GIA Gemological Institute of America

EGL European Gemological Laboratory JBT Jewelers Board of Trade AGS American Gem Society DHC Diamond High Council IGI International Gemological Institute

 

 

Carat is the standard measure of a diamond's weight. A carat is 200 milligrams (one fifth of a gram) and is divided into 100 points (like pennies to a dollar). Thus a quarter carat stone is a diamond of 25 points and is listed as .25 carat.Size alone is almost meaningless unless you consider Cut, Color, and Clarity. But size does increase the value of a diamond for the simple reason that large stones are more rare than small ones.

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Almost all diamonds contain minute traces of non-crystallized carbon or small non-diamond crystals. A flawless diamond, which exhibits no imperfections or blemishes under a jeweler's 10-power loupe, is very rare. But inclusions in diamonds that are microscopic do not, in most cases, affect the beauty of the diamond.

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Although many diamonds appear colorless to the untrained eye, most actually contain very slight traces of yellow, brown, or gray. Ironically, complete lack of color, indicated as "D" on the grading scale, is considered best for a diamond and is very rare.When examining a diamond for color, you should turn the stone upside down, against a white background, and look through the side of the stone. This will eliminate some of the stone's reflective brilliance so you can better see the true body color. You should consider as high a color stone as possible. But differences in color grades are very slight, and properly cut stones as low as "I" or "J" color still appear nearly colorless to most people.

More than any other quality, Cut determines the brilliance, and overall beauty of a diamond. A properly cut diamond takes light, reflects and refracts it throughout its interior, and releases it through the top in a blaze of scintillating fire. A diamond that is either too deep or too shallow "leaks" light and lacks beauty.A diamond cut to ideal proportions, with each of fifty-seven facets and angles precisely placed according to mathematically-determined formulas, becomes a veritable hall of mirrors and displays an ideal balance of fire and brilliance.While Color, Clarity, and Carat weight are determined by nature, Cut is the only quality characteristic in a diamond that is controlled by humans.

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