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The Four Cs of Diamonds

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The Four Cs of Diamonds

By: Art Gib

Diamonds are a highly traded and sought after commodity. They've been used for centuries to represent engagement, marriage, and class. Unfortunately, not all diamonds are created equal and a few grading systems exist to determine the quality and value of a diamond. One such grading system is called The Four Cs: carat, cut, color, and clarity.

Carat
Carat is a unit used to measure the mass of a diamond. As you would expect, the higher the carat of a diamond, the more it is worth. Something you may not expect is that the price per carat does not progress linearly; the higher the carat of the diamond, the higher the price per carat. This is because larger diamonds are both rarer and more in demand than smaller diamonds.

Cut
The function of the diamond cut is to reflect light, contributing to the diamond's brilliance. There is a mathematical guide to the dimensions of a diamond cut which will reflect the maximum amount of light called the Tolkowsky ideal dimensions. Tolkwosky developed the round brilliant cut from his mathematical model.
With the advent of diamond cutting software, new cuts are pouring onto the market with a brilliance comparable to that of the "ideal" round brilliant cut.
Watch out for diamonds that are intentionally poorly cut in order to beef up the carat of the diamond. To the average consumer, higher carat diamonds, even when cut poorly, are often worth more than lower carat, "ideal" cut diamonds. A poor cut makes for a duller and overall lower quality diamond.

Color
A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is transparent, which means it has no hue or color. Realistically, there are almost no perfect, gemstone-sized diamonds that exist. Diamonds may come in a wide spectrum of colors, being discounted or marked up depending on the color's desirability. Diamonds with a yellow hue are often marked down, while those with a blue, pink, red color are dramatically more valuable. Red is the rarest color of diamond and very valuable.

Clarity
The clarity of a diamond is based on blemishes (surface imperfections) and inclusions (internal imperfections). Blemishes and inclusions can include the presence of foreign substances or tiny cracks that appear cloudy.
Clarity is determined by examination at 10X magnification. The relative location, orientation, and visibility of imperfections are also calculated into the diamond's clarity score.
The presence of these imperfections is often used to determine if a diamond was synthetically or naturally created, because very few natural diamonds are completely flawless.

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Jewelers Center is the source for high-quality diamonds in Chicago, IL. Visit our website at www.jewelerscenter.com to learn more and shop for the best diamonds at the best prices.

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