Everything you need to know about Diamonds

The word diamond comes from the Greek Adamas, which means “invincible”; this name was attributed to it because of its hardness, as it is the toughest material in the world. Each diamond is unique, there are no two equals, and the more exotic the stone is, the greater it’s quality and, therefore, its value.

The natural process for a diamond to form is extremely long, as it is made up of pure carbon atoms that, under different conditions, such as extreme pressure and temperature, give life to what is known as the diamond network.

Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a worldwide recognized institution that is responsible for certifying diamonds and precious stones based on their quality and rarity. It was founded in 1931 and has established different parameters to evaluate diamonds, which are used worldwide.

The value of a diamond is determined from the 4 Cs: carat (weight), color, cut and clarity. Next, we tell you everything you need to know to choose a diamond.

1. Weight

The weight of a diamond is measured in carats; One carat equals 0.2 grams. Many people confuse this term and think that karats refer to the size of diamonds when in fact what they determine is their weight.

In general, diamonds weigh between 0.50 and 5 carats. In 2016, Sotheby’s auctioned one of the most coveted diamonds in the world: it was found in South Africa and its raw weight is 1109 carats. Unfortunately, it failed to sell, but its size was almost that of a tennis ball.

2. Color

Color is another important feature when choosing a diamond. A stone acquires greater value the less color it has; that is, the more translucent the diamond is. However, we must consider that there are diamonds with exotic colors such as black or pink diamonds, which, being very difficult to find, have greater value.

GIA established a scale to measure this concept and is indicated by letters: it begins with the D, which represents the purest color, and ends with the Z, which would be a diamond with yellow and brown tones. In many cases, it is difficult to appreciate the color with the naked eye, but it is a relevant factor in defining its quality.

3. Cut

The cut of a diamond is what defines its brightness, so it is one of the most important characteristics. The cut is defined according to seven points: brightness, fire, scintillation, radius weight, durability, polishing, and symmetry.

The scale of the stone cut goes from excellent to poor. The cut is often confused with the shape, but the latter refers rather to whether the diamond is round, oval, like pear, square, triangular, etc.

4. Purity

As they are stones that are underground, most diamonds have imperfections embedded both inside and on the surface. These tiny imperfections can be, for example, pieces of coal.

The fewer imperfections and inlays a diamond has, the purer it is. This scale was defined by GIA and the purest diamonds are called flawless, although in reality, few people in the world have managed to find one with those characteristics. The scale is subdivided into 11 degrees, which can be observed with a 10x magnification. Flawless diamonds are followed by VVS (very very slightly included) until they reach I (included).

Therefore, the next time you go to buy a diamond, don’t forget to check this article!