![[ideal cut]](info1.jpg) |
| Diamond Grading Information |
| Antique-Jewelry-Online hopes this information will help you make a wise and happy diamond ring purchase. |
| The Four C's |
| The first C is cut. |
| Cut refers to the proportions, dimensions, and quality of the workmanship of the cutter. When properly cut, a diamond will use light to its best advantage for maximum beauty and flash. Poorly cut stones will let light escape though the sides and bottom of the stone. |
| |
| Parts of the Cut |
| The standard brilliant cut has 32 facets plus a table above the girdle and 24 facets plus a culet below the girdle. |
![[facets]](info2.jpg)
|
| Term
| Description
| Bezel Facets |
The facets between the girdle and the table | Brilliant |
A type of cut that has few or no facet edges in parallel | Crown |
The portion of the stone above the girdle plane, the top portion | Culet |
The tiny facet at the bottom of the stone parallel to the table | Facet |
Any one of the flat, polished faces of a cut gemstone. | Girdle |
The perimeter around the outside edge of the stone | Pavilion |
The portion of the stone below the plane of the girdle, the bottom
portion. | Table |
The top facet of a stone | |
| The second C is Color |
| Color in white diamonds is graded based
on the lack of any color. The G.I.A. grading scale goes alphabetically from
color "D", totally colorless, to color "Z" light yellow. Of course, colorless is
the most sought after "white" diamond. Beyond "Z" fancy color yellows and browns can be quite desirable.
Colors D-F will nearly always appear colorless. Colors G-l will usually appear colorless. Colors J-L will look colorless in small stones, but larger stones will appear tinted. Anything over L will generally appear to have color even to the untrained eye. |
| GIA Color Grade
| Description
| D |
colorless |
E |
practically colorless |
F |
practically colorless |
|
| G |
nearly colorless |
H |
nearly colorless |
I |
nearly colorless |
J |
nearly colorless |
|
| K |
faint yellow or brown |
L |
faint yellow or brown |
M |
faint yellow or brown |
|
| N |
very light yellow or brown |
O |
very light yellow or brown |
P |
very light yellow or brown |
Q |
very light yellow or brown |
R |
very light yellow or brown |
S-U |
very light yellow or brown |
V-W |
light yellow or brown |
X-Z |
light yellow or brown |
|
| The third C is Clarity |
| The clarity grade expresses the degree to which the stone contains surface blemishes, or internal flaws called inclusions. Generally, and particularly with diamonds, the lack of these features is the most desirable condition. Inclusions can be all sorts of things: breaks, other crystals, clouds, growth lines, bruises, and pinpoints. Blemishes include: extra facets, pits, cavities, chips, nicks, abrasions, and scratches. Grading is done under 10 power magnification and proper lighting. |
| Clarity Grade
| Description
| Flawless |
No inclusions or surface blemishes |
IF |
Internally flawless, insignificant blemishes |
VVS1 |
extremely difficult to see at 10x |
VVS2 |
very difficult to see at 10x |
VS1 |
difficult to see face up at 10x |
VS2 |
somewhat easy to see face up at 10x |
SI1 |
noticeable, easy to see at 10x |
SI2 |
very easy to see at 10x, may be visible to the unaided eye |
I1 |
obvious at 10x, visible to the unaided eye. |
I2 |
obvious at 10x, easily visible to unaided eye, beauty/durability
somewhat affected |
I3 |
prominent inclusions, extremely easy to see with unaided eye,
durability affected | |
|
With all the C's being equal except for the clarity, there is a big difference in the price of a stone. This same principle applies to the other graded characteristics as well. For example, let's consider a half-carat (.50ct) round brilliant cut, color F diamond. With only the clarity grade changing, here is how that stone's price per carat may vary: $10,000 for IF (Internally Flawless) $8,800 for VVS1 $4,400 for SI1 $7,000 for VVS2 $3,600 for SI2 $6,800 for VS1 $2,800 for I1 $5,000 for VS2 $1,900 for I2 |
| The fourth C is Carat Weight |
| The term "carat" is used to express gemstone weight. One carat is a fifth of a gram. A carat is further subdivided into points. There are 100 points in a carat (one point = .01 carats) . |
| Click Links Below to See Our Collection. |
| Filigree Style Settings - Engagement Ring For people who want to be the original owners of a traditional engagement ring, We have used our expertise to assemble a group of new production ring settings that have authentic filigree styling. Modern artisans create these exact reproduction engagement rings in 14k gold and, upon request, platinum. Click the links below to visit our new engagement rings section (Blue Pages). |
| Filigree Style Settings - Engagement Ring | Engagement Rings - Antique Style with Diamonds |