2007-03-01 09:33:28 · 5 answers · asked by Become a better person 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
That term is is applied not only to diamonds but to colored gemstones as well.
The "4-C's" are used to determine the value of the gemstone.
Carat Weight: The weight of a gemstone is expressed in carats.
The bigger a diamond is the rarer. Gemmological laboratories use highly precise scales to determine weight.
Cut: properly refracted light passing through
in order to give maximum brilliance or sparkle aka "fire" to the gemstone.
Clarity: The amount of imperfections (aka) "inclusions" a diamond has.
Color: It is believed that most diamonds are white, although we should say "colorless". This is incorrect, most diamonds actually show at least a trace of body color, and many are quite deeply colored. Depending on the diamond you want, if you want a white one then the absence of color is what you would look for. if you want a colored diamond then it would be the color your looking for.
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2007-03-01 10:08:13 · answer #1 · answered by TriadMonkey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because of the intrinsic value of diamonds. When you really think about it, why are we paying hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a rock? Carats are, of course, the measured size of the stone. You want a big diamond, get more carat weight. The cut is important on two levels, 1) the aesthetics, whether you like it cut a certain way (i.e. a round diamond over a square diamond, an oval diamond versus a marquise cut, etc.) and 2) the quality of the cut. I've seen some nice clear gems cut crookedly, tsk tsk. Clarity is important towards the value of the diamond because diamonds naturally have carbon flecks in them. The less fleckage, the better (use the IF, VS, SI, VI, etc. ratings). And color, well, to the naked eye a lot of "white diamonds" look the same, but most people want the bright white color that is normally in the E-J range.
2007-03-01 17:39:14 · answer #2 · answered by pokecheckme 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
depending on the style u want the c's are used too grade the diamonds worth
2007-03-01 17:37:43 · answer #3 · answered by Ray H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They measure the overall 'perfection' of the diamond and therefore determine price.
2007-03-01 17:37:29 · answer #4 · answered by aaron4atx 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
four important components to call it diamond otherwise it wouldn't be diamond if you dont have these characteristics
2007-03-01 17:37:04 · answer #5 · answered by rosemarie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋