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Learning More About Precious Stones Used For Jewelry


What Do Carat, Color, And Cut Really Mean?

Shopping for the perfect diamond ring through a jewelry wholesale in your area can be a tough task, especially since there are so many different levels of quality out there. You may have heard of the 4 C's, but you may not know exactly what each of them means or how they relate to the overall value of the diamond. To help you out with that, here are overviews of 3 of the C's: carat, color, and cut.

Carat

Carat is the easiest to understand by far because it really just means the weight of the rock. A 1 carat diamond just weighs 1 carat, with each carat being equal to 200 milligrams. Furthermore, carat ratings are divided up into hundredths of carats, with each hundredth called a point. If you see a diamond that is said to be 25 points, then you know that it only weighs a quarter of a carat.

Color

When it comes to the color of white diamonds, the higher the rating is, the less color that is actually present in the diamond. The very best rating possible is a D, whereas the worst is a Z. Since there are so many different ratings between the two, the differences between adjacent ratings can be pretty minimal to the naked eye. You might not be able to notice the difference between a D and an E, but you can probably spot the color difference between a D and a P with relative ease.

Cut

The cut of the diamond is a little more arcane, but basically just describes how the light interacts with a diamond. In other words, it is how brilliant a diamond looks in the light. This is influenced by how symmetrical a diamond is and how it is actually shaped on a microscopic level. This means that you would probably be able to tell the difference between diamonds with great cut and poor cut just by looking at them in the light, but you wouldn't really be able to see the characteristics that are under the hood.

How do these factors come together?

Along with clarity, these characteristics determine the price and value of a diamond. Getting a diamond that is essentially perfect in every category will probably end up costing you a ton of money, which means that you may need to pick and choose which categories you value more. For example, if you think that your partner would want a diamond with flawless color and wouldn't care too much about size, then going for high color and low carat ratings would be the best course of action.

About Me

Learning More About Precious Stones Used For Jewelry

Hello, my name is Selma. I am delighted to share my knowledge about diamonds and other gems on this site. I have always been fond of jewelry encrusted with precious stones. I feel that the jewelry I select can dress up nearly every outfit. Just wearing the gems helps improve my confidence and mood. I will use this site to talk about all of the different types of gems and their uses. I will regularly focus on the process of mining and refining gems for use on high end jewelry pieces. Please come back to visit my site on a regular basis to learn about this fascinating subject.