The Andrew Geoghegan Brand
Award winning British jewellery designer
Celebrating Great British design in the Jubilee year
Diamonds
Diamond is the hardest natural element and is highly prized for its remarkable optical qualities. If cut correctly, a diamond can reflect a dazzling spectrum of light. Diamonds are not indestructible and do break and chip. When the qualities of diamonds are discussed you will often hear the phrase “The Four C’s”. This refers to the Carat, Clarity, Colour and Cut of a diamond:
Carat
The unit for weighing diamonds which originates from the seed of the carab tree which has a uniform mass and was used by gem traders to measure the weight of stones. This unit is further divided up into fractions such as ¼ of a carat, or points where 100 points is equal to 1 carat. ¼ of a carat could be termed 25points.
Clarity
Clarity refers to the amount of inclusions in a diamond. All diamonds are categorised as Flawless, VVS (very very slightly included), VS (very slightly included), SI (slightly included), to I (included) (‘I’ is sometimes referred to as PK). There are further sub-categories within these as shown in the table below. Flawless is the most desirable clarity and relatively rare. At the other and of the scale, the inclusions in ‘I’ stones are generally noticeable to the trained eye, and have an effect on the brilliance and possibly durability of the stone.
Colour
Noted by letters of the alphabet starting from D – colourless or no yellow, through to Z – heavy yellow tint. D to K are the most common colours available on the market where D is the most desirable and valuable.
There are also natural fancy coloured diamonds; these can be, amongst others, intense yellow (after Z), pink, green and blue. ‘White’ diamonds are a great deal rarer and can demand huge prices. Treated Diamonds are diamonds that have been through a process (radiation for example) which alters or enhances their colour.
Cut
The cut refers to shape of the diamond. Examples include; Brilliant (round), Princess (square), Emerald (octagonal), Oval, Marquis (eye-shaped) and the list goes on. The Brilliant and Princess cuts have long been firm favourites, although each cut has its own beautiful characteristics such as the ‘corridor’ effect evident in the emerald cut.
Another important concern relates to the proportions and symmetry of the stone, which can also referred to as the Make. This has a huge effect on the ‘life’ of the stone, for example if a diamond is cut shallow then it will appear quite lifeless. This aspect is often overlooked due to the complexity of judging the ‘make’. It is, however, as relevant as the four C’s.
So next time you're looking for unsual engagement rings bear in mind the 4C's.
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