The 4 C's
According to the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), mined diamonds and lab-grown diamonds co-exist today in the market. It is accepted amongst industry bodies that the universal 4 C's system applies to lab-grown diamonds. Therefore, both mined and lab diamonds are judged on four criteria, known as the FOUR C's.
Even with using a jewelry loupe, man-made diamonds are nearly impossible to differentiate from natural diamonds and can only be distinguished from natural diamonds with highly specialised testing equipment.
As the 4 C's are the parameters of which lab-grown diamonds are graded, they will play an essential role in helping you choose the right diamond for you.
Here is an overview of the 4 C's:
CUT:
This evaluates the cutter's artisanship which has a significant effect on the stones captivating beauty. The geometry and finish of a diamond help the gemstone achieve the best brightness, sparkle, and light performance. The cut is the most complex and technically challenging aspect of analyzing and grading a diamond. The cut is judged from Excellent to Poor.
COLOR:
Colorless white diamonds are traditionally the most desirable, while light yellow or brown hues can depict a lower quality. Color is graded from the letter D through to Z on a spectrum of five levels: Colorless, Near Colorless, Faint, Very Light, and Light. Other colors of diamonds (blue, red, pink, etc.) are known as "fancy-color" with a different color grading system than from colorless diamonds.
CLARITY:
Almost all diamonds, including lab-grown diamonds, have imperfections called inclusions (internal) and blemishes (external), which can only be seen under 10x magnification. Clarity is the measurement of these flaws, grading the stone on a range from Flawless to Included.
CARAT:
A diamond is measured by its physical weight in metric carats. One carat is 1/5 gram (0.20 g) for the larger, usually more desirable stones, and for the smaller ones, the gram weight is divided into 100 points for convenience, meaning one point is 0.01 carat. Therefore a "25 pointer" would translate to 0.25 carats. Carat is the most objective grade of the 4C's.
We also believe there is a 5th C which is Certification. This is an important factor to ensure the origin and authenticity of your lab-grown diamond. Futurae Diamond Jewellery comes with an IGI certification for diamonds over 0.3 carats.
