At Spivak Jewelers we pride ourselves in the ability to break down the four C’s of diamond grading into simpler, more understandable concepts. When talking to our specialists, we can explain the aspects of color, cut, clarity and carat weight by breaking it down into everyday examples that real people can actually relate to….
Below are a few examples breaking down the 4 c’s yet we STRONGLY encourage anyone to come in or call us for a much better in-depth explanation….
All explanations are based on GIA grading system….
Color
A diamonds color is based on the absence of color you can see in a diamonds. The color chart starts at D as the whitest color and slowly works its way down the alphabet. D would almost be compared to a glass of water… as you go down the chart a slight hue of either yellow or brown is shown in the diamond. Color change can be very subtle to the untrained eye but obviously the more you go down the scale (alphabet) the more color you will see.
DEF-Colorless
GHIJ-Near Colorless
KLM-Faint Yellow
NOPQR-Very Light Yellow
STUVWXYZ-Light Yellow
After Z comes fancy colors….
Clarity
Natural diamonds are born in the ground under tremendous heat and pressure. A diamond is a rock and a mineral so naturally there are imperfections inside.Clarity tells you about whats happening INSIDE the diamond. The imperfections can range anywhere from a feather, to carbon to a crystal inside the diamond. The clarity grade is based on the amount of imperfections and how easily visible they are either to the naked eye or magnification by a trained eye. Clarity can affect a diamonds appearance if it is lower on the chart as well it can cause durability issues while wearing it. The closer you get to flawless the more the price goes up. No diamond is perfect…the trick is to find the one that is perfect for you.
specific grades.
Cut
Many people confuse the cut of the diamond with the shape of the diamond. The cut of the diamond is one of the most important of the C’s and is commonly looked over. A well cut diamond will guarantee that it will sparkle no matter what type of light you have around. A well cut diamond will sell for more money that a poorly cut diamond.
Carat Weight
Carat is a unit of measure to weight a diamond. It is broken down into points. There are 100 points in a carat, just like there are 100 pennies in a dollar. For instance a 0.25 carat diamond is referred to as a quarter carat. As a diamond gets bigger it gets rarer, remember a diamond that you see set in an engagement ring isn’t how it comes out of the ground. It comes out as a rough diamond and it is cut down to be able to be set in jewelry.
AND Most importantly the fifth C…..
Cost!!! All four of the C’s together collectively make up the cost of the diamond, by playing with the chart and going up or down in the characteristics of the diamond you can fluctuate the price to find the PERFECT for you!!!
Stop in and not only will we teach you but we will show you what your looking at and help you to make an educated purchase….
All explanations are based on GIA grading system….
Color
A diamonds color is based on the absence of color you can see in a diamonds. The color chart starts at D as the whitest color and slowly works its way down the alphabet. D would almost be compared to a glass of water… as you go down the chart a slight hue of either yellow or brown is shown in the diamond. Color change can be very subtle to the untrained eye but obviously the more you go down the scale (alphabet) the more color you will see.
DEF-Colorless
GHIJ-Near Colorless
KLM-Faint Yellow
NOPQR-Very Light Yellow
STUVWXYZ-Light Yellow
After Z comes fancy colors….
Clarity
Natural diamonds are born in the ground under tremendous heat and pressure. A diamond is a rock and a mineral so naturally there are imperfections inside.Clarity tells you about whats happening INSIDE the diamond. The imperfections can range anywhere from a feather, to carbon to a crystal inside the diamond. The clarity grade is based on the amount of imperfections and how easily visible they are either to the naked eye or magnification by a trained eye. Clarity can affect a diamonds appearance if it is lower on the chart as well it can cause durability issues while wearing it. The closer you get to flawless the more the price goes up. No diamond is perfect…the trick is to find the one that is perfect for you.
specific grades.
Cut
Many people confuse the cut of the diamond with the shape of the diamond. The cut of the diamond is one of the most important of the C’s and is commonly looked over. A well cut diamond will guarantee that it will sparkle no matter what type of light you have around. A well cut diamond will sell for more money that a poorly cut diamond.
Carat Weight
Carat is a unit of measure to weight a diamond. It is broken down into points. There are 100 points in a carat, just like there are 100 pennies in a dollar. For instance a 0.25 carat diamond is referred to as a quarter carat. As a diamond gets bigger it gets rarer, remember a diamond that you see set in an engagement ring isn’t how it comes out of the ground. It comes out as a rough diamond and it is cut down to be able to be set in jewelry.
AND Most importantly the fifth C…..
Cost!!! All four of the C’s together collectively make up the cost of the diamond, by playing with the chart and going up or down in the characteristics of the diamond you can fluctuate the price to find the PERFECT for you!!!
Stop in and not only will we teach you but we will show you what your looking at and help you to make an educated purchase….
We do everything in house, so there is no need to worry about your precious jewelry. We treat each and every piece as though it is one of our very own family heirlooms.
Come in and say Hello! We offer FREE cleanings and inspections of jewelry even if we didn’t sell it!!!
We even have a private office in our cozy showroom for privacy!!!
-Gary Spivak
“your jewelers jeweler”
