THE FOUR C'S: What are the 4 C’s and why are they important? The 4 C’s are: cut, color, clarity and carat weight. They are the value factors that describe the quality of a finished diamond. Carat weight, color, cut, and clarity all influence a diamond’s value because they affect rarity. The most crucial thing to remember when purchasing a diamond is that rarity equals expense!
DIAMOND CUT :The only human contribution to the beauty and brilliance of a diamond is the cut. Cut refers to the overall proportions and finish of a polished gem, not its shape, and is important because it affects light performance. There are three important attributes of light performance: brilliance, fire, and scintillation. Brilliance is the brightness created by all the white light reflections from the surface and the inside of the diamond, fire is the flashes of color you see when you rock the diamond back and forth, and scintillation is the flashes of light you see when the diamond or observer moves. A well-proportioned gem shows a captivating display of brilliance, fire, and scintillation, all thanks to the way light performs.
There are three major parts to the anatomy of a faceted diamond: the crown, the girdle, and the pavilion. The crown is the top part of the gem above the girdle. It usually has a large flat facet on top, know as the table. The girdle is the narrow section of the gem that forms the boundary between the crown and the pavilion. It is used to set the gem in jewelry. The pavilion is the lower part of the gem, which often comes to a fine point, but not always. Sometimes the pavilion has a small flat facet at the bottom, called the culet.
If a diamond is cut too deep or too shallow, light rays exit through the pavilion, instead of reflecting back to the eye, which makes the gem appear dark and lifeless. We only carry diamonds that are well-proportioned (Premium to Ideal Cut), so you will see top light performance in every diamond we sell. Another important feature we look for in diamonds is thin-thick girdles. A very thin girdle is undesirable because it is prone to chipping/damage. A very thick girdle makes the diamond appear small for its size by retaining weight where it cannot be seen. These seemingly minor details can significantly affect durability and price, so we maintain strict parameters on our clients behalf to ensure your diamond purchase will bring them a lifetime of enjoyment.
DIAMOND COLOR : Many people think of diamonds as colorless, but in reality, truly colorless diamonds are quite rare. Most diamonds are nearly colorless with yellow or brown tints (most commonly yellow), but diamonds also come in many colors other than yellow and brown. The diamonds that fall in the normal color range- that is, from colorless to light yellow and brown- are graded on a scale from D-Z. Within the normal color range, the most rare diamonds are colorless, so they are the most valuable. Even subtle differences in color can cause dramatic variations in price.
Color Grades Defined:
D E F: Colorless. Rarest color grades of all.
G H I J: Near Colorless. Can be difficult to distinguish from colorless when set.
K L M: Faint Color
N-R: Very Light Color
S-Z: Light Color
We recommend H or better color for a diamond that appears white to the naked eye, since I color grade is borderline. With J color grade and below, an untrained eye can detect a faint amount of color, especially when the stone is set in a white metal, such as palladium or platinum.
Natural colored diamonds outside the normal color range- like a yellow or brown diamond that has more color than a Z or a diamond that exhibits a color other than yellow or brown- are called fancy-colored diamonds. Diamonds in the D-Z range usually decrease in value as the color becomes more apparent. With fancy-colored diamonds, the opposite is true. Value usually increases as color deepens. Fancy-colored diamonds are found in nearly every color of the rainbow. The rarest fancy colors are red, green, purple, and orange, followed by pink and blue. Yellows and browns are the most common fancy colors. Find out more about natural fancy colored diamonds on our Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds page.
Champagne Diamonds: C1 - C7 shown below
DIAMOND CLARITY : The landscape of a diamond comes to life when viewed under a microscope. Internal features, called inclusions, and surface irregularities, called blemishes, are found in the vast majority of diamonds. Together, they are known as clarity characteristics, and they affect the optical properties of a polished gem. Clarity is the relative absence of inclusions and blemishes. Many times, clarity characteristics are not apparent to the naked eye, but can be seen under magnification. The size, number, position, nature, and relief of clarity characteristics in a diamond are important factors in determining its value. Even very small clarity characteristics can have a large influence on diamond value due to the rarity of their absence.
Clarity grades defined:
FL: Flawless. No blemishes or inclusions under 10x magnification.
IF: Internally flawless. No inclusions and only insignificant blemishes under 10x magnification
VVS1-VVS2: Very, Very Slightly Included. Minute inclusions that are very difficult to see under 10x magnification.
VS1-VS2: Very Slightly Included. Minor inclusions that are difficult to see under 10x magnification.
SI1-SI2: Slightly Included. Noticeable inclusions under 10x magnification.
I1, I2, I3: Included. Obvious inclusions under 10x magnification.
Clarity characteristics help gemologists separate diamond from simulants, provide scientists with valuable information about how diamonds form, and help industry professionals and consumers identify individual stones.
A flawless diamond is extremely rare (even most jewelry professionals never lay their eyes on one throughout their career!), however, it is not at all necessary to buy a flawless diamond in order to obtain a stone that appears clean to the naked eye. We recommend VS2-SI1 clarity grades for the best overall value on a diamond that appears eye-clean. Truth be told, not all SI1’s are alike, but we guarantee all of our SI1’s to be eye-clean because we have a GIA Diamond Graduate on staff who inspects each stone we receive to ensure they meet our quality standard. In the event a given diamond does not meet our quality standard, we will reject the stone on your behalf and continue looking for something better. This is part of our 100% satisfaction guarantee.
DIAMOND CARAT WEIGHT: The standard unit of measurement for gem weight is a metric carat. A metric carat (abbreviated “ct”) is divided into 100 parts, just like pennies to a dollar. The weight of each diamond is measured very precisely- to a thousandth of a carat and then rounded to the nearest hundredth. Each hundredth of a carat, or point, adds monetary value. The larger a diamond’s carat weight, the more rare the diamond is, and therefore more expensive. Some are surprised to learn that diamond weight is not directly proportional to price. For example, a 1.00 ct diamond does not cost twice as much as a 0.50 ct diamond, if all else is equal. It actually costs much more due to the rarity of the size. Large diamonds are rarer than small ones, and fractions of a carat can dramatically impact price, by as much as hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars, depending on the quality of the gem.
KRIKAWA'S FIFTH C: CONSCIOUSNESS: It is not enough anymore to talk simply about the 4 C's. At Krikawa, we make every diamond purchase with clear conscience: our vendors are carefully selected to maintain the highest ethics in diamond purchasing.
CANADIAN DIAMONDS : We are proud to offer Polar Bear Diamonds, the only diamonds mined and manufacured entirely within Canada. If you would like pricing on a specific shape and size, please email us.
Each Polar Bear diamond is inscribed with a symbol of a Polar Bear and a unique serial number that can be used for idenitifcation purposes. All Polar Bear diamonds come with a Government Certificate of Authenticity and are certified by an independent laboratory. Krikawa Jewelry Designs is the only authorized retailer of Polar Bear diamonds in Arizona. For more information on these diamonds, please visit www.polarbeardiamond.com.
GEMESIS CULTURED DIAMONDS™ : A Gemesis cultured diamond is a diamond, grown in a lab under the same conditions as diamonds that form below the Earth's surface. If you would like pricing on a specific shape and size, please email us.
By applying tremendous heat and pressure, a diamond begins to grow atom by atom, layer by layer, just as it does in nature. A Gemesis cultured diamond possesses the same physical, optical and chemical properties as Earth-grown diamonds. Gemesis Cultured Diamonds™ are grown one diamond at a time and are polished by master diamond cutters using traditional polishing techniques. Each Gemesis cultured diamond possesses unique characteristics and is accompanied by an International Gemological Institute Certificate. Plus each Renaissance Diamond is laser inscribed with its growth and certificate number.
CONFLICT FREE DIAMONDS : All other diamonds that we sell fall under the Kimberly Process. United Nations Compliance Statement Regarding Kimberly Process: For any product fabricated from rough diamonds mined from January 1, 2003 onward, our vendors certify that the diamonds provided have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations Resolutions. They guarantee that these diamonds are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by their supplier of these diamonds.
LABORATORY CERTIFICATION: With few exceptions, all of our diamonds are graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society (AGS). These two labs hold the strictest standards of grading in the industry.
MOISSANITE: Moissanite is a truly remarkable diamond simulant. A lab created gem, it is recommended because its rated "excellent" for everday wear, and is highly dispersive. It is NOT to be confused with cubic zirconia. Moissanite has a much greater value than CZ and other diamond simulants on the market because of its unique physical and optical properties, and it is faceted with the same proportions as a "Premium Cut" diamond. Moissanite is near colorless; it does have a slightly greenish-yellow tint. Please inquire for prices. For more information on Moissanite, please visit www.moissanite.com. This is the only diamond simulant we currently recommend.
GUARANTEE: We guarantee that all diamonds will match the certification. Our written guarantee is backed by our excellent rating with the Better Business Bureau.
