HOW ARE THEY CERTIFIED
Lab-created diamonds are graded and certified using the same process as mined diamonds.
Diamonds are sent to a gem lab that specializes in grading diamonds. The majority of these labs grade using the 4c’s :
cut, clarity, color, and carat.
CUT
Diamond Cut is how well a diamond is cut and polished, including how well-proportioned the stone is, its depth and symmetry. Diamond Cut doesn’t refer to the shape of the diamond, such as an Oval or Pear Shape. Cut quality directly impacts the diamond’s beauty and brilliance. A well cut diamond is luminous and reflects white and colored light back to your eyes. A poorly cut diamond is dull instead of brilliant.
Here are the GIA diamond cut grades:
Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair & Poor
CLARITY
Diamond clarity is the quality of diamonds that relates to the existence and visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions, and surface defects, called blemishes.
The number, size, color, relative location, orientation, and visibility of inclusions can all affect the relative clarity of a diamond. A clarity grade is assigned based on the overall appearance of the stone under ten times magnification, which is a magnification standard for loupes used in the gem world.
COLOR
Diamond color is actually the absence of a colored tint in the diamond. The tint is most often yellow. Color is graded on a scale (established by GIA) that ranges from D to Z. grades beyond Z count as fancy colored, which actually boast a premium. In general, the higher the color, the rarer and therefore more expensive the diamond. Colors are actually ranges so a diamond that has more color than a G but less than an H, for example, would be a G color because it is better than H and falls in the G to H range.
CARAT
A carat is a unit of measurement used to specify the weight of a diamond. ‘Carat’ is a diamond industry special word for the weight of a diamond stone. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams, for example, a 5-carat stone will weigh 1 gram.
