of a diamond: carat, cut, lucidity, and variety. The characteristics of a diamond are graded and ordered by the diamond industry to lay out its retail value. Quality diamonds are graded by a qualified expert and carry a certificate of authentication.

A fifth C, which means "conflict-free," signifies a harsh diamond that has not been mined in a conflict zone.

This is a gander at the way diamonds, a consistently well known decision for engagement rings, are valued.

What Are the Four Cs of Diamonds?

Before investing in a diamond, it's important to figure out how to be certain you are receiving whatever would be most reasonable. Understanding how a diamond's value is resolved will likewise assist you with making tradeoffs. You might favor a larger stone, for instance, with to some degree less lucidity or slight flaws versus a flawless yet a lot more modest stone. You ought to investigate your options with a goldsmith when you pick your stone.

1) Cut

A diamond's cut — its shape and features — makes it shimmer. The more faceted the cut, the greater the radiance. The most popular shape and cut, as indicated by the Cape Town Diamond Museum, is the round splendid, with 57 features. Other famous cuts incorporate the rectangular emerald (44 features), the square princess (50 or 58 aspects), the oval (56 aspects), the thin marquise (58 aspects), and the hybrid pear (58 features).

2) Clarity

Clearness measures the immaculateness of the diamond and the presence (or nonattendance) of small flaws. The clearer or more flaw free the diamond, the more splendid and significant it becomes. Internal flaws are alluded to as considerations, while outside ones are called imperfections. Goldsmiths and gemologists utilize a scale from FL (flawless) to VVS (extremely, somewhat included) to SI (marginally included) to I (included), with number degrees for every category, to rate clearness.

3) Carat

A diamond's mass, or weight, is measured in carats. A metric carat is 200 milligrams, and every carat can be partitioned into 100 points. Diamonds that are more than one carat are communicated in decimals, as in a 1.25-carat diamond. The price per carat increases as per a diamond's size since large stones are rarer.

4) Color

Diamonds come in many tones and are arranged as one or the other white — basically dry — or extravagant. Since differentiations of variety among stones are unpretentious, experience and training are required to variety grade a diamond. These varieties have a major effect in diamond quality and price. Contingent upon the tint and intensity, a stone's tone can either decrease or improve its value.

111 million

The number of carats of unpleasant diamonds delivered worldwide in 2020, down from a top in 2005 of 177 million carats.

The variety evaluation of white diamonds depends on the shortfall of variety. The Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) variety grading scale is the industry's most widely accepted system. It classifies diamonds on a scale of D to Z. All D-Z diamonds are viewed as white, even however they contain shifting degrees of yellow and brown.

• Totally lackluster diamonds at the D finish of the range are thought of as the highest quality and the most costly. Dreary or clear white diamonds are more attractive, as they permit the most refraction of light or shimmer.
• Brown-or yellow-tinted diamonds at the Z end of the range are considered the least quality. Brown diamonds with differing levels of intensity are the most common and are in oversupply. They have been showcased as cognac, champagne, or chocolate diamonds to increase their appeal.
• Extravagant diamonds are stones that display different tones, as well as stones with a yellow intensity past Z. Those that come in tones of normally saturated reds, pinks, blues, and greens are the most difficult to find.

Big names, royals, and stars can likewise influence demand, causing a transitory spike in prices for a specific tone. A diamond that is in fashion might lose value when trends change.

A Fifth C: Conflict-Free Diamonds

A fifth C — "conflict-free" or "blood-free" — has become progressively important to numerous purchasers in recent years. "Conflict" or "blood" diamonds allude to harsh diamonds that begin from a civil war-torn country or zone and may have been utilized unethically to finance a war against a government or rival group. Diamonds mined during civil wars in excess of a half dozen African nations have been named conflict diamonds.

In similar soul, numerous customers are additionally seeking "ethical diamonds" — stones that have been mined and refined with fair pay, safe working conditions, naturally sound practices, and no human rights mishandles.

"Conflict-free" diamonds are mined in stable countries with more ethical and implemented business and labor rehearses, like Australia or Canada, and are sold by respectable dealers or jewelry retailers. They are rated by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) and are certified as conflict or blood-free.

Features

• The four Cs are the carat, cut, lucidity, and shade of a diamond and are utilized to decide its value.
• Cut depicts a stone's shape and features, which make it shimmer; lucidity measures its immaculateness; carats measure its mass.
• The most costly of the "white diamonds" are totally boring, while "extravagant diamonds," which have tones, are among the most difficult to find.
• The fifth C alludes to diamonds that are mined in stable countries, rated and certified as "conflict free," and sold by legitimate retailers.