Diamonds are considered to be one of the most expensive investments one can have. They are considered a woman’s best friend for they never (unless demand diminishes) depreciate in value.
It is not bought as a simple jewelry but rather is  used lifelong and passed from one generation to the other. So, what are the four characteristics or four C’s that we consumers should know about Diamonds?
A diamond’s CUT would mean how the stone was shaped, polished and finished.
There are different kinds of diamond cuts -round, pear, oval, emerald, marquise, princess, radiant and heart-shaped.
Cut is very important to the shine and glitter of a diamond. The deeper the cut percentage and the more the light penetrating the stone, the shinier the stone will be.
Cuts usually categorized from excellent, very good, good to name a few.

Diamond’s COLOR is generally colorless – The whiter the diamond, the higher the value.
Traditionally, colors are classified from D (being the whitest) and as the letter of the alphabet goes on, the more yellowish the stone becomes. (although nowadays there are yellow and pink diamond colored-stones in the market.)
A diamond tagged with a D-color is more expensive with that of a diamond tagged with a K-color.

CLARITY of a stone differs in every diamond. The clearer the diamond is – the higher the value.
Some stones are cloudy while some are clearer. There are stones that are flawless (more expensive) while the others have inclusions (internal damages/ marks. They are cheaper).
Inclusions however are seldom detected by the naked eye, it is usually the jewelry experts who will be able to see it.
For those who have no idea on what a inclusion look like, you can always rely on the GIA certificates that are issued together with the stone as it will show you ALL the spots and cloudy areas on a stone.
You can also use a microscope to try to determine the inclusions with your own eyes.

Lastly, CARAT refers to the size of a diamond.
The higher the carat, the more expensive a diamond is.
Buying 2 pieces of .5 carat diamond is actually cheaper than buying 1 piece of 1 carat stone.
Buying a 2-carat diamond is sometimes double the price of buying 2 pieces of 1-carat diamond.

When buying stones, the best way to know the 4c’s of each are through GIA certificates that are issued together with them as they show you every single thing that you need to know about the diamond you are about to purchase.
Of course, the best way to buy diamonds is approaching the jewelry stores that are well-known to be able to guarantee that you’re buying the real thing and of course, GIAs certificates are a must!

When the seller doesn’t have these certification, you may need to pay extra to have the stones guaranteed – but having it certified ensures genuineness of your precious diamonds.

To read more about the basics, Click here.

Anatomy of a Diamond

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