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4C's Educational
4C's Educational
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 Knowledge is POWER. Know what you are looking for and what you should be paying for it. Let us guide you… You may find yourself asking; “If diamonds are all unique and so rare, what determines the price difference between them?” In my experience the best method in determining diamond pricing is found in our name: “4C Diamond”. Each “C” has its own value CUT, COLOUR, CLARITY and CARAT WEIGHT. These 4 C’s of a diamond are the most important attributes of the stone and attribute to each unique diamond’s price.  DIAMETER - The width of the diamond as measured through the girdle. TABLE - This is the large, flat top facet of a diamond. CROWN - The upper portion oa a cut diamond, above the girdle. GIRDLE - The narrow rim of a diamond that separates the crown form the pavillion. PAVILION - The lower portion of the diamond, below the girdle. It is sometimes referred to as the base. CULET - The tiny on the pointed bottom of the pavillion, which is the portion of a cut diamond below the girdle. DEPTH - The height of a diamond, from the cutlet to the table. 4C's The first C is the CUT of a diamond.
Only diamond cuts diamond and when a rough diamond is cut and polished upto 72% of the stone is lost in the process. This is the one C governed by man rather than by nature. It has significant influence on the value of the diamond as different cuts determine the brilliance of the gem. If a diamond is cut too deep the light escapes downwards and the centre will appear dark, absorbing rather than reflecting the light. A very shallow cut results in light escaping through the base of the diamond causing it to look glassy, watery, dull, and even grey. The Perfect or Tiffany, round cut diamond is cut to precise proportion for maximum refraction of light. The Perfect cut warms the diamond with fire and brilliance beyond comparison with any other gem. So why are all diamonds not cut in the Round Brilliant style? The original shape of the rough dictates the shape of the final diamond. Different shapes of diamonds are cut to retain maximum weight from the rough. The second C is COLOUR. 
The colour of the diamond is determined by the different gasses present during the crystallization process. In general, diamond colours range from white to yellow. In rare instances different gasses present with the crystallization process integrates into the diamond generating unique colours such as blue, green, pink, and red. Diamonds are graded according to their inherent colour using a white to yellow colour scale from D to Z. D to F represent colourless stones and are usually favoured for investment purposes due to higher premiums. G to J represent near-colourless stones but are as appealing as the complete colourless gem. K to Z becomes more yellow to the naked eye and therefore more cost effective as the colour scale moves down, although at present, yellow stones have become a lot more popular and fashionable.
The third C is CLARITY. 
The forth C is CARAT.
The word carat was derived from the carob seed, each carob seed weighs very close to 1 carat. The carat is the weight or mass of a diamond. 5 carats are equal to one gram. One carat is divided into one hundred points, therefore a 25 point diamond is a ¼ carat. Although size is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond, 2 diamonds of equal size can have very unequal values depending on the other 3 properties.
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