Diamond Prices

The price of a diamond is influenced by the four C’s. Namely colour, clarity, cut and carat. For the sake of comparison, each of the four characteristics is graded in an internationally recognized format. This system of grading will be explained one by one.

COLOUR

The worth of a diamond is judged by its colour or rather colourlessness. A pure diamond is colourless. But such diamonds are very rare and consequently very expensive. Most diamonds contain certain amount of impurities in them. These impurities are responsible for the colouration in diamonds. To establish a reliable metric for comparing different diamonds and international system of grading has been devised. The grading, in the decreasing order of cost, is as follows:
1. Grade D to F – colourless
2. Grade G to J – Nearly colourless
3. Grade K to M – Faint yellow
4. Grade N to R – Very light yellow
5. Grade S to Z – Light yellow
6. Fancy – Fancy yellow

CLARITY

The clarity of a diamond is determined by the presence of impurities contained in the diamond. The location of the impurities within the diamond is also of importance. In America the GIA has developed a scale comprising of eleven categories. They are as follows (in the decreasing order of cost):

FL,IF,VVS1,VVS2,VS1,VS2,SI1, SI2, I1, I2,I3.

The first category represents flawless diamonds. The next three categories represent diamonds with microscopic inclusions. The subsequent four categories represent diamonds with inclusion which are barely visible by the naked eye. The last three classifications refer to diamonds with impurities easily identifiable by the naked eye.

CUT

One of the paramount qualities to look for in a diamond is its cut. The cut of the diamond determines its optical properties. A well cut, polished and proportioned diamond will have much more brilliance and lustre compared to a poorly cut diamond, even if the later is clearer and more colourless. The cut of the diamond, more precisely the alignment of each facet, is what makes the diamond glitter. Therefore prime importance must be given to the cut of the diamond if you intent to purchase one. The American Gem Society (AGS) has graded the diamonds into a category of ten, the best being AGS 0. AGS 0 diamonds exhibit perfect symmetry, exact proportions, even faceting and fine polishing. They are very expensive and rare. The next grades are AGS 1, 2, 3…. etc up to AGS 10. Thus it can be observed that the quality and cost of the diamond decreases with increase in the AGS index, making AGS 10 the worst, yet cheapest, examples of symmetry, proportioning and polishing.

CARAT

The carat weight of a diamond gives a measure of how heavy a diamond is. As carat weight of the diamond increases, so does the cost. Large diamonds, say ten carats or more, are extremely rare. But their unearthly beauty and elegance makes them more sought after. Consequently, they are very, very expensive. While buying diamonds, carat weight is an important parameter.