Diamonds are by far the most important of the gems to the jewelry trade.
They have been for a long time, and will continue so for a long time.
While diamonds are very important, not all diamonds are equal.
The value of a diamond is determined by its grading under the 4 C's, color, clarity, cut and carat weight.
Color - the most sought after diamonds are those lacking any color.
GIA grades diamond color as D through Z, with D being closest to colorless.
Clarity - rated under scrutiny from a 10x magnifying glass.
Clarity is affected by foreign inclusions or mineral elements.
GIA grades are FL (flawless), IF (near flawless), SI2 (Slightly included) and I2 (included).
Cut - is the process of transforming a rough stone into a finished gem by cutting faceted
faces into the gem to catch and reflect the light.
(should not confuse cut with shape, which can be round, rectangular, heart shape, etc.....)
The most common form of cut is the brilliant or full cut which has 57/58 faces.
Other cuts include swiss cut (33 faces), emerald cut, radiant cut etc....
Carat Weight - is the actual weight of the diamond. This will determine how big a diamond is,
but not the quality of the diamond.
A higher quality smaller carat weight diamond can be more expensive than a larger diamond of lower quality.
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