The value of a diamond
The value and quality of a diamond is determined by four characteristics:
cut, colour, clarity and carat.
Cut
A good cut produces more brilliance and sparkle, the carver is the one who manages to make the diamond reflect the maximum amount of light. The 6 most famous cuts are: Brilliant, Marquise, Pear, Emerald, Oval and the Heart cut.
A diamond's cut is determined by three factors:
- Proportions: is the ratio and size of the diamond’s depth, width and table.
- Symmetry: the alignment and shape of a diamond's facets.
- Polish: refers to the condition and quality of the facet surfaces of the stone.
Perfect proportions
Perfect symmetry
D-E-F
G-H-I
J-K-L-M
N-O-P-Q-R
S-T-U-V
W-X-Y-Z
Colour
The best colour is colourless. The absence of colour allows the light to pass through the diamond cleanly and turn into a rainbow of colours, like a prism.
DEF
Colorless
GHI
Near colorless
JKLM
Faint yellow
The colour of a diamond is graded from D (the most colourless and perfect) to Z, under specific conditions: on a neutral white background, with the stone loose and unmounted, it is examined under standard artificial light equivalent to the light diffused by a clear sky in the geographic north in the northern hemisphere at 12 o'clock in the morning, at a medium latitude.
NOPQR
Very light yellow
STUV
Light yellow
WXYZ
Yellow
Clarity
In the process of crystallising diamonds, nature leaves traces such as inclusions that do not affect the beauty of the diamond. A diamond without inclusions is a high quality diamond.
A diamond is said to be "magnifying pure" and "IF" (Internally Flawless) if, after examination by a specialist using a magnifying glass under x10 magnification (augmentation, achromatic and aplanatic) under normal light conditions, it is found to be free of internal characteristics (inclusions or impurities). Other degrees of purity are determined by size, position, brightness and other internal characteristics. External characteristics and structural phenomena may be referred to as "identification marks" or "comments". The lowest grades of clarity on the scale (referred to as "pitted" "P" diamonds) refer to inclusions or features that can be easily seen, with the naked eye, by a specialist.
FL
Flawless
IF
Internally flawless
VVS1-VVS2
Very very slightly included
SI1
SI2
I1-I2
I3
Slightly included
Included
VS1-VS2
Very slightly included
Carat
0,35ct
4,50mm
0,40ct
4,75mm
0,45ct
4,90mm
0,50ct
5,00mm
0,60ct
5,40mm
0,70ct
5,70mm
0,80ct
5,90mm
0,90ct
6,10mm
1,00ct
6,50mm
The carat is a unit of weight (equivalent to 0.20 grams) used for diamonds. One carat is divided into 100 points, a 75 point diamond weighs 0.75 carats.
Carat weight can appear differently across different diamond shapes. A diamond may have a higher carat weight without appearing larger and two diamonds of the same carat weight can vary in size if one is cut deeper than the other. In other words, it is important to note that carat weight does not necessarily denote size.
The combination of these factors will give us the final price, and you will have all this detailed information on the international certificate:
