Four Characteristics that Determine the Quality of a Diamond Cut Cut (often confused with simply shape) is the only element of a diamond relying on human ability. The way a diamond is cut and polished is vital to how the diamond refracts and reflects light. When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light is reflected from one facet to another and dispersed through the top of the stone, resulting in a brilliant display of fire and sparkle. If a diamond is cut too deep or too shallow, light escapes through the side or bottom before it can be reflected. A poorly cut diamond is, therefore, less brilliant and less valuable than well cut diamonds. Diamonds are cut into many shapes depending on the nature of the rough stone. The most popular are round brilliant, marquise, oval, princess, pear, heart, and emerald.

Color Why does color in diamonds vary? In the chaos of extreme temperature and pressure that first created diamonds, traces of elements such as nitrogen and boron could have become part of the diamonds atomic structure altering the diamonds color or lack of it. Diamonds are graded by color on a scale of "D" through "Z", with D being totally colorless and very rare and Z representing light yellow. While many diamonds appear colorless to the untrained eye, the majority have slight traces of yellow or brown tones. Generally, the higher the color grade of the diamond, the more rare and, therefore, valuable the diamond. "Fancy" diamonds, those of very well defined colors including pinks, blues, reds, greens and canary yellow are particularly rare and highly prized.

Clarity Flawless diamonds are highly treasured for their extreme rarity and beauty. Most diamonds contain small flaws known as inclusions. Inclusions, better described as nature' s fingerprints, may look like tiny crystals, clouds or feathers. These could be due to minute traces of other minerals trapped during the crystallization process. Under a 10 power magnifying loupe or microscope diamonds are graded on a clarity scale from VVS1 to I3. (See chart below) The number, color, nature, size and position of any inclusions determines the clarity of a diamond. Obviously, the fewer and smaller the inclusions are, the rarer a diamond will be graded. Major inclusions can interfere with the path of light that travels through a diamond, diminishing its brilliance.

VVS VVS1 - Very very small internal characteristic(s), very hard to find with a 10x loupe. VVS2 - The size, position and number of the internal characteristics determine the distinction between vvs1 and vvs2.   VS VS1 - Very small internal characteristic(s), which can be found fairly hard with a 10x loupe. VS2 - The size, position and number of the internal characteristics determine the distinction between vs1 and vs2.   SI SI1 - Small internal characteristic(s), easy to find with a 10x loupe. SI2 - The size, position and number of the internal characteristics determine the distinction between a si1 and si2. I1 - Internal characteristic(s), which can hardly be found with the naked eye through the crown side of the diamond.   IMP I2 - Large and / or frequent internal characteristic(s), easily visible to the naked eye and which reduce(s) the brilliancy of the diamond slightly. I3 - Large and / or frequent internal characteristic(s), very easy to be seen with the naked eye and which reduce(s) the brilliancy of the diamond.   Carat Weight Diamonds are measured in carats, one carat equal to 100 points. A .50 carat diamond is the same as a 50 point diamond or a 1/2 carat stone. Since carat is a measure of weight, once a diamond is in a setting, it is only possible to estimate its weight by using special gauges and formulae. Two diamonds of equal weight can have very unequal value depending on their cut, color, and clarity. So bigger isn't always better. Although size does increase the value of a good quality diamond for the simple fact that large stones are rarer than small ones. A large stone has little value if it has a low color and clarity grade and a poor cut.