When you think of a breathtaking piece of jewelry or the symbol of love, the engagement ring, your search often focuses on the design. However, in addition to an incomparable design, the quality of the stones plays a key role in the purchase and Value of diamond jewelry. The 4Cs - cut, color, clarity and carat - have always stood for the value of a diamond.

It is important to note that even with the lab-grown diamonds we create, just like diamonds from mines, each has a unique structure and quality characteristics that are evaluated according to the 4 Cs.

The 4Cs at a glance:

• Carat = Weight
• Color 
• Cut 
• Clarity 

But what is behind these terms and evaluation categories?

The weight of a diamond: Carat (Carat)

Size or weight?

Carat is the unit in which the weight of a diamond is specified. However, this most well-known characteristic of a diamond is often confused with its size. As already mentioned at the beginning: not every Diamond grown in the laboratory is the same, just like in nature. However, it is sometimes very difficult to tell them apart in terms of size. For this reason, the Value of a diamond is measured by its weight, among other things:

1 Carat (ct. or kt.) = 0.2 gram

This equivalent value was established in 1875 to avoid misunderstandings. But the weight of a diamond had already been determined before that, using the baobab tree. From the Greek "kerátion" (= little horn), describing the shape of the seed of the baobab tree, at that time one seed was equivalent to one carat, i.e. 0.2 grams. Each carat is also divided into 100 points, so a half-carat is also a 50-point carat.

In addition to the sheer carat, it should also be noted that the shape of a diamond has a considerable influence on the perception of its size. This is because the size, which is measured in mm, does not correspond to the carat, as already mentioned. As a result, diamonds with the same number of carat have different sizes, depending on their shape and cut.

Special cuts, such as the oval, pear or emerald cut, appear larger than round brilliant cut diamonds due to their elongated upper side (the table of the diamond), as the weight is distributed more evenly on the upper and lower sides of the diamond. Especially when looking for the right engagement ring, the appearance of the ring can be maximized with a special Cut .

Weight is therefore a significant factor in determining the value of a diamond. However heavy the Diamond may be - if it has the wrong color, a poor Cut or no good Clarity, its Value is lower.

 

The color of a diamond

Please without tinting!

In addition to the number of carats, the color of a diamond is decisive for its quality - because diamonds have different colors, not every diamond is simply transparent. The color here does not mean pink, yellow or blue, but the tint of the diamond. In other words, whether a Diamond is absolutely colorless or has a yellowish tint. Accordingly, a Diamond is more valuable and rarer the more colorless it is. The most common method for determining color was coined internationally by the GIA & IGI institutes, two of the world's leading testing laboratories, and is based on a letter scale, starting with D and ending with Z. D means that the color of the diamond is very fine white, i.e. absolutely colorless to the naked eye, and Z means that the color of the diamond is very strongly yellow. With "Z", however, the Diamond naturally does not shimmer in a beautiful sunny yellow - it is not a fancy diamond - but in a kind of yellowish tinted white. At VEYNOU, we focus exclusively on colorless to almost colorless diamonds, according to the scale from D-F.

In practice, the interplay of color and carat is very important, as the larger the diamond , the more easily the color catches the eye. We therefore recommend considering the color as a decisive factor for the radiance of the diamond before deciding to purchase a diamond that is larger than 1 Carat and, if necessary, investing in a colorless grade.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the choice of precious metal in which the diamond is set also has an influence on the perception of the color of a diamond. Especially with white gold and platinum, a yellowish tint and poorer color of the color scale may even be emphasized due to the contrast of the colorless white gold and a yellowish-tinted diamond. Yellow and rose gold, on the other hand, can conceal a slight tint.

 

The cut, or also known as the shape, of a diamond

A particularly important factor is the brilliance of a diamond, also referred to as 'fire.' This describes how effectively the incoming light is captured and refracted by the diamond. The 'fire' depends on the cut—specifically, the arrangement of the diamond's facets—and is largely determined by the craftsmanship and meticulous work of the cutter.

The word "brilliance" comes from one of the best-known and oldest types of cut, the brilliant cut. However, the type of cut is not at all important in the "cut" category; it is much more about the cut a well-cut diamond reflects the light back to the viewer through the perfect ratio of height and Width . A poorly cut diamond , on the other hand, scatters the light and thus loses its fire, i.e. its brilliance.

On the other hand, the symmetry of the diamond is what counts when it comes to cut. If the facets are cut in a symmetrical relationship to one another, the viewer sees a calm image and the diamond appears "cleaner" - the pursuit of perfect symmetry.

An excellent cut is therefore a mixture of symmetry and the right ratio of height and width for flawless proportions and the unique fire of a diamond. The Cut can be decisive in determining whether a flawless Diamond appears rather dull, or whether a Diamond with a faded hue appears more valuable. The better the Cut, the larger the Diamond will appear.

An overview of the cut structure of a diamond:

Table: The upper flat surface of the diamond
Crown: The upper part of the diamond between the round bar and the table
Round bar: Circumferential edge between the top and bottom of the diamond
Collar: The tip of the diamond

How are the cuts assessed?

According to the cut standardized by GIA, cuts are classified from "Excellent", "Very Good", "Good" to "Poor". A Diamond with an excellent cut has perfect symmetry and brilliance - a result of master craftsmanship and very rare.

What cuts are available?

It is important to note that the cut is often colloquially equated with the shape of a diamond. However, the cut refers to the arrangement of the individual facets, whereas the shape refers to the general appearance of the diamond. Nevertheless, it makes sense to assign the shapes to the cut for the purposes of understanding.

The most classic shape is the brilliant cut. The oval, pear and emerald cuts are also on trend.

The clarity of a diamond

Probably the best known criterion

Clarity refers to "inclusions" or imperfections in a diamond. Ultimately, these inclusions, which occur naturally during the diamond's creation process (both in laboratory-grown and mined diamonds), are particularly characteristic because they make each diamond unique - an unmistakable birthmark, so to speak.

However, as these inclusions logically impair the brilliance (after all, the light can no longer be reflected back to the viewer unhindered from every viewing position), the fewer inclusions a diamond has, the more valuable it is. In most cases, however, they are not visible to the naked eye and can only be seen under a magnifying glass.

When is a diamond "flawless"?

The clarity of a diamond is determined using the clarity scale. Diamonds that have no inclusions whatsoever are described as "flawless" or "FL = flawless" as shown on the scale. We only process diamonds with a clarity grade of VS2 or better (VS = Very Small Inclusions), i.e. with minimal inclusions that are invisible to the eye and only visible to experts under 10x magnification with a microscope for unparalleled fire & brilliance.

Every diamond has unique characteristics - even if two diamonds appear exactly the same at first glance. But at second glance, even the untrained eye will notice that the diamonds differ in weight, color, cut and clarity depending on their quality. The 4 C's are therefore perfect for determining the value and, in addition to the design, are of great importance in the search for the perfect piece of jewelry.