Diamond grading is done to judge the quality of the diamond. There are several factors that affect the quality and eventually the price of the diamond.
There is a mythical concept that many have heard of and that is propagated by the International organizations about the 4Cs of a diamond that affect it’s price. However, the value of a diamond goes far beyond the 4Cs.
The 4Cs of diamond grading do not consider several market related factors.
Let’s learn what diamond grading is in more depth:
Clarity
Grading organizations use magnifications to determine accurately the diamond’s clarity. It is to determine the flawlessness of a diamond. The flaws of a diamond depend on this, hence internal flaws are called inclusions and external flaws are called blemishes.
The diamond clarity grading scale where the diamonds are ranked are as follows: –
Acronym | Grade |
FL | Flawless |
IF | Internally Flawless |
VVS1 to VVS2 | Very Very Slightly Included |
VS1 to VS2 | Very slightly Included |
SI to SI2 | Slightly Included |
I1, I2 and I3 | Included |
At JK Diamonds Institute, the clarity grades are double that of international standards and are more minutely covered to gauge the diamonds. This detailed grading helps the buyer in purchasing the best quality at the best prices.
Color
Color grades in diamonds range from D to Z. “D” color is known as Colorless and as you move towards “Z”, the color c towards yellowish or brownish. Then there are natural colors such as red, orange, blue among others which are extremely rare. The color grades for such fancy diamonds are determined based on the diamond grading scale from C1 to C8. Then, there are treated fancy colors as well and diamond graders should be able to distinguish between natural fancy colored diamonds and treated colored diamonds.
Cut
Cutting diamonds with precision and focus needs practice and accurate expertise. This has a significant impact on how it captures light. Having the practicality to understand the proportions, symmetry factors and polishing factors to gauge the cut of the diamond is a diamond grader’s responsibility. The Cut of a diamond affects the diamond’s ability to capture and reflect light.
Carat
While many people confuse carat with diamond size, carat is simply a weight measurement (though carat can give you an idea of a diamond’s size). When analyzing carat, grading organizations weigh diamonds to the fifth decimal place using a specific electronic micro-balance or weighing machine. The price of a diamond increases incrementally with the increase in carats.
Coming to the aspects that are beyond the 4Cs of diamond grading. Aspects such as Fluorescence, demand and supply, market preferences, treatments in diamonds, certification, etc. are certain factors that actually affect the value of a diamond drastically.
At J K Diamonds Institute, they have developed a unique system of 7Cs and 7S’ to determine the value of a diamond comprehensively. These are practical factors that easily help the diamond grader to judge the quality of the diamonds and guide the customer to match the required diamond quality with their budget. This system has been created by diamond industry experts who are diamond graders, traders, exporters and jewellers.
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