Diamond

    The diamond represents the 10th and 60th anniversaries and serves as the birthstone for the month of April.  Forming 100 miles beneath the Earth's surface, the diamond is one of nature's most amazing creations.  Before its journey to the surface, these minerals underwent incredible heat and pressure millions of years ago.  The diamonds are then brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions.

    Diamonds are made up almost entirely of carbon and the crystal arrangement is nearly perfect symmetrical.  Out of all the diamonds created, only about 20% are of gem quality while the remainder are used for industrial purposes.  Precise conditions are required in order for diamonds to form.  All these things make the creation of the diamond truly miraculous.

    Diamond jewelry represents milestones to its possessors.  Whether it marks an engagement, a wedding, or an anniversary, the diamond represents the eternity of the love shared between two people.  Just as each relationship is unique, so is the diamond that it represents.  The gemstone also represents personal milestones such as a birthday or a promotion.  Regardless of the event diamond jewelry is the ideal gift thought to bless its owner with success, strength, courage, and eternal love.

    Diamond professionals have developed precise standards for grading diamonds that determine their value.  Learning these standards of diamond evaluation will help make your purchasing process complete and comfortable.  A diamond's value is influenced by its rarity and the expert opinion of diamond graders.  Graders use the "4 Cs" to evaluate diamonds: Carat weight, Color, Clarity, and Cut.

Carat

    The "carat" is the measurement used to weigh diamonds.  Each carat is equal to 100 "points", like pennies to the U.S. dollar.  For instance, twenty-five hundredths of a carat, or .25ct, is often referred to as a quarter carat.  In order to determine the exact weight of a diamond, it cannot be in a piece of jewelry; it must be loose.

    When a piece of jewelry has many of the same type of gemstones in it, the carat weight is determined by weight all of the same stones together.  The sum of these stones is often referred to as "carat total weight."

    In general, the larger the carat weight, the more valuable a diamond is.  This is because larger stones are more rare.

Color

    Most people think that all diamonds are colorless because the majority that are sold range from nearly colorless to a slight yellow or brown hue.  Diamonds occur in every range of color; very few are truly colorless.  The Gemological Institute of America has developed a color grading scale that starts with the letter D and ends with Z.  These letters are used to distinguish the various colors in diamonds without confusion.

    The amount of color you see depends largely on a diamond's size, how it is cut, and how it is mounted.  The larger a stone is, the more apparent its color will be.

Clarity

    Clarity is the degree to which a diamond is free of characteristics.  An inclusion is an internal clarity characteristic such as other mineral crystals, feathers, breaks, or drill holes created by clarity enhancement.  A blemish is a characteristic found on the diamond's surface.  Small nicks, scratches, or rough parts left on a finished stone are some examples.

    In order to make clarity grading easier to learn and understand, the Gemological Institute of America created a universal method of grading diamonds.  The scale starts with flawless, which is very rare and has no detected inclusions or blemishes, and ends with imperfect, the exact opposite.  The middle range is where the majority of diamonds are found.

    As with weight and color, a diamond's clarity has a direct relationship to its rarity and value.  Flawless or nearly flawless diamonds are more rare, therefore they demand much higher prices than diamonds with slightly or very noticeable clarity characteristics.  The location of clarity characteristics also have a bearing on the grade.  Diamonds in the SI clarity range are often called "eye-clean" diamonds in the trade (which is when the inclusions are present, yet difficult to see without magnification.)  These should not be overlooked as they will often be more affordable and may allow for the purchase of a better grade of color, cuts or larger carat size.

Cut

    The cut is the human contribution to a diamond's beauty.  It can enhance color and hide inclusions if done correctly.  A diamond's cut includes the style and make.  Style is the basic pattern of the facet arrangement, the shape of the stone, or both.  Make refers to proportions and finish.

    Common diamond shapes include the round brilliant cut, princess or square cut, emerald cut, and oval cut.  While princess cuts are increasing in popularity, the round brilliant cut remains the favorite among all diamond shapes.  Most diamond shapes have three basic facet arrangements: brilliant, step, or mixed.  Brilliants have facet patterns that radiate from the center of the stone towards the edge in triangle or kite-shaped facets.  Step cuts have concentric rows of facets parallel to the girdle.  Mixed cuts have a combination of brilliant and step facets.

    Any style of cutting will create an attractive appearance, but proportions are the key.  When a diamond's proportions are correct, it will display a brilliant, fire-like effect.

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