Williams Jewelers
Expertise In Diamonds Is Flawless!
The 4 c's Of Diamond Quality
#1 Cut of the Diamond
Diamonds are renowned for their ability to transmit light and sparkle so intensely. We often think of a diamond's cut as shape (round, emerald, pear), but a diamond's cut grade is really about how well a diamond's facets interact with light.
Precise artistry and workmanship are required to fashion a stone so its proportions, symmetry, and polish deliver the magnificent return of light only possible in a diamond.
The quality of cut is crucial to the diamond's final beauty and value. And of all the 4Cs, it is the most complex and technically difficult to analyze.
The GIA Cut Grading System for the standard round brilliant diamond evaluates seven components. The first three, brightness, fire, and scintillation, consider the diamond's overall face-up appearance. The remaining four, weight ratio, durability, polish, and symmetry, assess a diamond's design and craftsmanship.
Brightness-Internal and external white light reflected from a diamond.
Fire-The scattering of white light into all the colors of the rainbow.
Scintillation-The sparkle a diamond produces, and the pattern of light and dark areas caused by reflections within the diamond.
#2 Color Of The Diamond
The color evaluation of most gem-quality diamonds is based on the absence of color. A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond has no hue, like a drop of pure water, and consequently, a higher value. GIA's D-to-Z color-grading system measures the degree of colorlessness by comparing a stone under controlled lighting and precise viewing conditions to masterstones of established color value.
GIA's D-to-Z color-grading scale is the industry's most widely accepted grading system. The scale begins with the letter D, representing colorless, and continues, with increasing presence of color, to the letter Z.
Many of these color distinctions are so subtle that they are invisible to the untrained eye; however, these distinctions make a very big difference in diamond quality and price.
#3 Diamond Clarity
Natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth. This process can result in a variety of internal characteristics called 'inclusions' and external characteristics called 'blemishes.'
Evaluating diamond clarity involves determining the number, size, relief, nature, and position of these characteristics, as well as how these affect the overall appearance of the stone. While no diamond is perfectly pure, the closer it comes, the higher its value.
The GIA Clarity Scale has 6 categories, some of which are divided for a total of 11 specific grades.
Many inclusions and blemishes are too tiny to be seen by anyone other than a trained diamond grader. To the naked eye, a VS1 and an SI2 diamond may look exactly the same, but these diamonds are quite different in terms of overall quality. This is why expert and accurate assessment of clarity is extremely important.
#4 Carat Weight
Diamond carat weight is the measurement of how much a diamond weighs. A metric "carat" is defined as 200 milligrams.
Each carat can be subdivided into 100 'points.' This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. A jeweler may describe the weight of a diamond below one carat by its 'points' alone. For instance, the jeweler may refer to a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats as a 'twenty-five pointer.' Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals. A 1.08 carat stone would be described as 'one point oh eight carats.'
All else being equal, diamond price increases with carat weight, because larger diamonds are more rare and more desirable. But two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values (and prices) depending on three other factors within the 4Cs: Clarity, Color, and Cut. It's important to remember that a diamond's value is determined using all of the 4Cs, not just carat weight.
Synthetic diamonds (also referred to as man-made, laboratory-grown or lab-grown diamonds) entered the gem and jewelry market in commercial quantities over a decade ago.
Natural diamonds formed deep in the earth under extreme pressure and high temperature as long as three billion years ago. Volcanic activity brought them to the surface where they lay in a type of volcanic rock formation known as kimberlite pipes. Some diamonds have been found on the ocean floor, carried from their host rock after thousands of years of rains and flowing rivers where they are discovered by professional diamond divers.
Although identical in appearance to natural diamonds, they have differences that can be detected by trained gemologists and equipment designed for that purpose.
Think about it
Natural Diamonds:
-Created over millions of years deep within the earth.
-Rare-Of 6400 kimberlite pipes that have been found in the world,900 are classified as diamondiferous, and of those only about 30 have been economic enough to mine.
-Have gained in value through the years.
-Limited supply- become rarer as deposits are exhausted
Synthetic Manufactured Diamonds:
-Manufactured in a few days to weeks in a factory
-Common- by 2030, forecaster have predicted manufacturing to reach over 19 million carats.
-Have depreciated in value
-Unlimited Supply
Responsibly Sourced
We hand-select all our loose diamonds in person. Our focus is on beauty and value. We choose the most dazzling diamonds in each shape and size to assure you receive the most beautiful diamond for the price.
We would never choose a diamond sight-unseen, and neither should you. Why? Because our many years of experience has shown that not all diamonds are created equal, even when they have seemingly matching grading reports.
Grading reports, those from GIA are based on precise measurements and will never be able to convey what the diamond looks like in person. GIA can only show the science of a diamond, not its sparkle, fire and brilliance.
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