Know the 4Cs of Diamond Buying

At Padis Jewelry, we are committed to providing customers with all the information they need so they can make an educated decision when buying diamonds.  Our credentials include selling certified loose diamonds and fine jewelry to the San Francisco area for over 40 years, and we routinely have at least 10,000 exquisite diamonds in our inventory at any given time.   

We recommend that before you buy a diamond, whether it is already in a design or from our collection of loose stones, you learn about the worldwide standard for describing diamonds known as the 4Cs – carat weight, cut, color and clarity.  The system offers you much more knowledge about your purchase. 

To start, a metric carat is defined as 200 milligrams, and five metric carats weigh exactly 1 gram. The word carat is derived from the word carob, which is a Mediterranean seed with an extremely consistent weight that made it ideal for measuring.  The greater the carat weight, so too is the diamond’s value and rarity.

The cut of a diamond is critical to the ultimate value and beauty of the stone and defines how well a diamond's facets interact with light and should not be confused with the diamond shape such as round brilliance or princess cut.  The 'ideal cut' allows the maximum amount of light to return through the top of the diamond, and takes into account the depth, table size, crown height and angle, girdle thickness and more.

Diamond color is based on the absence of color and the most perfect diamond has no hue.  The color-grading system goes from D to Z with D rated diamonds being colorless, and Z diamond exhibiting a measurable amount of light yellow in their hue. 

Finally the clarity refers to the absence of inclusions and blemishes in the diamond.  As diamonds are composed of mostly carbon, other elements are trapped inside during the heating process, which gives it’s a unique fingerprint.  The clarity system has 6 categories with 11 specific grades.  An “F” rating means no inclusions or blemishes are visible to a skilled grader and an “IF” means that no inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader.  An Included (I1, I2, and I3) rating means that inclusions are obvious under a 10x magnification lens and can affect transparency and brilliance. See our website to learn more and to view our exceptional collection of certified diamonds.   

 

As a family-owned business, Padis Jewelry has been a trusted source for buying exquisite certified loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry since 1974.  We are one of the only jewelers in the area that offers such an exclusive selection of top names in the industry as well as such a large inventory.  If you are a lover of beautiful jewels, schedule at visit to San Francisco’s best jewelry store.