THE 4 C's

We've all heard about the 4 Cs of diamond grading. But few of us completely understand them. Well, here it is, thoroughly explained so you can go into a jewelry store and speak the language of love.

Cut

When jewelers talk about the cut of a diamond, they aren't referring to its shape. The shape is merely used to describe the physical characteristics of the diamond. The cut describes the level of precision achieved by the diamond cutter to form the desired shape. The diamond cutter's skill dramatically influences the diamond's beauty, fire and sparkle.

The better a diamond is cut, the better it will reflect light. When a diamond is cut to good proportion, light is reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed through the top of the diamond or bottom. But if the cut of the diamond is too deep, some light escapes through the opposite side of the pavilion. And if the cut is too shallow, light escapes through the pavilion before it can be reflected.

At Jones Bros., we specialize in the perfectly cut Heartstar diamonds, arguably the finest round brilliant your money can buy. While most diamonds are cut to maximize weight, our finest diamonds are cut to maximize brilliance in strict accordance with Heartstar cutting proportions. Cut is by far the most importand of the 4 C's. Diamond cutting can affect price by over 50%.

THE DIFFERENT FACETS OF A ROUND BRILLIANT CUT DIAMOND

THE SEVEN MOST POPULAR SHAPES FOR DIAMONDS

Color

Although the majority of gem diamonds appear to be colorless, others can contain increasing tinges of yellow or brown, some of which are referred to as champagne diamonds. Totally colorless diamonds allow white light to pass effortlessly and be dispersed as rainbows of color. Rare diamonds of exceptional color - green, red, blue, pink or amber - are known as "Fancies."

COLOR GRADING SCALE
The difference between one grade and another is very subtle, as can be seen by the number of grades within any one category.

Clarity

Almost all diamonds contain tiny traces of non-crystallized carbon or small non-diamond crystals. Most are not discernible to the naked eye and require magnification to become visible. Called inclusions, they are nature's fingerprint and make every diamond unique. Miniscule inclusions neither mar its beauty nor endanger its beauty; however, the fewer there are, the rarer the diamond is.

• FL-IF: No inclusions visible under 10X magnification.
• VVS: Inclusions are minute and extremely difficult to locate under 10X magnification.
• VS: Inclusions are minor and difficult to locate under 10X magnification.
• SI: Inclusions are noticeable and relatively easy to locate under 10X magnification.
• I: Inclusions are obvious under 10X magnification and are visible to the naked eye.

Carat

As with all precious stones, the weight - and therefore the size - of a diamond is expressed in carats. The carat originated as a natural unit of weight: the seeds of the carob tree. Diamonds were traditionally weighed against these seeds, however, the system was later standardized and one carat was fixed at 200 milligrams (1/5 of a gram).

One carat is divided into 100 "points" so that a diamond of 25 points is described as a quarter of a carat or 0.25 carats. Size is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond, but two diamonds of equal size can have unequal prices, depending on their quality. And diamonds of high quality can be found in all size ranges.