Diamonds Size

Diamonds Size
Diamonds Size Diamonds Size

The price of a diamond is determined by assessing its color, carat weight, cut and clarity level, four characteristics that are generally referred to as the 4 C's. With such a wide array of combination possibilities, it is not surprising that diamond prices could fluctuate extremely. The following article aims to provide a clarification regarding the impact of each of the 4C's elements on a diamond's price.

The first and probably most obvious factor in determining a diamond's price is its carat value. Naturally, people would immediately grasp the correlation between a diamond's size and its price, knowing that "the bigger - the better". In reality the correlation is much more delicate than that. It is not the weight itself which plays an important role in influencing its pricing, but rather the more crucial factor of whether the weight is a "full carat unit", i.e. a numerically round figure. It is no secret that prices dramatically soar for diamonds that possess a full carat weight as opposed to an unrounded figure. For example, an unrounded 1.49 carat diamond could cost around $10,500 while a full 1.50 carat diamond of the same exact quality would be expected to cost around $14,600. Therefore, a full carat diamond is much more valuable in terms of price per carat than a diamond that isn't.

The second factor that helps determine a diamond's price is its color. Putting aside fancy colored diamonds that are clearly much more expensive, white diamonds are graded according to their yellowish pigment display. The diamonds are graded on a chart from "D" to "Z", and accordingly subdivided into 6 different scale groups. For example, the color "D" which belongs to the scale group of "colorless" is the most sought after color for a diamond whilst at the other end of the chart the color "Z" belongs to the light yellow scale group, which is the most inferior in terms of color. Therefore, there is a sharp variation of price between diamonds of different colors, specifically between those that also belong to a different scale subgroup altogether.

To demonstrate this point further, we can compare two diamonds of identical quality that differ only in color - one is graded as "K" whereas the other was graded as "H". Although there are only 3 units of separation between a "K" and an "H", the fact that these diamonds belong to two entirely different scales (the first to the "faint yellow" and the latter to "near colorless") means that the difference in price between them could be substantial and reach approximately $1,700 per carat.

The third "C" that influences the way a diamond is priced is its clarity. The clarity scale measures the severity of the diamond's natural imperfections, otherwise referred to as inclusions or blemishes. Jewelers use the clarity chart that consists of five different scale categories (from "Flawless" to "Imperfect") in order to determine the clarity of a diamond. The better the clarity grade of diamond is, the higher the price will get. For example, if we were to compare a diamond which belongs to a certain clarity scale to a diamond which belongs to the next scale, the difference in price could easily reach $1000 per carat.

The last factor that influences the value of a diamond is the cut. It is also the most deliberately neglected characteristic by a diamond salesperson when he or she attempts to make a sale. Meaning, the salesperson will often divert the attention away from the diamond's improper proportions and emphasize that it is simply a "bargain", rather than explaining why. The truth of the matter is that a diamond's cut and proportion play a vital role in determining its overall look and price. Generally, ideal cuts are considered much more expensive than their counterparts.

Just as each diamond is unique on its own, so is its pricing. Even diamonds that have the same exact carat size could be divided into a range of different prices, depending of course on the influence of their other qualities, as discussed in this article. Each one of these 4 C's address the pricing and quality of a diamond in different ways, but the key is to understand the interdependency of these four factors.

Fred Pollard has a long experience in the diamond industry and he is a well known expert in Diamond Prices. Find out everything you need about diamond jewelry and compare diamond prices through additional articles written by him.