Diamond Grading & GIA Report
GIA Certified Diamonds
All of our diamonds above 1 Carat of weight have been thoroughly inspected and graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and are accompanied by their original diamond grading report. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is the foremost respected and recognised diamond laboratory in the world, and diamonds that come with GIA reports are the most highly valued. We choose GIA certified diamonds as GIA is recognised the world over for having reached the pinnacle of their field and demonstrate consistent diamond grading and high quality analysis.
The GIA report ensures that the diamond you purchase is the one you receive; verifying that a diamond is genuine and evaluating a diamond’s characteristics. A report will provide information on the 4Cs - Carat, Cut, Colour, Clarity and also information about the diamond's fluorescence, visual depiction of its proportions, measurements and its finish.
4 Cs in Diamond Grading
Cut Diamonds are today graded mostly according to the standards, the GIA (Gemological Institute of America Inc.) Started in 1950s called 4Cs. Before that Diamond were graded as A, B C or l, ll, lll.The GIA called this the 4 Cs of grading. the 4 Cs are - Colour, Clarity, Cut, Carat weight.
Colour
Pure diamonds are made of carbon only and will have no colour. Most diamonds in nature however are mixed with another element such as nitrogen. Nitrogen will give Diamonds a yellow hue. Diamonds come in many colours such as blue, green, red, yellow. There are even black diamonds. The black colour whoever is not caused by an another element. They are black because the carbon structure in them has flaws.
The colour grading
In the 4cs system, colour means how much of colour in a diamond rather than what colour is it. Diamonds are valued by how near to colourlessness they actually are. Less the colour, more the value. However Fancy Diamonds, such as deep Red and deep Blue diamonds are very rare and very expensive.
When grading a Diamond, the subject diamond is compared to a pre graded set of Diamonds in a special light box under controlled, consistent illumination. An average person under normal lighting condition may not be able distinguish the difference between D up to G of this scale. Since prior to 4Cs System the Diamonds were graded as A, B or C, in order to avoid any confusion GIA colour grading system stars from D. (D being the highest and Colourless)
Clarity
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In the GIA 4cs system Diamond Clarity Refers to the Absence of Inclusions and Blemishes or how clear a cut diamond is to see through.
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All diamond are born with flaws. The flaws may include but certainly not limited to foreign matter such as graphite, tiny pockets of gases and even irregularities in its carbon atomic structure itself. The diamond cutter will do the best to not include these flaws in the cut diamond. However if the flaw is near the middle of the Diamond, it is hard to avoid it.
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GIA rates “clarity” as descending clearness from “flawless” to “included”. Each diamond is inspected under 10x magnification. If the GIA specialist inspector does not find any inclusions or blemishes under 10x magnification, then the Diamond is classified as “flawless”.
“Brightness or brilliance” of a Diamond is caused by all the diamond’s internal and external reflections of white light. Well-cut diamonds are brighter than poorly cut ones.
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“Fire” of a diamond happens when white light traveling through the diamond is dispersed into its primary colours like a rainbow and reflects back in red, blue, yellow flashes.
“Sparkle” refers to the spots of light that flash when the diamond is moved under a light.
“Pattern” A well-cut diamond creates black and white contrasting spots when you move the diamond under a light. This is called pattern.
“Scintillation” is the hypnotising, perfectly balanced, combined effects of “sparkle” and “pattern”
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Grading of Cut.
Over the last few centuries Diamond cutters have developed number of formulas when cutting facets on a Diamond considering lengths, widths and angles to bring out the unique beauty of a Diamond. When grading the “cut” experts at GIA considers how close to perfection the cutter has come when cutting the Diamond.
Cut
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Of the Cs of 4Cs, most people consider the cut is the most important. When it comes to “cut” in 4Cs it not what type of cut that is important but how accurate the facets are cut. A skilled Diamond cuter may check for 2 or 3 minutes after a 10 second cut of a diamond on the cutting wheel. Cutting a large and rare Diamond may take months.
Rough Diamonds come in may shapes and sizes. Majority of gem quality rough Diamonds are smaller than a carat and comes in the shape of an octahedron. Rough diamonds contain many flaws as well. It is not an easy task to balance the weight and quality of the final product.
A typical octahedron rough diamond is usually sawn in half and then faceted in to 2 diamond of a shape depending on flows included. Usually over 1/2 of the rough Diamond is lost at this stage.
A typical diamond buyer likes a big and shiny diamond set on a ring.
The “Big” part comes from the size of the table and the girdle because that is the most visible par of a Diamond.
The “shiny” part comes from the facets and the pavilion depth which are perfectly balanced to reflect white light that enters a diamond.
The shininess in a diamond actually happens due to a few reasons.
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Carat Weight
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When considering the price of a Diamond, all of the 3 of 4Cs are considered. However the ultimately consideration is given to it’s the weight. Buyers usually ask for 1/2 a carat, 1 carat, 2 carat and so on. Because of this a 1 carat diamond is considerably more expensive than a diamond weighing 0.95 of a carat, even though they look very close visually.
GIA Certified Diamonds
At DesignGold, all of our diamonds above 1 Carat of weight have been thoroughly inspected and graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and are accompanied by their original diamond grading report. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is the foremost respected and recognised diamond laboratory in the world, and diamonds that come with GIA reports are the most highly valued. We choose GIA certified diamonds as GIA is recognised the world over for having reached the pinnacle of their field and demonstrate consistent diamond grading and high quality analysis.
The GIA report ensures that the diamond you purchase is the one you receive; verifying that a diamond is genuine and evaluating a diamond’s characteristics. A report will provide information on the 4Cs - Carat, Cut, Colour, Clarity and also information about the diamond's fluorescence, visual depiction of its proportions, measurements and its finish.
Explanation of GIA terms in the report.
Laser Inscription Registry – Each diamond with a GIA report is laser inscribed with the report number.
Shape and Cutting Style – The diamond shape and cutting style.
Measurements – The diamond dimensions in millimetres.
Carat Weight – Weight of diamond listed to the nearest hundredth of a carat.
Colour Grade – Colour grade of the diamond.
Clarity Grade – Clarity grade determined under 10 x magnification
Cut Grade – Cut grade of the diamond.
Depth – Depth (for round diamonds) and/or width (for fancy shapes) relative to diameter.
Table – Table facet (for round diamonds) and/or width (for fancy shapes) relative to diameter.
Girdle – Range of girdle thickness.
Culet – Appearance of the culet facet.
Finish – Grades of polish and symmetry.
Fluorescence – Colour and strength of colour when diamond is viewed under ultraviolet light.
Clarity Plot – A map of the approximate size, type, and position of inclusions as viewed under a microscope.
Comments – Description of additional diamond characteristics not mentioned in the report.
GIA Report-Sample
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