The 4Cs of the diamond, evaluation criteria

The attestation of the 4C's of Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cut, if supported by a recognized Certificate, is indispensable as a guarantor, protecting against arbitrariness.

The C of Carat

The metric carat is defined as being equal to 0.2 grams, or 5 carats = 1 gram; a diamond does not weigh much, but it is the factor that "weighs" the most on the price of the diamond. The first of the 4Cs not without reason.

The C in Clarity

Purity is defined as the absence of inclusions. Purity grades of diamonds that are pure to the naked eye are measured under 10x magnification. The very high refractive index of the light of diamond and its great power of reflection make the inclusions difficult to see with the naked eye.

VVS, VS, Si ... Things looked at but not really seen. No one has a magnifying glass for eyes. But the idea of purity, of perfection, being associated with the diamond, the demand for good purity is understandable. It is not the eye that sees, it is the soul; for a pure soul, an Internally Flawless Diamond (IF), this is understandable.

The choice of a degree of purity "Si" of "Slight Inclusions", "small inclusions" visible with a magnifying glass, requires selectivity, skill, intelligence and tolerance. These inclusions, wrongly considered as defects, arranged according to preferential planes of crystallization, have their beauty, their poetry, and are natural signatures, strengthening the identity of the stone.

No natural crystal is absolutely pure, there is always an infinitesimal proportion of foreign elements.

Purity in diamonds, as in life, is rare if not absent, and therefore prized and expensive. The most cerebral of the 4Cs.

The C of Color: an impurity?

The color of the majority of diamonds in jewelry is "a white", a brilliant white, blinding, secret: we do not see the color, the colorless white is the absence of color, no color ... or rather the sum of all colors giving the white, shades of white ...  It is this hardly graspable quality that fascinates: something looked at but not really seen.

The shades of white in white diamonds vary from perfect colorlessness, called "exceptional white" or "D", to very slight shades of yellow: they contain gas atoms present during the crystallization of the diamond, atoms that absorb light and cause a slight coloration. In this sense the color is an impurity, although microscopic. Foreign elements "impurities" that give color, from soft white shaded "i" to diamonds of bright colors called "fancy vivid".

White, also a symbol of purity, white stone, white page. The most symbolic of the 4Cs.

The C in "Cut": the size

The rough diamond is cut (sexus), sculpted, cut to perfection, polished, finished for maximum light brilliance, to be fully the fascinus that attracts, illuminates and stops the gaze of the other. This is the necessity of a very good cut.

This is where "the hand of man" comes in. It is also the passage -and the link- from Nature (the rough diamond, the creation at the archaic time, the hand of God?) to Culture (the cut diamond, the hand of man, a work of Civilization and of accession to the sublimation, the art).

The hand of man, and his technological know-how of the day of course. Nothing is more fascinating than the fire of light of a well-cut diamond.

The cut is the variable parameter that will determine the beauty yield of the natural data (carat, purity, color). The most technical of the 4Cs.

We recommend a "holistic" approach, which consists of considering each diamond as a whole rather than looking at it in a piecemeal fashion in an approach focused on isolated criteria. To reconcile breadth of view and microscope.

Each diamond is unique, as is every person, and we don't all like the same ones. It's a matter of personal preference.  The purist will choose pure diamonds, the perfectionist a very good or excellent cut stone, the connoisseur a fair balance, the lover of extremes an exceptional white+, the wealthy the most expensive, the future wealthy the best value for money, and the lover without question the most beautiful choice, the one of the heart, the C of Heart, see our "dictionary in love with diamonds: beyond the 4Cs, a different approach to this brilliant object of desire.

According to your budget, you will nevertheless have to establish priorities. Experience has shown us that they differ according to the personalities of our clients. To summarize, we have identified 3 main types of approach, explained below.

The visual effect of the diamond, the weight in priority

For those who prefer the volume, the weight of the diamond, we recommend you to choose :

• SI1 or SI2 type purities, without going as far as pitting (I1, I2, I3 or I4 type inlusions) which strongly detracts from the brilliance of the diamond and is very easily seen by the naked eye
• When choosing a SI1 or SI2 diamond, ask where the inclusion is located for diamonds weighing more than 0.50 carat. Indeed, it is better that the inclusion is light and white, if possible (out of the center i.e. out of the table), so that it is not seen by the naked eye.

The perfection of the diamond

For those who favor the idea of diamond perfection, it is advisable to choose :

• very high purities of the IF (Internaly Flawless) or VVS (Very Very Small Inclusion) type, which can only be seen with great difficulty under the microscope. The diamond is thus extremely pure.
• Very high colors of type D (Exceptional White+) or E (Exceptional White), the diamond is thus colorless.
• In addition, it is important to choose a cut quality rated "Excellent" by the largest gemmological laboratories (HRD, GIA or IGI) to reinforce the absolute purity and whiteness of your diamond by an exceptional brilliance.
• and above all avoid fluorescence, which in some cases can give the stone an appearance, and which in any case always depreciates its value.

The choice of the 4C balance

For those who prefer a good balance of criteria to sacrifice nothing, the idea would be to :

• choose a VS (Very Small Inclusion) type purity that is invisible to the naked eye and difficult to see with a magnifying glass
• choose a color type F (extra white+) or G (extra white)
• choose a quality of size noted "Excellent" or "Very Good" by GIA, HRD or IGI
• stay in a "None" or "Slight/Faint" fluorescence type

And whatever configuration you prefer according to your personality and that of your sweetheart, there is one criterion to always maximize: the quality of the cut. Diamond dealers often consider that it is the quality of the cut that gives a diamond its best value. The cut has the function of increasing the brilliance and fire of the stone. These two qualities must be distinguished.

The brilliance of diamonds

This quality is due to the amount of white light returned to the eye: the brilliance expresses the refraction. Unlike glass, which allows light to pass through, a diamond is not transparent, it reflects light, its refractive index is very high.  The difference in brilliance can be measured very well in terms of the amount of light reflected, but it is difficult to estimate without a measuring instrument; the shimmer can be seen but hardly measured.

The fire of the diamond

This quality, also called dispersion or sparkle, comes from the play of colors due to the prism effects of the diamond's facets. Like the sun shining on the sea in multiple flashes of color, different according to the waves, the light bursts into a fire of colors on contact with the diamond. This effect gives contrast and life to the stone.