Diamonds : The King's Jewelers: Genuine Gems | Walnut Creek Jeweler

The 4 C’s of a Diamond

We believe it is essential that your diamond purchase is based on complete information. Our experts go through rigorous diamond and gemological training so that we can guide you through the diamond buying process. Each diamond sold at The King's Jewelers is graded in our in-store diamond lab by our GIA-trained staff, including both natural and lab-grown diamonds with reputable lab reports from GIA and AGS. As our client, you trust us to provide honest and accurate diamond grades. We owe it to four generations of family to honor that trust with every diamond sale. Here are the key things that we evaluate in every diamond!

Why Choose Diamond

Diamond is well known as the traditional choice for engagement rings, but many people wonder why they should choose diamond to mark their milestone occasions. Beyond tradition, there are many reasons diamond is the stand out choice for a forever gemstone.

Wearable: Diamond is ideal for daily wear because of its hardness—it can only be scratched by other diamonds. In fact, diamond is four times harder than sapphire, the next hardest gemstone, making it significantly more durable and the best choice for more exposed jewelry like rings and bracelets. Its neutral color also means that diamond matches everything!

Captivating Brilliance: The alluring sparkle of diamonds has enticed admirers for hundreds of years. A well-cut diamond returns all the light that enters it back to the eye, either as white light or a spectrum of colors. This play of brilliance creates the captivating quality of diamonds.

Rare Beauty: A gem-quality, colorless diamond is incredibly rare. It takes the perfect circumstance of carbon under immense pressure to create a diamond. The diamond is then cut by a skilled faceter who has intensely studied the science of cutting diamonds to maximize their beauty.

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What Makes Our Diamonds Special

Relationships are our priority at every level. That's why Dave, our Director of Procurement, travels to Israel to meet with diamond cutters individually. Most of the diamonds in our inventory are sourced through this personalized, highly selective process. Dave may sort through a parcel of a hundred diamonds and select two that meet his high expectations for cut, quality, and value. Developing these relationships with diamond cutters also helps ensure that our diamonds are ethically sourced in a way that treats all parties involved with dignity and respect.

We also have several GIA-trained gemologists on staff who are trained in the intricacies of evaluating diamonds. Many diamonds look great on the lab report, but the diamond itself does not live up to the grades given. This is why it is so important to see diamonds in person. When we receive diamonds, even those with a reputable lab report, they are regraded to ensure that they meet our strict standards.

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Brilliance & Cut
Color (personality)
Clarity (uniqueness)
Carat Weight

Cut

Diamonds are cut in a variety of shapes, but the most important aspect of cut is how well the facets are arranged to interact with light. The goal when a diamond is cut is for all the light that goes in the top of the diamond to reflect back out to the viewer’s eye. This requires symmetrical faceting, good proportions (not too deep or too shallow), and precise polishing. Light return is what makes a diamond sparkle every time it moves!

One way that we measure a round diamond’s cut is using the ASET, a proprietary machine available to American Gem Society jewelers. The ASET provides a unique “thumbprint” of your diamond, documenting its light performance and beauty. As opposed to only measuring the angles and proportions, the ASET allows us to measure what matters most – how brilliant your diamond is.

Color

Color refers to the overall body color of the diamond. The absence of color is the true measurement of a diamond's color grade. A diamond with no color receives the highest color grade of D, while diamonds with a yellow body color can range down to a Z or beyond in the case of fancy yellow-colored diamonds. A diamond’s color distinctions can be very subtle and need to be analyzed in the right lighting conditions by the trained eye of a diamond grader. Diamonds can come in many different colors.

Diamonds that don’t land on the traditional color grading chart might have a pink, red, blue, green, brown, or gray body color. These need to be analyzed thoroughly to determine their exact body color and are, in many cases, much rarer and more expensive than the traditional clear diamonds.

Clarity

A diamond's clarity refers to the number of "inclusions" and "blemishes" that are found inside and outside a diamond. Inclusions and blemishes are trace minerals, scratches, and other tiny characteristics that can detract from the way light bounces from facet to facet within a diamond.

It is extremely rare to find a diamond without inclusions. When one is found, it is ranked “flawless” and is very costly. Inclusions are distinguishing characteristics that represent the uniqueness of each diamond and are often called the diamond’s “fingerprint” because no two stones are exactly alike.

Carat Weight

Carat weight is an important factor to the size and value of your diamond. Diamonds are measured on highly sensitive scales using the unit of Carats. A one carat diamond weighs .200 grams or ⅕ of a gram. Of all of the 4 Cs, carat weight is the most straightforward to assess. However, there is a little more to it! Carat weight is often assumed to be a direct equivalent to the visual size of the diamond. However, diamonds of the same carat weight may hold their weight in different ways due to the shape, cutting style, or proportions of the diamond. This means that multiple diamonds weighing one carat might appear different sizes depending on their cut!.

Diamond Cut

The true definition of cut is the quality of the proportions and symmetry of the diamond. Your diamond’s proportions make a vast difference on how brightly your diamond shines. An ‘ideal cut’ diamond is one that allows the maximum amount of light to return through the top of the diamond, which takes into consideration the depth, table size, crown height and angle, girdle thickness and more. Our diamond professionals will be happy to assist you in selecting the best diamond cut.

After a rough diamond is mined, it is evaluated to determine its best possible cut, in order to maintain the maximum clarity, color, and carat weight. The term ‘cut’ is often confused with diamond ‘shape’, such as round brilliant or princess cut.

Excellent = This is the rarest cut grade and reflects the most light.
Very Good = This cut reflects nearly as much light as an Excellent cut grade, but for lower price.
Good = This cut reflects most of the light that enters the diamond, but not as much as a Very Good cut grade.
Fair = This cut grade may appear dull or even glassy, and is less expensive.
Poor = Not carried by Colonial Jewelers.
Diamond Color

Color is one of the most noticeable attributes of a diamond and has a heavy impact on the price of the stone. Diamonds range from colorless to yellow or light brown, and are sometimes found in a spectrum of fancy colors, including yellow, blue, and even red diamonds. The less color, the rarer the diamond. After ‘Z’ on the color scale, diamonds become fancy yellow, which cost more because of their rarity.
Diamond Clarity

Diamonds are composed mostly of carbon. During the heating process, other elements become trapped inside, giving each diamond its own unique fingerprint. These inclusions help identify the clarity of your diamond. All diamonds are viewed through a 10x magnification lens by diamond graders.

Flawless = No inclusions or blemishes are visible to a skilled grader.
Internally Flawless = No inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader.
Very Very Slightly Included = Inclusions are difficult for a skilled grader to see.
Very Slightly Included = Inclusions are clearly visible but can be characterized as minor.
Slightly Included = Inclusions are noticeable to skilled grader.
Included = Inclusions are obvious and may affect transparency and brilliance
Diamond Carat Weight

The word carat derives from the word carob, a Mediterranean seed, which has an extremely consistent weight for measuring. The greater the carat weight, the rarer, and more valuable the diamond becomes. Five metric carats weighs exactly 1 gram.

Some people want the largest diamond possible. If size is a priority, we at Colonial Jewelers can help you classify the proper cut, color and clarity to fit your budget economically, and fit your jewelry beautifully. Many of our engagement rings can fit diamonds up to 5.00 carats, but each ring has different size constraints based on its size and type of setting. Prong settings can be manipulated to fit virtually any size diamond, but tension-set diamonds and bezel set diamonds have more limitations on size.

Diamond Education

The 4 C’s of a Diamond

Why Choose Diamond

What Makes Our Diamonds Special

What about Lab-Grown Diamonds?