4Cs Is Old School, 5Cs Is The Better Way

Every DIAMOND LOVER is generally aware of the 4Cs. They must always be taken into consideration when making a decision to purchase diamonds. But what if we tell you, that’s the old formula that you shouldn’t be using anymore.

Traditional diamond mining is the most energy extensive process and wreaks havoc on the planet. The continuous, indiscriminate practice of mining was simply not sustainable decades back, and today, when environmental concerns have become a major issue drawing the undivided attention of the whole globe, turning a blind eye to it would prove to be fatal.

Below is a brief on each of the 5 Cs;

CUT

Compared with the other Cs, technically, CUT is the most important feature to look out for in any diamond. It is CUT that determines how the diamond piece will reflect and refract light that will overall enhance the entire look and feel of the diamond.

A finely cut diamond adds the pivotal characteristics of brilliance, fire and scintillation to the diamond;

Brilliance – It is dependent on how good is the reflection of white light

Fire – It is dependent on the quality of dispersion of white light in rainbow colour

Scintillation – It is related to the sparkle of the diamond and appears from the contrast resulting from dark and light areas.

The cut of the diamond should neither be too shallow nor too deep, as both would lead to the escaping of the white light, resulting in very little sparkle.

CUT is so important that it even trumps over CLARITY. Even if your diamond is flawless and has no inclusions, a poorly done CUT, will steal away all the sparkle and brilliance from the diamond and it will appear dull.

According to GIA, following are the categories of a diamond CUT;

Poor  |  Fair  |  Good  |  Very Good  |  Excellent

At DOVE DIAMOND, we offer diamonds that have a VERY GOOD CUT. Interestingly, to the naked eye the difference between an EXCELLENT CUT and a VERY GOOD CUT is unidentifiable.

COLOUR

In general, the majority of the diamonds found naturally exhibit some type of colour. The presence of colour is due to the impurities or the inclusions present within the stone. The higher the inclusion, the stronger the colour.

Colourless diamond is an absolute rarity, as it is very difficult to have a diamond that does not have any inclusions in it. Some of the naturally occurring colours in diamonds includes grey, white, pink, yellow, brown and green.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grades colour in the following in a long grading list spanning from D to Z, where D signifies the best diamond which is absolutely colourless, while Z having the highest inclusions giving it a yellow or brown colour. Coloured diamonds are valued differently and it is the rarity of colours that determines their price.

The D-F category diamonds give a pure white, icy look. Some however prefer a coloured stone to match it up with the warm colour of the clothes or just for aesthetic purposes.

However, it is important to note that the visibility of a colour in a diamond is found in bigger diamonds. So for example if you are buying a diamond that is 0.5 carat or even under 1 carat, then the visibility of the colour will be negligible. But if you go for bigger sizes, the colour will become apparent.

So, if you want to buy a jewellery under 1 carat, you can even go for diamonds falling in the J or even K category.

At DOVE DIAMOND, all our diamonds fall in near colourless range that is F – G.

CLARITY

As the name suggests, CLARITY is all about how clear the diamond is. The impurities found within the diamond are called “inclusions,” whereas those found on the surface of the diamond are called blemishes. Inclusions can be of varying types including clouds, feathers, minerals, cavities, etc., whereas blemishes are generally in the form of scratches, breaks, polish lines, etc.

Without doubt, diamonds that are more free from inclusions and blemishes are graded higher in terms of value. However, finding a diamond that is free from inclusions is very rare, this is because the natural process takes place for years and inside the earth’s mantle, which makes it very difficult to find a diamond that has escaped any kind of impurities in it.

The presence of inclusions fails to provide the required sparkle and flawless look to it, however, the effect of inclusions is visible when the size of the diamond is large. In smaller diamonds, inclusions do not play a much bigger role.

According to GIA, the grading of clarity range spans from I – FL, where I stands for “included” and IF stands for “flawless.” Within each category, there are subcategories, for example, “I” is further divided into I1, I2 and I3. The full grading goes like;

I1, I2, I3  |  SI1, SI2  |  VS1, VS2  |  VVS1, VVS2  |  IF  |  FL

IF is “internally flawless,” yet having some blemishes on the surface.

The position of an inclusion greatly impacts the quality of the diamond. If the position of an inclusion is anywhere around the pavillion or under the table, it is likely to impact the falling light and hence affect its brilliance and fire.

At DOVE DIAMOND, we only offer VS1 – VS2 grade diamonds that are amazingly clean and affordable.

CARAT

Among all the Cs, carat is something that even a layman knows as it is related to the weight of the diamond. The higher the carat, the more the value. According to standards, 1 carat is equal to 200 mg (milligrams) or 0.2 grams.

No prize for guessing, the bigger the carat size, the bigger is the smile on the face of the woman.

However, going for a higher carat size directly impacts the pocket and there are two ways in which you can satisfy your love for bigger diamonds, without impacting your pocket much.

The first way is to go for diamond jewellery that is made of multiple pieces of diamonds. The multiple pieces, when placed strategically, give the appearance of a larger stone. At DOVE DIAMOND, we have a wide range of diamond jewellery made of multiple stones. In such a design, a 0.3 carat diamond jewellery, appears to be equivalent to a 0.5 carat diamond jewellery.

The second way is to not go for the rounded off carat size. For example, if you want to buy 1 carat diamond, then it is better to go for 0.9 carat diamond. The size difference will be very little, whereas the price difference will be significant as full carat sizes are highly priced.

CONSCIENCE

This C is the most important characteristic, especially in the times we are living in. The exploitation of the planet earth and the wanton destruction of animal habitat and green cover has made it extremely important for all of us to behave responsibly, no matter what.

CONSCIENCE necessitates that we only choose and buy those diamonds that are not causing harm to our already devastating planet. CONSCIENCE motivates us to make ethical choices when it comes to choosing luxury. Thankfully, the rise of conscientious buyers in the 21st century have added on to this trend and we at DOVE DIAMOND, make sure that we provide an ETHICAL ALTERNATIVE to the BLOOD DIAMOND, so that people can satisfy their love for diamonds without compromising on the values they stand for.

DOVE DIAMOND humanises the diamond industry and offers GUARANTEED CONFLICT-FREE DIAMONDS that causes no harm to the planet, the animals as well as the humans.