The Four C's - Diamond Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat-Weight : Manufacturing Jewellers : Certified Diamonds : Mark Solomon Jewellers

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For over 28 years, Mark Solomon has been renowned as one of the leading Cape Town Manufacturing Jewellers. Having a passion for diamonds and diamond jewellery enables this innovative South African jewellery designer to continue creating exquisite pieces with the award winning combination that he has become known for. Breathtakingly beautiful South African diamonds are set in designs ranging from stunning individually crafted diamond engagement rings through to highly prized Tanzanite jewellery.

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Two diamonds that initially look alike may, in fact, be very different and the value of two diamonds of equal size can vary greatly. To understand these subtle differences is to understand the Four C's: Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat-weight. It is these characteristics that determine the value of a diamond.

The Cut
Of all the 4C's, cut is the one most directly influenced by man. The other three are dictated by nature. The cut or make of a diamond will dramatically influence its fire and sparkle, for it is the polisher's skill that releases its beauty. You therefore need to ensure that your diamond has good proportions

It is the cut that enables a diamond to make the best use of light
(1) When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light is reflected internally from one facet to another and then reflected through the top of the stone - giving it maximum sparkle or brilliance. (2) If the cut of the diamond is too deep, some light escapes through the opposite side of the pavilion. (3) If the cut is too shallow, light escapes through the pavilion before it can be reflected.

Colour

The colour grading scale ranges from totally colourless to yellow. The differences between one grade and another are very subtle, as can be seen by the number of grades within any one category. Subtle colour differences allow gem quality diamonds to be graded from the prized, totally colourless stones, to the highly prized rare stones with strong colour - Fancy yellow being the most popular.

Clarity
Almost all diamonds contain minute mineral traces called inclusions. Most are not visible to the naked eye and require magnification to become apparent.The fewer the number of inclusions or imperfections, the more rare and hence valuable the stone will be. Clarity is the term used to indicate the extent to which the diamond you purchase is free of these inclusions.

Carat-weight
As with all gemstones, the weight of a diamond is expressed in carats. The word carat originated from a natural unit of weight: the seeds of the carob tree. Diamonds were traditionally weighed against these seeds until the system was standardised and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams. One carat is divided into 100 "points", so that a diamond of 25 points is described as a quarter of a carat or 0.25 carats.