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A Guide to Gold
Diamond Certification
Until the early 19th century, there was no standard grading system for a diamond based on its characteristics. As a result, most of the traders at that time used vague terminologies or unconventional metrics to grade diamonds.
In the 1940s, Robert M. Shipley- the founder of GIA, coined the term 4Cs to characterize a faceted diamond: Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat weight as he realized every diamond is unique and has distinctive features. And to know its value, it is essential to grade them on one standard scale.
Richard T. Liddicoat further created the GIA International Diamond Grading System™ to classify two very significant aspects: Diamond quality grading should have a universal language and diamond customers would now know exactly what they are purchasing.
Today the GIA 4Cs Grade system is considered a universal parameter to grade diamonds globally.
4Cs are better known as “Color”, “Clarity”, “Cut” and “Carat” determines every diamond’s precise artistry, workmanship, proportions and symmetry for its better value.
A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no color.
Diamond clarity is a measure of the purity and rarity of the stone.
A diamond's cut determines how much light the stone reflects.
Carat is the unit of measurement for the physical weight of diamonds.
When we hear the word “Color”, we usually imagine shades of Colors. But, in the case of diamonds, it means the complete opposite. Diamond color means lack of color.
The color evaluation of diamonds refers to the presence or absence of a yellow or brown tint in white diamonds. The closer a diamond is to colourless, the rarer and more valuable it is.
According to GIA International Diamond Grading System™ system, the “D-to-Z” diamond color-grading system measures the degree of colorlessness by comparing stones of known color under controlled lighting and precise viewing conditions to form a standard color value.
The scale begins with the letter D, representing Colorless, and continues with increasing presence of color to the letter Z representing Light Yellow or Brown.
Most diamonds appear colorless to an untrained eye, yet many have slight tones of yellow or brown which affect its value. These distinctions make a very big difference in diamond quality and price. Hence a proper color analysis is mandatory.
Fluorescence refers to the degree of luminescence exhibited in certain diamonds when exposed to ultraviolet light or strong sunlight. Most commonly, diamonds display a blue fluorescence, but can also appear in a variety of colors. Faint to medium fluorescence is rarely detected under ordinary lighting conditions. Strong or very strong fluorescence may make a diamond appear ‘milky’ or ‘oily’. Fluorescence is not always a bad thing as blue fluorescence may enhance the color of a diamond. Fluorescence is indicated on a GIA diamond certificate and measured in Faint, Medium or Strong.
Clarity measures the occurrences of imperfections found in a diamond. These imperfections are also known as birthmarks which are mostly formed in the formation process. The closer a diamond is to flawless i.e. least or no inclusions visible through a jeweller’s loupe, the rarer it is and the greater its value.
Most inclusions are not visible to the naked eye, so diamonds are examined under a 10x magnifying loupe to determine their clarity.
Clarity Characteristics are usually divided into two categories:
Inclusions: Imperfections that occur naturally inside the diamond itself. These were formed when the diamond was formed.
Blemishes: Imperfections that occur on the surface of the diamond and occur during the cutting and polishing process.
A diamond’s clarity is determined by the number, size, type and placement of the inclusions, such as tiny white points, dark dots, or feathery cracks naturally found in the diamond. When choosing a diamond, you should select a clarity grade in which the inclusions are not visible without magnification.
A well-cut diamond can make light perform in breath-taking ways, resulting in a magnificent display of three important diamond attributes: brightness, fire, and scintillation. Cut quality is the factor that fuels a diamond’s fire, sparkle and brilliance.
Essentially, the cut of a diamond determines how effectively light that enters the stone is refracted within and reflected back through the top of the diamond.
The GIA Diamond Cut Grading System depends on following seven criteria:
The first three are appearance based while the latter four are Diamond design & craftsmanship based. The better factors like Symmetry, Durability, Polish and Weight Ratio is, the higher the scintillation, fire and brightness of a diamond will be.
Of the four Cs, Carat is the longest running standard in the industry and has been consistently used to appraise diamonds since the 1500s.
The word “Carat” originates from the carob seed, which was used as the counterweight to weigh gems on a scale. This followed till the early 19th Century.
Post 1940, Carat weight was measured according to the GIA international scale.
Diamond carat weight defines how much a diamond weigh.
A common misconception is that the term Carats refers to the size of a diamond.
Diamonds are actually very lightweight: 6 carats is the equivalent of 1 gram.
A metric “Carat” (ct) is defined as 200 milligrams. Each carat is subdivided into 100 ‘points.
In the diamond industry, diamond price increases with Large diamonds as they are more valuable than smaller diamonds of the same color and clarity
Diamond pricing increases exponentially — not linearly — as diamond carat weight increases. That means once a diamond hits its critical weight, the price bumps up. The critical weights are 0.30ct, 0.40ct, 0.50ct, 0.70ct, 0.90ct 1.00ct, 1.50ct, 2.00ct, 3.00ct, 4.00ct, 5.00ct and 10.00ct.
Half carat, Three-quarter carat, one carat, etc are all known as magic Carat size. Influence of these magic sizes help when giving suggestions to customers.
