When you meet with Karolina, she will acquaint you with the four Cs: colour, clarity, cut and carat weight. The subtle gradations in each of these four factors determine the value of a diamond.
COLOUR
When it comes to colour, less is more. Colourless ranks top-class. An important factor in the decision making for any purchaser is the colour “grade” of the stone. The colour scale starts at D, a grade reserved for rare, colourless stones. The scale extends to Z, stones that are slightly yellow. The most desirable stones fall between D and J. Stones rated K-Z have a yellow, grey or brown tint that is visible to the eye.
Diamonds come in any colour of the spectrum but most are “white” with a tinge of colour. A diamond can be “warm” or “cool”. Barely discernible touches of colour in a “white diamond” – usually yellow or brown – will lower the price the more prominent the colour becomes.
The closer a diamond approaches to being absolutely colourless, the more valuable it is. Completely colourless, icy-white diamonds are very rare, and white diamonds with a tinge of blue are rarer still.
For a more affordable avenue, you can go down on the colour grade and still own a beautiful diamond. Grading D, E and F are the highest grades, indicating colourlessness. G, H and I indicate slight, but increasingly higher amounts of colour. Yellow begins to appear in the stone at an F grading.
CLARITY
Since diamonds are a natural product, they invariably have permanent flaws or “inclusions,” most of which can be seen only under magnification. The fewer inclusions, the more rare and expensive the stone. Clarity is rated on a scale of 11 grades ranging from flawless to included (which refers to the stone’s inclusions).
A stone’s clarity rating is another crucial factor. An unclear stone lacks brilliance. Errors evident with the naked eye or through a jeweller’s loupe (a small magnifying glass) are black and white cracks or speckles similar to salt and pepper.
FL indicates the stone is flawless and free from blemishes. VVS indicates very, very slightly included (gem terminology for cracked or blemished), and the decline in brilliance is not visible to the untrained eye.
VS stands for very slightly included, and the reduced brilliance can be observed by a customer comparing the stone to a flawless stone. SL indicates the stone is slightly included, and its lack of brilliance should be noticeable to consumers who have made some comparisons.
CUT
Diamonds sparkle only after they are cut and polished. The measurements, proportions and degrees of the angles on the stone, how the facets meet each other, and the quality of the polishing, factor into this scale. How a stone is cut will also affect its “size appearance” or how big it looks.
The more cuts (facets) in the diamond, the more light it refracts and the more brilliant it appears. Types of cut include round, brilliant, radiant and marquis. Careful inspection will show uniformity of cut, and whether or not some of the stone’s angles are shallower or deeper than others. If the top (or table) of the stone is cut too broadly, the stone may look imbalanced.
CARAT
To most, size does matter. Carat is the unit of measurement for the physical weight of diamonds and plays a major role in determining the price. A diamond is usually priced on a per-carat basis, according to its size and quality. One carat equals 200 milligrams or 100 “points.”
For example, a 50-point diamond weighs one-half carat. But there isn’t a single per carat price: A single stone that weighs one carat costs more than two half-carat stones. Generally, the higher the carat weight, the higher the price tag. Certain cuts may make stones look larger or smaller than their carat weight indicates.