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Diamonds
A diamond's beauty, rarity, and price depend on the culmination of the 4Cs:
cut, color, clarity, and carat.
Cut
Cut refers to the angles and proportion of the diamond, which determine how well light reflects and refracts inside the stone, or in layman's terms, the "fiery" quality it has. It does not have anything to do with the shape of the diamond.
Reflection and refraction collude to create brilliance, which is dependent on the relationship between the diamond's depth (the height of the diamond), width of the top section known as the table, and the gem's diameter. An ideal cut has a diamond depth percentage that's between 59.7% - 62.7% and table percentage within a range of 53% and 57%. Other values are listed below. |
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Color
Diamonds are graded on a color scale from D to Z. A "D" rating is the most desirable because it indicates that the stone is colorless. These stones are incredibly rare. The contrast between letters that are close to one another is subtle. It can be extremely difficult to recognize the difference between an F and a G. However, a Z is easy to distinguish from a mid-alphabet rating. Diamonds in the Z vicinity often appear to have a yellowish tint. |
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Clarity
Inclusions or what are often called flaws affect the clarity rating of a diamond. These ratings are made by trained professionals who use a microscope to magnify the diamonds by 10x. A diamond that is flawless is graded FL, while a diamond is internally flawless earns an IF. A very slightly included stone earns a VS1 and a rock that is included to the 3rd degree, the worst rating, gets an I3. This grading system is easier to remember than it appears to at first blush: each grade is an abbreviation of the rating. |
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Carat
The simplest of all measurements to define, Carat refers to the weight of the diamond. |
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Diamond Certificate
A certificate tells you the diamond's exact measurements and weight, as well as the details of its cut and quality. It precisely points out all the individual characteristics of the stone. Certificates also serve as proof of the diamond's identity and value. A certificate describes the quality of a diamond, but it does not place a monetary value on the gem.
Platinum
Found in very few places around the world, platinum is 30 times more rare than gold. As a pure metal, platinum is silvery-white in appearance, lustrous, ductile, and malleable. Platinum's wear- and tarnish-resistance characteristics are well suited for making fine jewelry. Platinum is naturally hypoallergenic and ideal for those with sensitive skin. Our platinum jewelry is ninety percent pure and is combined with ten percent iridium, palladium, ruthenium or other alloys.
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Gems
The words "gemstones","gems", "precious stones",or "semi-precious stones" all refer to rare minerals found in the wild or created in a laboratory and cut and polished for use in jewelry. Stones that are created in lab are less expensive than their mined counterparts because they are more common. Gems are measured by weight (carats) and/or size (millimeters). Each carat equals one-fifth of a gram and each carat is divided into 100 units called points. For example, a half-carat gem weighs 50 points.
Unlike diamonds, gems are often treated with heat, radiation, or with wax or oil to improve color, durability, or clarity. Some treatments are universally accepted, especially when the treatments will result in permanent change. When this can be done the gem is called "stable". Other treatments are frowned upon, usually when the treatment results in only a temporary shift.
Gold
Pure gold is 24 karat gold, which is too soft for many jewelry applications. Mixing gold with other metals increases its durability by increasing hardness and a karat marking indicates how much gold is in the piece. A higher number indicates a larger percentage of gold. For instance, 18k gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of other metals. Reputable manufactures like Ziva engrave the karat quantity marking on the piece itself.
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