Beyond the 4C’s
Why does a diamond with the same carat weight, cut, color and clarity look so different? At Javeri Jewelers we believe an educated customer is a customer who can shop with confidence. We believe in telling our consumers the truth about diamonds and the differences that will make your diamond stand out from the rest. Teaching our consumers to using with the same exacting standards diamond professionals buy with. Beyond the 4’C’s is Javeri Jewelers categories of D, E & F.
D : Depth of a diamond
The depth of a diamond directly relates to how much light is reflected back to an observer. A diamond with Ideal depth proportions will reflect the most light. If a diamond is too shallow, light entering from the crown and table facets will leak out from the bottom of the diamond and be lost to the eye. Alternately if a diamond is too deep, light entering from the facets will leak out from the sides where it is not seen. Here are some ideal depths for a few popular shapes:
- Rounds : 59-61.9%
- Ovals: 59-62%
- Marquise: 59-63%
- Princess: 65-70%
- Emerald: 61-67.5%
- Pear: 59-63%
Staying within the ideal range whether on the lower or higher side will also allow the consumer to pick diamonds that have a bigger table, look larger ,or fit their particular setting without losing light and brilliance.
E: The Excellent grade
Like Cut, excellent on a certificate denotes more than one category. Excellent on a GIA certificate covers three qualities of a diamond.
1: The Cut : Discussed in the cut grade under the 4’C’s
2: The Symmetry : The Symmetry or relationship between facets can directly affect the overall fire and brilliance of your diamond. Poor Symmetry and imperfect alignment of facets may cause the light entering a diamond to create nail heads,(dark centers under the table) off center culets, wavy girdles, and unsightly tables. Excellent symmetry is the perfect alignment of each facet to the other with sharp corners and perfect angles.
3. Polish: Diamond polish is the final finish on a cut diamond. Sometimes the polishing wheel will leave minute flaws on the surface of the diamond, or create burned spots that appear as white areas on the diamond, or polishing lines may be visible. The extent to which these minute flaws are visible to the naked eye determines the polish grade. If the polish lines are strong and visible to the naked eye they will affect the way light enters and exits a diamond. Polish grades are :
- Excellent Polish: No visible polish lines under 10 X loupe.
- Very Good Polish : Very hard to see polish lines under 10 x loupe.
- Good Polish: Hard to see under 10 X loupe.
- Fair: Polish lines and flaws visible under 10 X loupe.
- Poor Polish: Polish flaws visible with the naked eye.
Choosing an excellent or Very good overall grade on cut, symmetry and
polish will have a huge impact on the overall performance of your
diamond.
F: Florescence:
Florescence is a diamonds ability to emit a colored glow when exposed to ultra violet or black light. About 30 % of all diamonds exhibit some florescence. The most common color florescence in a diamond is blue though other colors do occur and will be marked on a diamond certificate. Florescence is always included in a diamond grading certificate no matter how little or absent it is in a particular diamond. It is one of the most important factors to influence both the performance and the price of a diamond. This is because strong florescence can affect the light return of a diamond and cause certain color grades to look hazy or blurry. Medium blue florescence can make a diamond with an H-K grade look whiter but can make a diamond with a higher color grade look hazy, whereas faint blue or no florescence will have no overall impact on a diamond. The Florescence grades are :
- Very Strong
- Strong
- Medium
- Faint and None.
We wish you the best of luck in your diamond search!
