What Are Diamond Grades and How Do Treatments Affect Them?
The diamond is the most popular high-end precious gemstone in the world. It is so popular and desired that there is a specialized rating system solely for this precious stone. This system comes in the form of what many refer to as the 4Cs. These Cs are cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. A treated diamond ring will change the overall grade drastically to improve one or more factors after the treatment.
Cut
The cut of a diamond references the overall shape that the gemstone takes after being worked by a master artisan. The cut can be anything but traditional and standard versions include cuts such as oval, heart, princess, and radiant. The reason for cutting diamonds in a specific way is to shift and change the way that light disperses through the stone. This increases the sparkle and overall brilliance of the stone. While specific cuts do not count as creating a treated diamond ring, they are used to create the best possible sparkle and shine by removing areas that have the most blemishes or inclusions.
Clarity
In nature diamonds that do not have flaws are extremely rare. They contain certain flaw characteristics known as inclusions or blemishes. In most cases, a worthy diamond will have inclusions and blemishes that are far too small to be seen unaided. There are instances of these inclusions being so minute that only expert skill and a great deal of time can locate them under powerful magnification. The clarity of a diamond relates to the number of flaws combined with their location, type, and overall visibility. The color of the inclusions is factored in as well. A treated diamond ring that focuses on clarity will use techniques to fill in inclusions or reduce blemishes.
Color
Diamonds have subtle color variations for the most part. Most diamonds have an appearance that seems to be completely colorless. However, they have many different shades and variables. These colors can be between yellow to brown and are found on a color scale. This scale ranges from D to Z. The D grade stone is colorless, and Z is nearly completely yellow or brown in shade. The colorless stones are the most valuable. Color treatments are one of the most common methods of creating a treated diamond ring. The treatments vary and can create strange new colors or improve the overall color grade of a diamond. However, it is necessary to admit that the color of a treated diamond ring is not natural. This will cause fluctuations in value.
Carat Weight
The weight and size of a diamond is measured in carats. A carat is made up of points, and those points are equally weighted in 100 parts. This factor is both the most obvious one when it comes to determine a diamond's value. Two diamonds of near-identical clarity, color, and cut will vary drastically in price based on carat weight.
