The 4 C's

 

 

Ever heard of the 4 C's?
They are quite important, because they determine the price of your diamond! 

Read on, and delve deeper intothe
World of the Diamond.

 

 

The 4 C's stand for:

  • the cut (Cut)
  • the color (Colour)
  • the purity (Clarity)
  • the carat weight (Caratweight)

 

The cut:

    • Brilliant (round)
    • Princess (square)
    • Baguette (rectangular)
    • Emerald (rectangular with more facets)
    • Oval (oval)
    • Pear (drop)
    • Marquise (ellipse with pointed ends)
    These are generally the cuts we use in our jewelry. This is of course only a small selection of the different cuts that exist, but they are the most common shapes. Anyway, they all have one thing in common. By cutting different facets in the diamond, your diamond can reflect the light, and that is the sparkle that we have fallen in love with for centuries.

    The color:
     
    •      D          River                          Finest white+
    •      E          River                          Finest white
    •      F          Top Wesselton           Fine white+
    •      G         Top Wesselton            Fine white
    •      H          Wesselton                  Wit
    •       I          Top Crystal                 Lightly tinted white+
    •      J          Crystal                        Lightly tinted white
    •      K Top Cape Get wit+
    •      L Top Cape Get wit
    •     M          Cape                          Tinted color
    •     N          Low Cape                   Tinted color
    •     O          Very Light Yellow        Tinted color
    •     P-Z       Light Yellow                Getinte kleur

    The 'whiter' the color, the rarer your diamond is, and therefore more valuable. Is the intention then to buy the highest color? We say no. Unless you want to make a serious investment, a Top Wesselton, for example, shines beautifully white. And only an expert will see the difference between a color higher or lower. Would you rather see the difference for yourself? Then come visit our store Koh-I-Noor Diamonds & Jewels in Amsterdam.

    The purity:

    All our diamonds are natural, let's put that first! But what is meant by the clarity of a diamond, and what do all those specifications stand for? During crystallization, each diamond acquires its own natural characteristics. Remains of carbon have not completely crystallized, which may cause black dots to become visible. Small particles of nitrogen can become trapped, which appear as tiny bubbles. Or there may be tiny cracks inside the stone. The classification of a diamond is determined using a loupe that magnifies at least 10x . In other words, the inclusions are often not visible to the naked eye. Yet they are there, and the price of your diamond is partly determined on the basis of these inclusions. Here too, the purer, the rarer, the more valuable. So don't forget: the explanation in the diagram below applies with the use of a magnifying glass .

    • LC        Loupe Clean               Nothing to see
    • VVS1   Very Very Small incl.   Difficult to see
    • VVS2   Very Very Small incl.   Difficult to see
    • VS1     Very Small inclusion    Te zien
    • VS2     Very Small inclusion    Te zien
    • SI1      Small Inclusion            Easy to see
    • SI2      Small Inclusion            Easy to see
    • P1       Piqué                           Can be seen without a magnifying glass
    • P2       Piqué                           Can be seen without a magnifying glass
    • P3       Piqué                           Can be seen without a magnifying glass

    The carat weight:

      The number of carats indicates the weight of the diamond, 1 carat is 0.2 grams, and 0.10 carats, for example, stands for 0.02 grams. In ancient times there were other dimensions. The seed of the carob tree was used to weigh diamonds. This seed almost always had the same weight, and was therefore reliable enough to use for weighing the precious diamonds. The Latin name of the tree is Ceratonia siliqua, and the fruit was called Keration, hence probably the name carat. So you see, diamonds are from the beginning of time and will last forever.

      Our jewelry is all set with natural diamonds. Unlike Labgrown diamonds, natural diamonds rise with the price.
      Naturally, the diamonds are purchased conflict-free according to the Kimberley Process conditions. During this process, international agreements were made to work with conflict-free diamonds.  
      This way, the diamonds you buy from us are not only a good investment, but you can also enjoy your purchase with peace of mind!