Learn all you need to know about diamond gradings and the aspects to consider when buying from Diamonds On Richmond...
The quality and value of a diamond is determined by the 4 C's. Diamonds with the highest 4C ratio are the rarest and therefore the most valuable.
The four C's are - Cut - Colour - Clarity - Carat Weight
Cut: The cut grade measures how the individual proportions combine to effect the beauty of a diamond. Diamonds with a high cut grade will have a high degree of brightness, fire and scintillation (sparkle). High cut grades include "Excellent" and "Very Good", midrange includes "Good", and the low end includes "Fair" and "Poor".
Colour: All of our diamonds are graded using the G.I.A and HRD colour grading scale (D-Z), in this scale the highest grade is "D" or colourless and extends to "Z" or light yellow.
Clarity: All diamonds contain imperfections. The very best, and rarest, clarity is Internally Flawless (IF). Because many inclusions are not visible to the naked eye, diamonds are graded under 10x magnification.
Carat - Weight: Diamond weight is measured in carats.
One carat = 0.2 grams and one carat = 100 points.
Shape: Diamonds can be cut in various shapes. Fancy shape is the term given to non round shapes. Rounds are by far the most popular shape. Princess cut is the most popular fancy shape.
What Is A Diamond: Diamond is a naturally occurring form of carbon crystallised at extremely high temperature and pressure. In nature, diamonds were formed approximately 200 kilometres below the earth's surface approximately 3500 million years ago just after the formation of the earth. Diamond is by far the hardest of all known natural substances.
