Everyone talks about the 4 c’s of diamonds, but what are they? What do they mean? The 1st C is cut. The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance. The better a diamond is cut, the more sparkle it will have and the better it will look. For example a good cut round brilliant should have a depth percentage of 59-61%. If the diamond weight is 1 carat, but the depth percentage is 70%, then the diamond is to deep. Not only will it not look great, but most of the weight is in the bottom portion of the stone. When you have a deep cut stone it will face up smaller. A deep or on the other side of the coin, a shallow cut stone, will not disperse light properly and will have less brilliance.
The 2nd C in diamonds is Color. A diamond’s color grade refers to the lack of color. The more colorless the diamond, the higher quality grade it will receive. For example D is the best color grade. D color is the best because it is colorless. As the color turns slight to deep yellow or brown the grades of color go up and the value goes down.
The 3rd C is Clarity. Almost all diamonds have tiny imperfections. Diamonds with few or no imperfections receive the highest clarity grades. clarity ranges from flawless to commercial grade diamonds. At West Town Jewelry & Loan we have state of the art equipment to ensure you will get the highest possible cash for your diamond. A real diamond dealer will have a microscope at the very least. If you go to a store to buy or sell and the jeweler is using only a loupe, run and run away fast.
The final C is Carat. This is the term with which people are most familiar with. A carat is specifically a measure of a diamond’s weight. West Town Jewelry & Loan has a state of the art diamond scale so the weight is correct every time.
The different shapes are: Round Brilliant, Princess, Emerald, Asscher, Pear, Radiant, Oval, Cushion, Marquise, Heart and Trillion. Here at West Town Jewelry & Loan we want to educate you and make you feel comfortable whether you are selling a diamond or purchasing a diamond from us.