In pursuit of the perfect diamond

What is the 4C rule?

It concerns the characteristics that allow gemologists to evaluate the quality of the diamond's price. C designates the four criteria, Carat, Colour, Clarity and Cut.

What does Carat refer to?

Carat, a unit of measurement of the weight of a cut stone, refers very precisely to 0.2 grams. In antiquity, vendors who did business use the carob seed to evaluate weight.

What are the different nuances of Colour?

For white diamonds, there are several scales of colour from D to Z. The letters D/E/F describe a diamond of exceptional whiteness (the rarest). The initials G/H are attributed to white diamonds, from I to N a white, tinted diamond is referred to and, finally, N to Z determine a tinted diamond that presents nuances of grey, brown and yellow. 'Fancy Colour' diamonds - yellow, pink, blue, mauve and black - are highly sought after. The rarest of all is the red diamond, of which there are only five specimens in the world. Its exorbitant price tag is on a par with its rarity (several hundreds of millions of dollars).

What is understood by Clarity?

This concerns purity in terms of the number of defaults detected under the microscope (with 10x magnification). The scale of qualification goes from FL (Flawless), meaning without any impurities, to VVS (very very small) for very small inclusions to VS (very small) for some inclusions, then SI (small inclusions), in which case more visible defaults are present.

What do you need to know about the Cut?

For this last criterion, Cut evokes the size and therefore the worked form of the stone: pear, emerald, marquise, princess or heart. The 'brilliant cut' size from its rounded form and 57 sides, remains the most classic and that which has the greatest sparkle. A poorly sized diamond rapidly loses its sparkle.

The advice of Collector Square:

«It is preferable to choose a very white and less pure diamond than a very pure diamond whose colour is tinted. »