Custom Jewelry
WHAT DETERMINES THE VALUE OF A DIAMOND?
The 4Cs (Carat weight, Color, Clarity, and Cut grade)
The team at CLOUT understands that buying a diamond for yourself or a significant other isn't something you do everyday. We would like to educate our customers on the 4Cs so that they are confident in their investment when they join the CLOUT Family.
CARAT WEIGHT
is how much the diamond weighs in carats. "Magic sizes" are weights where a diamonds price can jump significantly. Half a carat, one carat, two carats, and ten carats are some examples. A diamond that weighs .99ct compared to a diamond that weighs 1.00 ct could look almost identical, yet the value of the two diamonds can be far from the same.
COLOR GRADE
D-Z is a color scale that was established by GIA and is used for white diamonds. D being colorless and Z being light yellow. When diamonds come out of the ground they almost always have a yellowish tint to them, so the closer they are to having a D color grade the more rare and valuable the diamond.
CLARITY GRADE
is a measure of how pure the diamond is using a 10x loupe. When diamonds are created in the Earth's core they are exposed to extreme heat and pressure which can result in inclusions and/or blemishes which give the diamond it's clarity grade. With a naked eye you will not be able to see any inclusions unless they are obvious. There are 6 Categories with a total of 11 different grades as follows; Flawless (FL), Internally Flawless (IF), Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1, VVS2) Very Slightly Included (VS1, VS2), Slightly Included (SI1, SI2), and Included (I1, I2, I3). We do not deal with Included diamonds at CLOUT.
CUT GRADE
is the most important of the 4Cs because thats what makes your diamond glisten in the light. It is based on the symmetry, proportions and polish of the diamond. When you look at a diamond in the light and see the spectrum of colors glistening, that is called "fire" and the stronger fire being displayed is a product of an excellent cut. There are 5 cut grades as follows; Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor. We only deal with Excellent and Very Good at CLOUT.
Most people think the bigger the diamond the more expensive it is, but that is not always the case. A 1 carat D Flawless diamond with an excellent cut will be worth more than a 2 carat K SI2 Diamond with a good cut. That is why all 4Cs together determine the value of a diamond.