The guide to the perfect diamond

The quality of a diamond is influenced by 4 characteristics (the 4 C): the weight (Carat), the Color, the purity (Clarity), the Cut.

Weight

Diamonds are weighed in carats. One carat corresponds to 1/5 of a gram.

Color

The color classification is performed through the use of a color scale.

The scale divides the colors into 10 different letters starting from the letter D which identifies the completely colorless and transparent gems (exceptional white +) up to the letter Z (colored stone). In addition to the letter Z, the stones are cataloged as FANCY (fantasy) which go beyond the traditional color classification and receive various evaluations and quotes.

Purity

Almost all diamonds have structural inhomogeneities or small crystals of different nature and these imperfections are called “inclusions”. To influence the quality of the stone it is not only the more or less consistent presence of these inclusions but also the color, the number and the size of the same. There is a scale of reference for the classification of the clarity of the diamond that divides the different diamonds according to the characteristics of the inclusions just mentioned:

Cutting

The cut is a characteristic of the stone which compared to the others is directly attributable to the influence of man. The different cut has a direct influence on the brightness and brilliance of the stone. Regarding the cut, two distinct considerations can be made:

one linked to the shape that is given to the stone, in this sense we can identify cuts such as:

One linked to the proportions of the cut, which are essential because they determine the different degrees of sparkle of a diamond regardless of the shape. From this point of view we can identify: