THE 4Cs

Cut

The Cut Refers to the facet proportions, symmetry and polish of a diamond surface. Each diamond that is precisely cut and defined as a diamond of ‘good make’ produces three key attributes : Brightness (Light reflections from a diamond), Fire (Dispersion into colors of the spectrum) and Scintillation (Light flashes when a diamond moves). It is a fine balance between cutting for maximum size or optimal brilliance. A diamond cut too thick will product unnecessary weight while if cut too shallow will allow for light dispersion through the sides. A standard round brilliant diamond will have 57 or 58 facets with the 58th facet being a ting flat facet at the bottom of the pavilion. This is different from the shapes of a diamond which includes Cushion, Emerald, Heart, Marquise, Pear, Princess, Oval  as they are often called fancy shape diamonds (See under Shapes). The Canary Diamond only accepts diamonds of the two highest grades for fancy shapes from the five classifications of diamond cuts, Excellent and Very Good. For Round Brilliant Diamonds, we only accept diamonds of the highest grade, Excellent.

With an Excellent Cut diamond, when a cutter cuts just the right number of facets in just the right angles, a light show erupts within the diamond, like thousands of multi colored lightbulbs winking at you through the surface.

Clarity

Most Diamonds contains birthmarks, which are either internal inclusions or external blemishes. The absence of these birthmarks will determine the higher clarity grading of a diamond. With 11 clarity grades, they range from being Flawless (With no external or internal imperfections under ten-power magnifications) to I3 (With Inclusions), this determines the value of the diamond. Internally Flawless diamonds are exceptionally rare and are priced accordingly. The Canary Diamond only accepts the Top 7 grades (FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2) taking into consideration the size nature, position, color and quantity of these birthmarks

Color

A diamond is made of pure carbon. During a diamond’s natural development, some minute impurities have caused a chemical reaction within to alter the color of the diamond. For instance, traces of boron gives diamonds a blue color while nitrogen reacts with carbon to form yellow diamonds. However, color is really a matter of preference.  Some buyers will insist on colorless diamonds for their radiance and purity, while others will prefer slightly tinted yellow diamonds for their warm hues. Although a diamond never changes its color, the setting of a diamond ring could influence the color of a diamond. A yellow gold setting makes a diamond appear whiter while a platinum setting will highlight the warm tones of a slight . At the Canary, our diamond buyers sources only colorless D to H graded diamonds.

Fancy colored diamonds (yellow, blue, violet, orange, pink and red – the most rare) fall into the Color Diamond category and they often command higher premiums because of their rarity. The 45.52 carat Blue Hope Diamond currently on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. is perhaps the world’s most famous colored diamond. We have a large inventory of colored diamonds in various shapes and sizes to meet the needs of the discerning Canary customer.

Carat

One Carat or Caratage (Derived from the carob seed once used to weight diamonds) of a diamond is equivalent to 0.20 grams.  As Carat Weight is an important way of pricing a Diamond, Diamond Brilliance is often sacrificed when diamond cutters attempt to increase the carat weight by creating an excessively thick girdle or cutting poor proportions for the illusion of a larger diamond. When considering diamonds of equal quality, rarer larger stones will have considerably more value. A two Carat diamond will cost more than the price of two one carat diamonds of similar qualities. The Canary Diamond accepts stones of all weights by prioritizing the brilliance and the cut of the Diamond over the carat weight.

To find out more about the 4Cs, please check out the Gemologist Institute of American of GIA’s website for more information.