The Four C's
January 16th 2007 02:20
When Scary Spice married Dutch dancer, Jimmy Gulzar, it was rumoured that he paid for her to tattoo an engagement ring on her finger.
Sure, that's one option.
But if you prefer something a little more traditional, then read on, because no girl or guy should purchase a diamond ring without knowing a few things (or four).
Yes, I'm talking about the Four C's - Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat.
CUT
The cut of a diamond refers to the way in which the diamond is shaped from its beginning shape as a block of stone to its final gem-like appearance. There are particular angles in which a diamond should be cut in order for it to reflect the maximum amount of light.
In 1919, mathematician Marcel Tolkowsky developed what we now refer to as the "round brilliant cut". This is the ideal diamond cut and the further a diamond's dimensions are to those developed by good old Marcel, the less light a diamond will be able to reflect.
CLARITY
The clarity of a diamond refers to, well, how clear the diamond is. Some diamonds have small defects called inclusions which are crystals of foreign objects or cracks in the diamond that cause the the diamond to appear cloudy.
Inclusions are not something that can generally be seen by the naked eye and rather, require 10x magnification for visibility.
Hint - if you'd like a larger diamond at a more affordable price, opt for a diamond with "Very Slight Inclusions" as graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Trust me, it looks the same as a perfectly flawless diamond, only much bigger!
COLOUR
They say that a perfect diamond is completely transparent and contains no colour. This is quite rare so a more realistic scale to go by is one of "whiteness".
The GIA has developed a colour-grading system from D to Z with D being colourless and Z containing a yellow hue.
Again, if you'd like a larger diamond at an affordable price, opt for a diamond lower down on the colour scale. The only time you can tell the difference is if you compare that diamond to another, which, dare I say, most normal people do not do.
CARAT
The carat of a dimaond is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot but no one really knows what it means. So let me explain...
Carat refers to the mass of a diamond. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams whilst 0.01 carats is equal to 2 milligrams.
Generally, you will find that diamond traders or jewellers stock up to 5 carat diamonds. If he's got the dough, but then again, size never matters with us girls does it?
Sure, that's one option.
But if you prefer something a little more traditional, then read on, because no girl or guy should purchase a diamond ring without knowing a few things (or four).
by anitapatterson from www.morguefile.com
Yes, I'm talking about the Four C's - Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat.
CUT
The cut of a diamond refers to the way in which the diamond is shaped from its beginning shape as a block of stone to its final gem-like appearance. There are particular angles in which a diamond should be cut in order for it to reflect the maximum amount of light.
In 1919, mathematician Marcel Tolkowsky developed what we now refer to as the "round brilliant cut". This is the ideal diamond cut and the further a diamond's dimensions are to those developed by good old Marcel, the less light a diamond will be able to reflect.
CLARITY
The clarity of a diamond refers to, well, how clear the diamond is. Some diamonds have small defects called inclusions which are crystals of foreign objects or cracks in the diamond that cause the the diamond to appear cloudy.
Inclusions are not something that can generally be seen by the naked eye and rather, require 10x magnification for visibility.
Hint - if you'd like a larger diamond at a more affordable price, opt for a diamond with "Very Slight Inclusions" as graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Trust me, it looks the same as a perfectly flawless diamond, only much bigger!
COLOUR
They say that a perfect diamond is completely transparent and contains no colour. This is quite rare so a more realistic scale to go by is one of "whiteness".
The GIA has developed a colour-grading system from D to Z with D being colourless and Z containing a yellow hue.
Again, if you'd like a larger diamond at an affordable price, opt for a diamond lower down on the colour scale. The only time you can tell the difference is if you compare that diamond to another, which, dare I say, most normal people do not do.
CARAT
The carat of a dimaond is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot but no one really knows what it means. So let me explain...
Carat refers to the mass of a diamond. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams whilst 0.01 carats is equal to 2 milligrams.
Generally, you will find that diamond traders or jewellers stock up to 5 carat diamonds. If he's got the dough, but then again, size never matters with us girls does it?
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