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Home : Here for you : Diamond Education
Diamond Education A Diamond’s brilliance and beauty is unsurpassed. Created millions of years ago, their rarity is what separates these gems from all the rest. We at Oliver Diamonds understand that buying a diamond is a thrilling and intimate experience. A diamond is the most romantic of all gifts because it is an eternal symbol of true and lasting love.
To make the right decision in purchasing a diamond, you must first understand what are the qualities that define a diamond. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has termed these qualities as the ‘4Cs’: Carat, Cut, Colour and Clarity. To learn more about diamonds, we have created a Diamond Education page, which provides a short overview of information regarding these 4Cs.
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Carat: The weight of a diamond is measured in Carats. The word "carat" comes from the carob tree, whose seeds were used as the standard of weighing precious stones. Carat is often confused with size even though it is actually a measure of weight. It is important to know that one-carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. It can also be divided into 100 points. A quarter-carat diamond or a 0.25 carat may also be referred to as 25 points.
In general terms, the larger the carat, the more valuable and sought after the stone will be. Since larger diamonds are found less frequently, a 1.00 carat diamond will cost much more than that of a 0.50 carat diamond, assuming colour, clarity and cut remain the same. It is important to note that the way a diamond is cut and mounted can make a diamond appear larger than its actual carat weight.
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Cut: The way a diamond has been cut indicates it’s physical shape. The cut of a diamond is the only one of the 4Cs that is not determined by nature. The intricate operation of transforming a rough stone to a uniquely cut and polished diamond is a lengthy and challenging process. Each stone has to be examined thoroughly before a skilled polisher can release the diamond’s full brilliance. Based on scientific formulas, a premium cut diamond will internally reflect light from one facet to another; A premium cut diamond will always have more sparkle than others. Diamonds that are cut either too deep or too shallow can lose light through the sides and bottom and will be less brilliant and ultimately of less value.
Each stone loses, on average, more than half of its original weight during cutting and polishing. A typical Round Brilliant diamond has 58 facets. Polishers adhere to specific formats to bring out the best for the diamond. (See below)
Cut also refers to the shape of a diamond. Whether it be round, heart, square, pear, etc. Below are examples of different diamond shaped cuts.
The most brilliant diamonds are going to be round in shape as this relates to the symmetry and capability of the diamond to reflect nearly all the light that enters it. None round diamonds are referred to as “fancy shapes”, they have their own individual guidelines to consider for being considered well cut.
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Colour: Diamonds are graded on a scale of D to Z. D colour diamonds are totally without colour while Z diamonds are a light yellow shade. The Colour Scale chart was devised by The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the world’s foremost authority in Gemology. Whilst many diamonds appear to be colourless, thorough close examination of every stone highlights subtle comparisons in the shades of their colour. No one diamond is ever the same. Truely colourless diamonds are always treasured for their rarity.
Coloured diamonds are referred to as ‘Fancy Colour’ diamonds and they come in a variety of colours such as pink, red, blue, green, yellow etc. Very few coloured diamonds are of exceptional colour quality; those that are, are in very high demand and considered seriously valuable.
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Clarity: The clarity of a diamond refers to the number of inclusions some say ‘natures fingerprints’. These marks may not be visible to the naked eye, but under a jeweller’s loupe, marks can be identified as tiny crystals, clouds or feathers. The positions of such inclusions affect the value of a diamond. The less inclusions within the diamond, the more valuable it becomes. The clarity scale ranges from IF (Internally Flawless) to I3 (Heavily Included).
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