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If you're shopping for a diamond,
you probably have a lot of questions,
like how can I be sure that what I'm purchasing
is a real, natural diamond.
How do I know if the diamond has been treated?
The key to understanding a diamond and its value
is to understand the four attributes
that all diamonds share, color, clarity, cut, and carat weight,
also known as the four Cs.
The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA,
developed the four Cs in order to create a universal language
when it came to the difficult task of determining diamond
quality.
Established in 1931, nonprofit GIA
is the largest and most respected
institute of gemological research and learning
in the world.
GIA created not only the four Cs, but also
the international diamond grading system,
the grading standard used worldwide.
Let's follow a diamond through the steps in the GIA grading
process and see how it's evaluated.
Scientific precision is critical as expert gemologists examine
each diamond under tightly controlled lighting and viewing
conditions.
Each diamond travels through the lab in a nondescript case
to be sure but that it is grated consistently and objectively.
First, it is tested to determine whether the diamond is
natural or lab grown.
If the diamond were synthetic, it
would be pulled out of the queue and subjected
to a separate procedure.
Next, it's on to the four Cs.
The first C is color.
When it comes to diamonds, the less
color, the higher the grade.
The GIA color scale classifies diamonds from D, colorless,
to Z, light yellow or brown.
At the GIA lab, a color grade is determined
by comparing each diamond to a master set of diamonds that
represent the color grades on the GIA scale.
The second C is clarity.
The GIA clarity scale includes 11 clarity grades
ranging from flawless to I3.
Flawless indicates that there are no inclusions or blemishes
visible at 10 times magnification.
A grade of I3 is for diamonds with inclusions
that are obvious to the naked eye.
A 10 times magnification loop and a microscope
are used to see and plot the inclusions.
Since no two diamonds are exactly alike,
this unique plot helps identify a particular stone.
Graders also look to see if there is any evidence
that our diamond was treated to improve its clarity.
The third C is cut.
The GIA cut scale is used for round, brilliant cut diamonds
and consists of five grades ranging from excellent to poor.
You may think of cut as the shape of a diamond,
like square cut or round.
However, there is much more to cut than the basic shape.
How a diamond is cut and polished directly
affects the amount of sparkle and brilliance
that comes off the stone.
Each diamond is placed in a highly precise measuring device
that rotates the stone 360 degrees to optically
capture hundreds of measurements and facet angles.
GIA scientists developed a comprehensive system
that factors the diamond's proportions as well
as its culet size, girdle thickness, polish, and symmetry
descriptions, and generates a GIA cut grade.
The fourth C is carat weight.
One carat equals 200 milligrams or one fifth
of a gram in weight.
At the GIA lab, each diamond is placed in a sealed chamber
and weighed on an extremely precise electronic scale
to the fifth decimal place.
The diamonds four Cs, along with a wealth
of additional information, appears on its GIA grading
report.
A GIA report is the most technologically advanced
diamond evaluation possible.
It provides a unique blueprint of a diamond's attributes
and a permanent record of its quality.
As an added security feature, diamonds graded at GIA
can be microscopically inscribed along the girdle
with their unique GIA report number.
The act of choosing your diamond should
be exciting and enjoyable.
Just keep all the four Cs in mind, color, clarity, cut,
and carat weight.
And be sure to always ask your jeweler
for a GIA report, your ultimate assurance of your diamond's
quality.
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