The4Cs

A diamond's quality depends upon the four "C"s, which are Color, Clarity, Carat Weight, and Cut. These four categories are considered the universal standards in evaluating the beauty of a diamond.

Color
Diamonds range in color from colorless to yellow. Even though most diamonds appear colorless to the untrained eye, the majority of diamonds contain traces of yellow or brown. The closer the stone is to colorless, the more valuable the diamond.

Clarity
Most diamonds contain very tiny natural birthmarks known as inclusions. However, the fewer and smaller the inclusions are, the less likely they will interfere with the passage of light through the diamond, and the more beautiful the diamond will be. Diamond is nature's material that is most capable of producing a maximum amount of brilliance. A diamond that is free of both inclusions and surface blemishes is very rare and therefore more valuable.

Carat
Weight This is the weight of the diamond measured in carats. One carat is divided into 100 'points', so that a diamond of 75 points weighs 0.75 carats. Carat weight is the easiest of the 4C's to determine. But two diamonds of equal weight can have very unequal value, depending on their cut, color and clarity.

Cut
Diamond cutting techniques have been refined since the fifteenth century, when master craftsmen passed down their art form from generation to generation. Today, the finest diamond cutting still occurs in the hands of a skilled craftsman. Cut determines the fire and the brilliance of the diamond. If the diamond is cut with just the right proportions and at certain precise angles, the stone's ability to reflect and refract light will be maximized. When a round diamond is cut to Ideal proportions, light will bounce freely within the diamond and reflect back out of the crown without escaping through the opposite side or the bottom of the stone. The skill and experience of the diamond cutter will determine the stone's brilliance and scintillation.

Ideal Cut Diamonds

Certification
The standard grading system which laboratories employ is heavily relied upon by the jewelry industry to provide the most authoritative and accurate information regarding the quality of a diamond. Issued by an independent gem lab, these reports provide a thorough evaluation of each stone and identify the diamond's imperfections. The information listed is so specific that it can be used to identify a particular stone at a later date. The American Gem Society is the leading gemological laboratory that assigns a cut grade to the round diamonds it examines. They use three factors to determine this grade: polish, symmetry, and proportions. The AGS assigns a zero (0) grade to the diamonds that have met "ideal" criteria for all three factors.

Polish
The final finish must be perfectly void of any streaks or marks left over by the manufacturing process.

Symmetry
Every facet needs to be of equal size and perfectly opposite its counterpart on the crown and pavilion.

Proportions
Ideal proportions are those strict angles and proportions that will maximize refraction and reflection. When proportions are ideal, the diamond will appear whiter because more light is reflected out of the crown. Even diamonds with more color will face up whiter.

AGS-Ideal "0"
A diamond that receives the AGS-0 Ideal Cut rating for all three categories (polish, symmetry, and proportions) is commonly referred to by those in the know as an AGS-0 Ideal Cut Diamond or a "Triple Ideal Cut Diamond". Triple Ideal Cut Diamonds are those stones that have achieved the highest standards currently acknowledged by independent gem labs.

What are Hearts

Hearts & Arrows is a visual phenomenon that appears in the finest Ideal Cut round brilliant diamonds when viewed in a gemscope. Diamonds cut with precisely aligned and carefully shaped facets combined with optimum proportions produce an incredibly brilliant sight, called Hearts & Arrows.

A Hearts & Arrows Ideal Cut Diamond is the ultimate and most brilliant in the world. When a Hearts & Arrows Ideal Cut Diamond is placed in a gemscope, anyone can clearly see the effect of the Arrows in the top view of the diamond, and Hearts from the bottom view.

Beware of diamonds exhibiting a partial Hearts & Arrows pattern that is not crisp and sharp. These are not genuine Hearts & Arrows. Hearts & Arrows are usually found only in diamonds that meet American Gem Society Laboratories' AGS"0" Ideal Cut requirements. The scope is merciless when it comes to any deviation from perfection. Any detour from the correct path of light will result in the deformation or absence of either hearts or arrows. This device, as unassuming as it may appear, can clearly show even the untrained eye how well or how poorly a diamond is cut.

A diamond that is an AGS Triple Ideal Cut and has crisp Hearts & Arrows is manufactured to the highest standards in existence today.

The most frequently asked question:

"Why aren't all diamonds polished to Hearts & Arrows Ideal perfection?"

The answer is time and money .

It takes an experienced cutter years before he is able to achieve this level of perfection. In many cases cutters do not want to cut these elite stones. Being paid by the piece, cutters would rather mass produce inferior cuts for which there is more demand. Once a master cutter has started polishing a Hearts & Arrows Ideal Cut Diamond, it will take about 2 to 3 times longer to finish than it would an average diamond. He will use his 10X loupe many hundreds of times, and will check his work by computer a dozen times. He will also polish away much more of the original rough diamond than he would if he were cutting a standard stone.

On the average cutting a Hearts & Arrows Ideal Cut Diamond will require a 15% greater waste of the original material. So, over the course of a year, one can easily imagine the hundreds of hours and extra carats lost to dust that this level of precision requires.

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