Diamond jewelry, as some would put it, is the royalty among all gems. As such, assessing the value and quality of this gemstone had been refined to almost an exact science and a very fine art for hundreds of years now.

Today, dealing in diamonds either as an ardent admirer (wearing one) or as an astute trader of the same, one would need to be familiar with the four Cs – color, cut, clarity and carat.

Color

With the naked eye, most diamonds would appear colorless, but they do have subtle shades of colors. Experts use the letter D (colorless) moving through all the letters all the way to Z (light yellow) in identifying them.

A colorless diamond is chemically pure and structurally perfect. It lets through most of the light (perfectly transparent) and produces the most amount of brilliance.

Most natural diamonds, however, are imperfect, and colorless diamonds are very rare.

It is, therefore, the most expensive of all.

The diamond color is produced by chemical impurities or structural defects in the stone’s crystal pattern. It causes a yellowish to brownish tint. However, blue or pink diamonds are also considered more desirable and command some very high prices as well.

Gemologists label diamonds with unusual or intense colors as “fancy” and they have their own rating systems, although it is not commonly used because of the relative rarity of such stones.

Cut

This is the most important of all the four Cs in assessing the stone’s beauty. Cut refers to the precise proportion and dimensions of a finished diamond. This is not to be confused with the stone’s shape (round, princess, marquise, pear, baguette, etc).

A diamond that had been cut properly allows light to enter and refract it, creating what is called brilliance. Cut too shallow or too deep, a stone will not properly refract the light and will look dull and lifeless.

A well-cut stone looks like it has greater carat weight, has more clarity and color. All in all, it appears to be of better grade than it actually is.

Clarity

Diamonds have natural imperfections called inclusions. These are minerals or crystals trapped inside the stone, and they determine the clarity of the stone.

Nearly all stones have characteristic inclusions (“birthmarks”) which make them unique and identifiable. These imperfections are graded accordingly and these also determine their value.

These are noted in the stone’s certificate from IF (internally flawless), VVS (very, very slight inclusions) all the way down to “visible inclusions”(I).

Carat

This is the measurement of a diamond’s weight. One carat is 200 milligrams. The point unit (0.01 carat or 2 milligrams) is used on stones lesser than one carat.

Normally, the price per carat increases with carat weight because larger diamonds are rarer and desired. However, carat weights are not the final arbiter of value.

A smaller stone with better color and clarity commands a better price than a bigger one with poor color and clarity. Total carat weight (TCW) is used when referring to the total mass of stones in a piece of jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, earrings, multiple-stoned rings, etc.)

Your choice

Choosing the diamond jewelry of your dreams actually boils down on your attraction to a particular stone, maybe because of its color, brilliance or its shape. Knowing the four Cs is important, whether you are a layman or want to be an expert.

Get more complete tips on choosing diamond jewelry, visit: www.diamondjewelry.getmytips.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/jewelry-articles/diamond-jewelry-and-the-4cs-1604857.html

Diamonds are one of the precious and most expensive stones and hence you must be very careful while you are purchasing your ring. There are many fake stores which sell fake diamonds and this is the reason that you must buy your ring from the reputed store. Apart from finding the reputed store there are some parameters which you must check before purchasing your diamond engagement ring. You must check the 4C’S of diamond and you must also check the shine and brilliance of diamond. You must also consider the rays of light and how they reflect the surface. It is essential to check all these parameters because there are few engagement rings which look like diamond but they are not diamond in real

.

By having the basic understanding of diamond you can easily find a high quality of diamond engagement ring. Diamonds are extracted from the ground and are made of carbon but you must keep in mind that they are not used in their original shape in jewellery. They are cut in different shapes such as round, oval, heart, pear, marquise and emerald to enhance their brilliance and beauty. But before selecting your cut you must always remember that the more the ideal the cut is the value of your diamond will be higher

.

Before selecting your diamond engagement ring you must consider the 4C’S of diamond. The 4C’S of diamonds include cut, color, carat and clarity and it is used by the jewellers to grade diamonds

.

Cut of diamond refers to the brilliance of diamond and if your diamond has not ideal cut then you can see the change in brilliance of diamond. You can also use deep, shallow and fine cut for your engagement ring

.

Color of diamond is used to identify diamond on the basis of absence or presence of color. The grading criteria of diamond color includes tint yellow, light yellow, faint yellow, colorless and near colorless. Always remember that colorless diamond has more value. But near colorless diamond can reflect light brilliantly and are also very beautiful but they are less valuable compare to colorless diamond

.

Carat is another important consideration. Carat refers to the weight of diamond and it is measured in carat. And you must check the carat of all the diamonds set on your engagement ring before purchasing your ring. Always remember that larger diamonds have more value compare to smaller ones because they are rare

.

Clarity of diamonds refers to the inclusions or flaws which diamonds contain especially genuine diamonds. And the visibility and size of these inclusions determine the clarity of diamond in your engagement rings. But you must keep in mind that these inclusions are not seen by the naked eye and the jewellers use a special tool which is known as louse to see these inclusions. The grade of clarity includes internally flawless and flawless

.

Another C which is used in grading criteria of diamonds is certificates. Certificate is a grading report which list down the feature of genuine diamond. Always remember that a diamond without certificate is not genuine

.

The author has written many articles on aspect of diamond engagement ring and engagement rings to share his knowledge. His main aim is to help you in finding a better diamond at cheaper prices. For reliable and quality information related to diamond please visit www.whitefleur.co.uk

.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/jewelry-articles/what-you-must-know-when-purchasing-a-diamond-engagement-ring-1544461.html