Last Updated : 02 November 2009 at 19:50 IST

The four 'C's' to look for in a diamond

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By Wesley Snippey
A diamond is the center of attention for its exuberant sparkle. All its types from the graceful engagement ring, round loose diamonds, chic heart loose diamonds, the Princess diamonds are enviable to say the least, and have an alluring charm.

It goes without saying that they are one of the costliest investments made in our life. Clear knowledge of the various factors influencing a diamond will help a novice to ascertain the right quality. The determining factors, known as the 4C’s include Color, Carat, Cut and Clarity.

Though Colorless diamonds have been popular, it’s interesting to know that there are authentic diamonds available in color (visible yellow). These are coded with alphabets between D and Z to certify their quality range. The grades D-E-F are the colorless variety which extends to fairly colored grades and the finest grades S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z.

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The weight of diamonds is measured in Carats and should be misconstrued to that of the term Karat which is used to signify the purity of gold. 1 Carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. For simplicity of understanding 1carat is also denoted as 100 points. A 75 point diamond would thus denote ¾ Carats. The concept of density various amongst gems and hence Carat of diamond and Carat of ruby are not one and the same.

The third characteristic of Diamond is Clarity which determines the defects. The flawless diamonds denoted as FL are the ones which have little/no defects. The purity of Diamonds are gauged by Gemological Institute of America where the Diamonds are graded from Flawless (FL) to the error prone I2-I3. Obviously I2-I3 should not be considered.

Cut is the most important qualifier for the diamond as it encompasses the cutting style, the shape of the diamond (round, square, heart shaped etc), its quantity and workmanship. The 58 facet round diamond has its cut as small as two millimeters. There are grades to determine their cut varying between Excellent, Very good, good to Poor. The shiniest diamond comes with brilliant cut. The preference of the shapes is found to reveal even our personalities!! (Courtesy: PRLog)