Learn About Diamonds

THE 4 C's

There are four characteristics that need to be considered to determine the beauty and value of a diamond.

CUT

The most important characteristic and the only one not determined by nature is what truly seperates a superior diamond from an average diamond. Every facet of the diamond and every angle has to be considered as well as the polish and symmetry. The difference in value from an Ideal cut diamond and a below average diamond can be as much as 50%. Every Zimmer Brothers diamond is personally selected and few meet our standards.

COLOR

Second to cut, color will affect the value and beauty of a diamond. There are 23 color grades starting at D colorless to Z light yellow.The higher on the scale the more rare the diamond and therefore more valuable. Most Zimmer Brothers diamonds are in the colorless and near colorless range.

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Colorless

Near Colorless

Faint Yellow

Very Light Yellow

Light Yellow

CLARITY

This refers to the internal and external characteristics of a diamond. The range is from internally flawless which is the most rare to I3 which has noticeable inclusions to the unaided eye. There are many things to consider in determining the clarity grade and it is best to view them with a binocular gemscope with a diamond expert.

No inclusions visible under 10X magnification.	Inclusions are minute and extremely difficult to locate under 10X magnification.		Inclusions are minor and difficult to locate under 10X magnification.		Inclusions are noticeable and reatively easy to locate under 10X magnification.		Inclusions are obvious under 10X magnification and are visible to the naked eye.
FLAWLESS	VVS1	VVS2	VS1	VS2	SI1	SI2	I1	I2	I3
Internally Flawless	Very Very Slight Inclusions		Very Slight Inclusions		Slight Inclusions		Imperfect

CARAT

This is the weight of the diamond. There are 100 points in one metric carat and each diamond is weighed to the nearest 100th. ie: a three quarter carat diamond is .75ct. As larger diamonds are extremely rare the price per carat will increase at a greater rate. Therefore a 2.00ct diamond is not 2 times the price of a one carat diamond but will cost 3 to 4 times more.

.25ct. .50ct. .75ct. 1.00ct. 1.50ct. 2.00ct.