Diamonds - The 4C's
Cut
The cut of a diamond (e.g. princess, emerald) not only refers to the shape of the diamond, but also how well the stone has been cut in order to give you the best brilliance and scintillation. If the proportions are not correct, light is lost through the crown and pavilion facets, resulting in a loss of scintillation (fire) and brilliance.
Imp Jewellery chooses diamonds that are cut to optimum proportions to ensure that your diamonds will always be seen in a crowded room.
Colour
White diamonds are graded by the absence or presence of colour. The scale ranges from D, the highest and most colourless, to Z which are of an intense yellow. To the untrained eye, diamonds from colour K can start to appear tinted.
Diamonds also occur naturally in shades of champagne, cognac, pink, yellow, green, and blue.
Clarity
The majority of diamonds will have some kind of inclusion, feather or crystal. Diamond clarity is graded according to how free from inclusions they are. Depending upon if and how well they are seen under a 10X loupe determines the clarity grade. Highly included Pique diamonds are often good purchases depending where the marks are located in the stone. True flawless and internally flawless diamonds are very rare.
Carat
Refers to the weight of a diamond, expressed in carats or points. 100 points =1.00cts.
When selecting a diamond all the four C’s will be taken into consideration. Although these may seem a little complex, the simplest way of finding a diamond for yourself is:
• to select the largest diamond that you like
• to look at stones that fit into your budget
Most Imp diamonds that are half a carat or greater have independent diamond certificates from one of the following laboratories - GIA, Auscert, Bauer, DLCA, EGL.*
*Vintage diamonds may not have certificates.