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THE 4 C's
Color: describes the degree to which color is present in a diamond. This can range from colorless to very slight hints of yellow, brown or gray to intensely colored diamonds.
GIA Grading Scale | Explanation |
| D E F | Colorless, White |
| G H I J | Near-colorless, white |
| K L M | Faint Yellow |
| N O P Q R | Very Light Yellow |
| S T U V W X Y Z | Light Yellow |
| Z+ | Intense Yellow |
Clarity: describes the purity or clearness of the diamond. This grade is determined by the size, number, location, and relief (contrast to the diamond itself) of the blemishes (external characteristics) and the inclusions (internal characteristics).
CLARITY GRADE | MEANING | EXPLANATION |
| F | Flawless | Free from any inclusion or blemish |
| IF | Internally Flawless | No inclusions, only insignificant blemishes |
| VVS1 | Very, very slightly included 1 | Minute inclusions, extremly hard to see, and probably only from the pavilion. |
| VVS2 | Very, very slightly included 2 | Minute inclusions, hard to see at 10x magnification. |
| VS1 | Very Slightly Included 1 | Minor inclusions hard to see at 10X magnification. |
| VS2 | Very Slightly Included 2 | Minor inclusions still hard to see at 10X magnification. |
| SI1 | Slightly Included 1 | Inclusions that are noticable at 10X magnification, but can't see with unaided eye. |
| SI2 | Slightly Included 2 | Inclusions that are very noticable at 10X magnification, but can't see with unaided eye. |
| I1 | Included 1 | Inclusions you can see without magnification. |
| I2 | Included 2 | Inclusions you can easily see without magnification. |
| I3 | Included 3 | Obvious inclusions you can easily see without magnification. |
Cut: does not refer to the shape of the diamond, but to the finish, symmetry, proportions, and polish of the diamond. Diamonds that are cut well cause light to scream brilliant light at you, and shout out colors of fire in many directions. In order to achieve great cut, there is much waste. Well-cut stones, called ideal cuts cost much more than poorly cut stones. A cutter must either decide to focus on weight retention (less loss) or beauty. You will pay more per carat for a beautifully cut diamond, because more was lost to achieve it. There are measurable aspects of the cut that would be beneficial for you to understand. Two important factors in evaluating cut are table percentage, and depth percentage. The table percentage on a round brilliant is calculated as follows:
| Table Percentage = |
Longest Table Measurment ( in mm) |
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| Average Girdle Diameter (in mm) |
| Depth Percentage on Round Brilliants = |
Depth (in mm) |
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| Average Girdle Diameter (in mm) |
Closely examining these dimensions might seem to be splitting hairs, but the impact on the beauty of the diamond is incredible. The sparkle, brilliance, and fire in an ideally cut as diamond compared to an average one is amazing!
Dimensions of Various Diamonds
| Premium Cut | Tolkowsky Ideal | GIA Ideal | AGS Ideal |
| Table Size | 58.0-61.0% | 53.0-58.0% | 53.0 -60.0% | 53.0 - 57.5% |
| Total Depth | 58.8-63.8% | 58.0-63.8% | 58.3 -62.9% | |
| Crown Height | 13.0-17.0% | 14.2-16.2% | | |
| Crown Angle | 32.7' -36.3' | 33.7' - 35.8' | 34.5' | 34.0 - 35.5' |
| Pavilion Depth | 41.7 - 45.0% | 42 - 43.8% | 43.00% | 42.5 -43.5% |
Carat Weight: this is the unit of weight for measuring diamonds. One carat is equal to 0.20 grams. A carat is further divided into 100 points. One point is the same as .01 carat, and 99 points is equal to .99 of a carat. Value increases with size. Some people think they could buy a 1 carat for twice what a half carat would cost, but a 1 carat is much rarer, and therefore much more expensive.
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