DiamondExchange.com.au
Melbourne 03-9650 8331
Sydney 02 9004 7855 Site Map
Toronto 905 653 2511
New York 1 866 339 9988 Home

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Learn about Diamonds 
Cut
Clarity
Carat
Colour

Basic Description 
 
Many people are familiar with the 4C's of diamonds. They are Cut, Clarity, Carat, and Colour.  Each of these factors must be considered when evaluating the value of each diamond.  Before choosing your diamond, you should take a moment and review each of these factors.
Cut represents the angles, proportion and precision of the faceting and polishing of a diamond.  The cut enhances the inherent beauty of each stone by maximizing the balance of brilliance and reflection of light from within.( See special notes on the term " Ideal Cut")
Clarity is a measure of the degree of purity in a stone. The freedom from internal characteristics and external blemishes are measured based on number of blemishes and their location.
Carat is by far one of the easier characteristics to measure.  It is simply the weight of diamonds measured in a unit referred to as a "carat".  A carat is divided into 100 equal units referred to as points.  Thus a .75 carat stone weighs 3/4 of a whole carat, or 75 points.  While diamonds become far more rare as weight increases, this characteristic should not be considered alone when assessing the value of a diamond.
Colour is graded by using a scale ranging from "D" (Colourless) through "Z" (Dark Yellow, Brown or Grey).  While diamonds are found naturally in a wide range of other colours, they are considered "Fancy" and are not graded on the same colour scale.

 

For more information on the four C's click one of the links above

 Take an interactive tutorial " How to buy a Diamond"

Special notes on the term " Ideal Cut"

The term "Ideal cut is used to describe a range of dimensional tolerances that produce exceptional quality diamonds in terms of brilliance and dispersion. The term "Ideal Cut" does not intimate a single set of dimensions.

The cut of a diamond is expressed as a deviation from a standard adopted by a grading laboratory. Care should be taken of the loose use of the term “Ideal Cut” as there is no universally accepted standard. There is some overlap in the dimensional criteria used by the recognized laboratories  to establish a grade of "Excellent to Very Good”. The major internationally recognized laboratories, DCLA  AGS, HRD, GIA and EGL  each grade cut as deviations from one of several standards, 

It is highly unlikely that there will ever be a single set of dimensions that will be universally accepted as the "Ideal Cut" as there is a relatively large range of dimensional possibilities that produce exceptional diamonds.
 

Melbourne

Suite 1002 level 10

125 Swanston Street

Melbourne

Vic 3000

Tel: (03) 9650 8331

Sydney

Level 39, 2 Park St

Citi Group Centre

Sydney
NSW  2000
Australia              

Tel: (02) 9004 7855

Toronto

Canada Trust Tower
161 Bay Street, 27th Floor
Toronto, M5J 2S1 CANADA

Tel:1 905 653 2511

New York

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39th Floor
New York, 10167 USA
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 Johannesburg

SA Jewellery Centre

Level 6
225 Main St
Johannesburg, South Africa

Tel:11 334 8555