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When buying an item of great value you should have sufficient knowledge
to know what you're buying, and diamonds are no exception. For this
reason we've included this small diamond tutorial, so that you may
be more confident with your purchase.
Diamonds are categorised using the four C's - Cut, Carat, Clarity,
and Colour.
| Cut |
As you are probably aware, diamonds come in many different
shapes, and this is referred to as the "cut" of the
stone. Some of the more commonly heard of cuts are princess,
brilliant, emerald, and trilliant. |
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| Carat |
The carat of a diamond is the official way to describe its
weight. This can be further broken down into points, of which
there are 100 in a single carat. |
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| Clarity |
The clarity of a diamond is measured and graded on the basis
of the inclusions (flaws) or lack of when examined under 10
X magnification. The following is a list of the official gradings.
FL = flawless
IF = internally flawless
VVS = very very small inclusions.
VS = very small inclusions
SI = small inclusions
P = pique, inclusion visible to the naked eye
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| Colour |
This is how the purity or "whiteness" of a diamond
is measured. The whiter a diamond is the rarer and more expensive
it is. The official gradings begin with D which is pure white
through to O which is very coloured.
D, E, F = exceptionally white
G, H = rare white
I, J = near colourless
K, L = yellow tinge
M, N, O = reducing to brown and darker
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