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Learn more about diamonds: the 4Cs and diamond certification… to shine like a star on your night out – although naturally not just because of your jewellery

Diamonds all have different weights, sizes, colours and clarity. These are called the “4Cs” because the technical names for these criteria all begin with C: Carat (weight), Cut (size), Colour and Clarity. These are the four principle criteria used to class a diamond and so determine the diamonds value.

Certification:

1 carat = 0.2 grams.

You will also hear talk about “points”: 1 carat is divided into 100 points: so, a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats is equal to 25 points or even 1/4 of a carat.

The creation of specialised laboratories in the 1970s allowed a more scientific evaluation of diamonds, as they were able to put specific measuring techniques into practice.

From this, laboratories such as G.I.A. (Gemological Institute of America) and H.R.D (Hode Raad voor Diamant) were born. Today these laboratories are internationally renowned.

The role of these laboratories is to analyse the diamonds and to create a certificate for each one, which indicates the characteristics of the diamond. These characteristics are the 4Cs: the diamond’s weight (carat), the diamond’s colour, the diamond’s clarity, the diamond’s size (cut). The certificates also include the diamonds dimensions, fluorescence and finish (its polish and symmetry).

Example of a certificate:

Weight (Carat)

The unit of measure for a diamond is the carat.

Measuring the weight of a diamond

A diamond is weighed

Tags: 4 Cs, 4Cs, Diamond, diamond certificate, diamond clarity, diamond colour, fluorescence, gia certificate