  |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Diamonds are graded by the 4c’s they are:
- Cut
- Colour
- Clarity
- Carat
Cut:
The cut determines the shape of the stone, with the most popular being
a round brilliant cut. The cut will also affect the sparkle of the diamond
and the way it reflects the light. The most popular shapes are shown below:
 Round |
 Oval |
 Emerald |
 Princess |
 Marquise |
Colour:
Diamonds range in colour from an ice white to dark yellow, however diamonds
have also been found in red, brown and many other colours. These are known
as fancy diamonds, which are very rare and expensive. Diamonds are graded
from "D" through to "Z”", "D" being
ice white, "Y" being the darkest yellow, and "Z" being
fancy diamonds.
Clarity:
As diamonds are created by nature and formed within the earth most contain imperfections or inclusions. These are tiny flaws within the diamond; diamonds that contain no flaws are very rare and very expensive.
The list below shows how diamonds are graded for clarity.
| [FL] | Free of all inclusions & blemishes. |
| [IF] Internally Flawless | No inclusions & only minor blemishes at 10x magnification. |
| [VVS1 & VVS2] Very Very Slightly Included | Minute inclusions extremely difficult to locate at 10x magnification. |
| [VS1] Very Slightly Included | Minute inclusions difficult to locate at 10x magnification. |
| [VS2] Very Slightly Included | Minute inclusions somewhat easy to locate at 10x magnification. |
| [SI1 & SI2] Slightly Included | Obvious inclusions somewhat easy to locate with unaided eye. |
| [I1] Imperfect | Obvious inclusions. |
Carat:
The size of a diamond is measured in carats. Each carat is divided into 100 points so a 1/2-carat diamond would be 50 points.
| 1-Carat | 100 points |
| 3/4-Carat | 75 points |
| 1/2-Carat | 50 points |
| 2/5-Carat | 40 points |
| 1/3-Carat | 33 points |
| 1/4-Carat | 25 points |
| 1/10-Carat | 10 points |