How Are Diamonds Classified In Terms Of Quality And Color?

1. 66

   PhoenixVposted 12 years ago

   How Are Diamonds Classified In Terms Of Quality And Color?
   
   How Are Diamonds Classified In Terms Of Quality And Color?

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2. 0

   iCrystalWriterposted 10 years ago

   Every natural gemstone is graded using its cut, clarity, color and carat grades and values. These attributes are generally used together to determine the intrinsic value (real worth) and quality of natural gemstones.
   
   One of the most common labels/ratings that are used for gemstones are GIA (Gemological Institute of America) grades. Diamond as a natural gemstone is generally grouped or classified as colorless and colored diamonds.
   
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   With GIA the grades for diamonds are
   
   [1].  Color Grades
   
   a).  Colorless Diamond Color Grades (from D to Z)
   
   *  Colorless - D, E, F
   *  Near Colorless - G, H, I, J
   *  Faint Yellow - K, L, M
   *  Very Light Yellow  - N, O, P, Q, R
   *  Light Yellow - S-Z
   
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   b).  Colored Diamond Color Grades
   
   For a red diamond gemstone for instance, the GIA grades may be
   
   *  Fancy Vivid Red
   *  Fancy Deep Red
   *  Fancy Intense Red
   *  Fancy Dark Red
   *  Fancy Red
   *  Fancy Light Red
   *  Light Red
   *  Very Light Red
   *  Faint Red
   
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   [2].  Clarity Grades
   
   Clarity determines how flawless a gemstone is.
   
   GIA classifications for clarity are
   
   *   F - Flawless
   *   IF - Internally flawless
   *   VVS - Very, Very Small Inclusions (VVS1 and VVS2)
   *   VS  - Very Small Inclusions (VS1 and VS2)
   *   SI  - Small Inclusions (SI1 and SI2)
   *   I - Inclusions (I1, I2, I3)
   
   .
   [3].  Cut Grades
   
   GIA cut grades are
   
   *  Excellent
   *  Very Good
   *  Good
   *  Fair
   *  Poor
   
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   [4].  Carat
   
   The carat is the weight of a gemstone, the more carat a gemstone has the more valuable it will be too.
   
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   Quality
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   Gemstones with the topmost grades will generally have the highest qualities and those with the lowest grades, will have the lowest qualities too. For instance
   
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   a).  The colorless diamond with the highest quality will be a colorless diamond with a
   
   *  Color grade of D (colorless)
   *  Clarity grade of F (flawless)
   *  Cut grade of Excellent
   
   .
   b).  For colored diamonds, the highest quality diamond will be a diamond with a
   
   *  Color grade of Fancy Vivid
   *  Clarity grade of F (flawless)
   *  Cut grade of Excellent
   
   .
   Carat weights are used together with the other grades when you need to determine the value of the gemstone too and not just its quality.
   
   The information on the cut, clarity, color and carat of a diamond gemstone or any other gemstones should be available on a jewelry store’s website or you can simply ask for it before you buy.

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