For billions of years, diamonds have developed beneath the surface of the Earth. In the mantle of the Earth, carbon is transformed into diamonds by the high pressure and heat. It is customary to evaluate the quality and worth of a diamond based on four criteria, known as the four Cs: the carat weight, cut quality, clarity, and color.

Characteristics associated with clarity in diamonds

There are tremendous temperatures and pressures that must be met for a diamond to form. Inclusions and imperfections can occur naturally as a result of this diamond forming process. It’s essential to know how these features affect the overall appearance of the stone when evaluating diamond clarity, according to the GIA’s definition. However, no diamond is completely flawless; even the most expensive diamond engagement rings are not perfect in clarity, but the closer they come, the more valuable they are.

Diamond texture closeup and kaleidoscope top view of round gemstone

The color of a diamond

A diamond’s color rating measures the lack of color in a diamond. The better a diamond’s clarity grade, the more valuable it is. The more color a diamond has, the lower it falls on the color scale, which is an alphabetical grading scale. As the diamond’s color grade decreases, more yellow, brown, or grey flecks can be seen on the diamond’s surface.

Gemstones collection jewelry set

The cut is another characteristic of a diamond

How well the stone can utilize light is determined by its cut grade. The light should be let into the top of a well-cut round brilliant diamond and reflected back out as brightness, rainbow hues, or scintillation if it has been properly cut. The polish, symmetry, and proportions of the stone’s facets, or flat surfaces, are the most important factors in determining a diamond’s cut grade. A brilliant round diamond has 57 facets, all of which must meet at specific angles and be proportional to the diamond’s overall size in order to reflect most of the light.

Ten various diamonds' cuts

Carat, a characteristic to measure the weight of a diamond

Carats are the unit of measurement for the physical weight of diamonds. This measurement comes from an ancient way of weighing valuable metals and jewels against a carob tree seed, which was used in ancient times. Because carob seeds were thought to be evenly distributed in weight at the time, traders utilized them as weighting guidelines for their products. Carob seeds ranged in size from small to large, and the weight of the stones varied by around one metric carat. The carat weight of a diamond does not indicate its size. The size of two diamonds of the same carat weight can vary based on the cut quality and shape of the diamonds. On the other hand, the price of two diamonds of the same carat weight might differ significantly depending on the other three parameters of the diamond as well as other pricing considerations.

Hand holding a diamond with weight scale tweezers and a pile of diamond

Diamonds are an obvious option for a gift to celebrate the union of two individuals who are sharing a life together. No two diamonds are exactly alike, just as no two people are exactly alike. Now that you’ve spent time finding each other, it’s time to pick a suitable stone to symbolize your love. If you are on such a hunt, we offer you the best diamond collection in Vancouver to choose from. If you have any questions, you can contact us directly from our website or just give us a call.