Most people who have come in contact with diamonds have some sort of knowledge about the four Cs. Simply put, the four Cs are characteristics for evaluating the value of a diamond, and they are carat, color, clarity and cut.

These essential measures were developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and have been widely used for over 70 years.
Carat is the measurement of the diamond’s weight. One carat is roughly equal to 0.2g.

When it comes to color, the less there is the higher the value of the stone. However, if the diamond is pink or blue, it is worth a ton, and is in a category of its own.

Clarity represents flaws and blemishes within the stone or externally. Flawless diamonds are the most valuable.

The cut of a diamond gives it its particular beauty. The difficulty lies in cutting a diamond so that it returns as much light as possible.

In the last few years, there have been several initiatives suggesting an updated approach to how the quality of a diamond is measured.

Gemprint is a computerized system that uses exclusive technology to identify diamonds. Since each gem is unique, their computer measures the sparkle pattern of each diamond. This is particularly useful to identify lost or stolen stones.

Gemex developed a system to measure how a diamond reflects and refracts light. “Most jewelers tell customers about color, cut and clarity, but that sort of talk misses the point and, worse, intimidates people,” says Gary Gordon, president of US-based Samuel Gordon Jewelers, in a testimonial for Gemex. “Basically the Gemex system gets the technical issue off the table quickly and allows us to talk about brilliance, fire and sparkle – and women love those words.”

More recently, De Beers diamond jewelers has come up with a beauty scanner, which it has placed in all its stores. When a diamond ring is placed on the scanner, an image of the stone that highlights the symmetry of the cut is projected on to a computer screen.

“It’s really a back-up,” says Andrew Coxon, president of De Beers Institute of Diamonds, “Some people walk in knowing what they want; others find it harder to choose and the beauty scanner helps them decide.”

“We never say ‘this is the most beautiful diamond in the world’ because it’s very subjective. No two diamonds are alike and everybody’s eyes are different.”

Related Articles: