Diamond Value Factors

Some diamonds have certain qualities which make them rarer (and more valuable) than others. Unlike other gemstones, diamonds have an internationally standardised terminolody, which provides us with a systematic way of evaluating, describing and discussing the rarity/quality/value parameters of individual diamonds.

The Four C's

The Four Cs categorizing process was developed in the 1940s and '50s by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in order to objectively compare and value diamonds. The 4 Cs refer to Carat, Cut, Colour and Clarity. No one C is more significant than the other, though rarity and value are directly related: the rarer the characteristic, the more valuable the diamond.

1 Carat (Weight)

Carat is a measure of weight but is often mistakenly used to denote a diamond's size. The term originates from carob seeds, which were historically used to balance scales when weighing gemstones. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams and can be divided ito 100 'points.' A 0.50-carat diamond can also be described as a 50-point diamonds or half-carat diamond. If a jewellery piece contains several diamonds, the weight is expressed as the combined weight of all the diamonds featured on the piece. ct is the abbreviation of carat, which refers to a single diamond. ct TW stands for the carat total weight, which is the combined weight of all the diamonds on a jewellery piece. Carat is sometimes confused with karat or 'karatage,' which is the weight measure for gold.

2 Colour

Diamonds occur naturally in a rainbow of colours. White-coloured diamonds are the most popular because they reflect the light better. The closer to colourless a diamond is, the more valuable it tends to be.

The GIA Colour Grading Scale for diamonds is the industry standard used to grade diamonds in the colourless to light yellow range.

The scale profiles more than 20 subtle grades of colour and identifies them in alphabetical order from D to Z, while comparing them to a master set of stones under controlled lighting and precise viewing conditions. Diamonds with colours that are outside the scale are known as "fancy colour diamonds."

Diamonds with colours that are outside the scale are known as "fancy colour diamonds."

Pandora uses near colourless diamonds graded as G or H on the GIA Colour Grading Scale. Their colour is so slight that they appear colourless to the naked eye.

3 Clarity

Diamonds are formed under extreme heat and pressure and no two stones are alike. As a result, they often contain unique characteristics called inclusions, which are minerals or fractures created during their formation and blemishes, which are surface scratches and nicks, that help to distinguish natural diamonds from synthetic counterparts.

Clarity refers to these inclusion features, which are determined by viewing diamonds under a 10-power magnification loupe. The amount, type, colour, size and position of the inclusions affect the value of a diamond. Fancy colour diamonds are purchased almost exclusively for their colour intensity and clarity is often disregarded.

Truly flawless diamonds are so rare that most jewellers have never seen one

Diamond Clarity

Pandora jewellery uses diamonds that are classified as H/VS (Very Slightly Included) which means they have minor inclusions that are difficiult to somewhat easy for a trained grader to see when viewed under 10x magnification

4 Cut

A diamond in its natural state looks nothing like the finished gemstones on a piece of jewellery. Cut is the only value factor amoung the 4 Cs which is dependent on human intervention. The proper cut unlocks the true beauty of a rough diamond, and determines how the light interacts with its facets. And only a skilled diamond cutter can release its sparkle.

The cut refers to the diamond's shape outline, but it can also refer to a diamond's faceting, proportion, symmetry and finish. A well-cut diamond balances brilliance, which is the return of white light from the diamond to the viewer's eye, dispersion, which is known as 'fire' and is the flashes of colour a diamond refracts, as well as scintillation, which is characterized as the sparkle seen when a diamond catches the light.