THE 4Cs GUIDE
COLOUR
The colour of diamonds are assessed based on the lack of colour. A chemically pure and perfectly formed diamond will have no hue and therefore a much higher value. The D to Z grading system measures the degree of colourlessness in the diamond with D being colourless and continues to Z as a tinted colour becomes more visible.
As a guide D, F colour will have a cool white shade, G,H are warm white and I, J colours are slightly tinted white. The differences are very subtle. If you are going for yellow or rose gold jewellery then I, J colours will work nicely. Customers are advised to choose what suits their budget
CLARITY
Diamonds are commonly subject to internal characteristics known as “inclusions” and external characteristics known as “blemishes”. Diamond clarity involves calculating the number, size, relief, nature and position of these characteristics. The scale of clarity ranges from Flawless to Included:
Flawless (F)
Internally Flawless (IF)
The above are usually used for investment or collection purposes
Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS)
Very Slightly Included (VS)
Both above 99% loop clean (magnified 10x) and 100 % eye clean and are considered high quality
Slightly Included (SI1/SI2)
This is eye clean and less expensive than VS but giving same look. SI1 is 100% eye clean and SI2 is a small natural blemishes, only visible with careful close look
Included (I1/I2)
Some Blemishes are visible to naked eye. but sometimes can be eye clean too.
Again customers are advised to choose what is best for their budget and we always give the best look and quality available at that time.
CUT
Diamond Cut refers to the shape of the diamond which can tell us how well a diamond’s facets interact with light.
The final beauty and value of the diamond relies heavily on the quality of the cut and of all the 4Cs, it is the most technically difficult to analyse. There are seven components which are considered when grading a diamond’s cut.
Brightness, Fire and Scintillation asses the appearance of the diamond face up. Weight Ratio, Durability, Polish and Symmetry assess the design and craftsmanship of the diamond.
At Bronze we use the top most cut gradings unless stated.
CARAT
Diamond weight is measured in ‘“carats” with 1 carat being equivalent to 200 milligrams. A carat can then be divided into 100 points allowing for precise measurements to the hundredth decimal. Carat has the biggest influence on the price of a diamond out of the 4Cs. As the carat weight increases, the price of the diamond increases exponentially as larger diamonds are more rare and desirable. Nevertheless, two diamonds of equal carat weight can be very differently priced depending on the other 3 factors of the 4Cs.
As a guide here are diameter measurements of a Round Brilliant cut diamond corresponding to its carat weight:
0.10ct=3mm, 0.20ct=3.8mm, 0.25ct= 4mm, 0.30ct=4.3mm, 0.40ct=4.7mm, 0.50ct=5mm, 0.60ct=5.3mm, 0.70ct=5.6mm, 0.90ct=6mm, 1.00ct=6.3mm, 1.20ct=6.6mm, 1.50ct=7mm
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