In today's market, there are three diamond products that have caught the attention of consumers and jewelers around the world.
Diamonds
How Natural & Lab-Grown Diamonds
are Graded by Experts
During the G.I.A. Diamond grading process, a Diamond's identity is kept anonymous and to ensure the grading process is fair.
When a diamond arrives to the GIA lab, it goes into a clear storage case, and any information about its owner is hidden. It is then given a barcoded label for tracking while it undergoes grading. These measures make sure that a GIA report accurately describes a Diamond's features without any bias.
GIA's expert graders carefully evaluate individual Diamond's 4Cs: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat weight.
In cases where necessary, experienced gemologists from their team may review and provide their independent opinions on the grading information. A final grade is assigned to the Diamond in question, only after a consensus is achieved among the experts.
Color
The value of a Diamond is significantly influenced by its color.
GIA's color scale ranges from "D" to "Z. On the scale, "D" represents Diamonds that are colorless, and "Z" represents Diamonds that have a light yellow or brown color. When a Diamond is closer to the "D" grade on GIA's color scale, its value is notably impacted due to the preciousness and desirability associated with a Certified Colorless Diamond.
The chart above illustrates GIA's complete Diamond color grading scale. Each letter on the scale represents a clearly defined color that Diamonds may potentially have. Gemologists grade Diamonds by carefully comparing the Diamond in question to other Diamonds of known color under specific controlled conditions, ensuring accurate grading.
Many color distinctions may appear invisible to an untrained eye, but these slight differences effect a Diamond's quality and overall value.
Clarity
Diamonds often contain inclusions (formed on the inside of the Diamond) and blemishes (visible on the surface of the Diamond). These characteristics frequently are caused during the process of extreme heat and pressure when the Diamond is created in the earth. Some may refer to these features as the Diamond's special birthmark.
Diamonds that are clear and contain only a few inclusions and/or blemishes are considered very rare, thereby increasing the value of the stone. The GIA International Diamond Grading System assesses a Diamond's clarity grade on a scale from (FL) "Flawless" to (I3) "Obvious Inclusions". Each Diamond is unique, much like snowflakes. However, it's important to note that no Diamond is entirely perfect under extreme magnification, although some come very close.
The GIA Grading Scale is separated into 11 grades. The majority of diamonds fall into the "VS" category, indicating they are very slightly included. Another commonly seen Diamond clarity grading is "SI", this letter grading indicates that the SI Diamond falls into the slightly included clarity category.
"Gia 4Cs clarity". Gemological Institute Of America. https://www.gia.edu/gia-about/4cs-clarity
Cut
The way a Diamond is cut is widely believed to be the most critical factor when determining its overall quality. A Diamond’s cut should not be confused with its shape, Diamonds can be cut into various shapes such as a heart, an emerald, round, and so on. However, when discussing the cut quality of a Diamond, we are actually referring to the craftsmanship of the Diamond cutter. Experts can cut Diamonds precisely, by correctly proportioning the cuts and intentionally arranging the facets. A Diamond that is cut perfectly will have more brilliance and sparkle compared to a poorly cut Diamond with the same clarity, color, and carat weight. A perfect Diamond cut will allow light to interact with each facet of the Diamond to effectively refelct light giving it the brillance and sparkle we all love.
The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) grades a Diamond's cut on a scale from ranging from excellent to poor. Some fancy cut Diamonds, such as pear or heart-shaped diamonds, may not have a GIA cut grade due to the shapes' wider parameters for their proportions and facet arrangements. Most Diamonds on the market have a cut grade of 'Excellent' to 'Very Good'. Diamonds that appear lifeless and dull are a poor grade. Grading a Diamond's cut is known for being the most complex and technically difficult aspect of the 4Cs (cut, clarity, color, carat weight) to grade.
The GIA experts calculate the proportions of facets that determine the Diamond’s face-up appearance. The graders evaluate the cut of a Diamond by studying how effectively the Diamond interacts with light in three main ways; the brightness, the fire, and the scintillation.
A Diamond's brightness refers to how well white light is reflected from the Diamond. Fire is also known as the “rainbow” effect, where white light scatters into all colors of the rainbow upon contact on the facets. Scintillation is the amount of sparkle a Diamond has, and the pattern of light and dark areas caused by reflections within the Diamond. The expert grader also takes into account the design and craftsmanship of the Diamond,this includes inspecting its weight relative to its diameter, its girdle thickness (which affects its durability), the symmetry of its facet arrangement, and the quality of polish on those facets.
The GIA Diamond Cut Scale for standard round brilliant Diamonds in the D-to-Z diamond color range contains five grades, ranging from Excellent to Poor, and is the definitive scale for classifying Diamond cuts.
G.I.A. (n.d.). Gia 4Cs clarity. Gemological Institute Of America. https://www.gia.edu/gia-about/4cs-clarity
Carat Weight
In this step of grading, experts weigh the Diamond in question and measure its physical weight. The metric for a carat is 200 milligrams; 1 carat is equal to 0.2 grams. The carat metric was created to help jewelers around the world be able to communicate precise measurements. Each carat is subdivided into 100 “points”, this allows easy tiny measurements to the hundredths decimal place. Jewelers often use points to describe the weight of a Diamond that is under 1 carat. For example, a Diamond that is 0.5 carats total, may also be referred to as a "fifty pointer." For a Diamond over 1 carat, a jeweler would use both “point” and “carat” to describe the Diamond’s size. For example, a Diamond that is 2.4 carats could be referred to as "2 points and 40 carats." The more carats a Diamond weighs affects the price because of rarity and desirability of a large Diamond. If two Diamonds have the same weight, the price variance between them would depend on the other 3 Cs. A Diamond’s price is not solely based on its carat weight; all 4 Cs should be taken into consideration.
"Learn What Carat Means and What Diamond Carat Measures: 4Cs of Diamond Quality by Gia.” GIA 4Cs, 9 Dec. 2019, 4cs.gia.edu/en-us/diamond-carat-weight/.
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