The 4 C's refer to Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat of a diamond

 

Carat

A carat is a measurement unit to specify the weight of a diamond and other precious gemstones. Each carat is equal to 0.2 grams.

A diamond's carat weight is not consistent to the size of the diamond - it all comes down to the cut. A diamond’s size is determined by its height, width, girdle, and top. 

For a white diamond larger than 0.3 carat it comes with a diamond certificate.

The world’s largest ever diamond, just over 3000 carat, was discovered in 1905 in South Africa. The nine cuts from the majestic record diamond now decorate the British Crown Jewels.

 

Colour

The diamond colour white has a gradation of white tones and in the world of diamonds, the more white a diamond is, the higher it ranks and the colour of a diamond grants its value. The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, created the standard grading scale used for diamond colour and goes from D - Z, but in Scandinavia we are using different terms for the gradation and we will convert them to the GIA standard below. 

If you are curious as to why the diamonds carry different levels of yellow hues, it origins from traces of nitrogen within Earth's mantle which mix with the carbon, and give the diamonds a yellow tint.

The Top Wesselton (TW) grade is awarded to especially white diamonds and ranks in the top on the International GIA scale (F-G), the only colour category above is river. Those diamonds are mainly found in rivers instead of mines. 

The Wesselton (W) grade is next in line and lands an H (near colourless).

Brown and black diamonds are not considered on the GIA scale, please see our information page for coloured stones. 

 

Clarity

Clarity refers to the purity of our brilliant cut diamonds.

At Cornelia Webb we offer natural white diamonds and their growth history show traces inside the diamond, so called inclusions, which are minor internal characteristics from the colossal heat and pressure deep within planet earth. The clarity grading scale reflects these inclusions when examined with a 10x magnifying glass. 

Please bear in mind that no diamond is perfectly pure. But the closer it comes to being flawless, the better its clarity.

We offer TW VVS (Top Wesselton Very Very Slightly Included) and W SI (Wesselton Slightly Included) diamonds as standard. 

VVS - Almost flawless. Under a microscope grading experts notice even the slightest inclusion, but to the naked eye a VVS diamond is extremely clear and appears flawless. It is a fine choice.

SI - Slightly included. Minor small traces exist within SI diamonds but are generally only visible with magnification to a trained eye. A valuable and popular choice.

Our baguette and princess cut diamonds are always TW VVS. 

 

Cut

Uncut diamonds come in various shapes and form, and their natural, raw state is far from the striking, sparkling and alluring appearance of a cut diamond. Diamonds need to be cut to expose their inner beauty and full potential. 

Our round diamonds are brilliant-cut. This means they have been cut for maximum reflection of light and brilliance with 57 facets; 33 on the crown (which is the top part of the stone), and 25 on the pavilion (the lower half below the girdle).

We also offer what is referred to as fancy cuts with other shapes than round. Baguette-cut diamonds are rectangular and princess-cut diamonds are square shaped.

The baguette typically has 14 facets and large, open tables. The princess cut is a contemporary cut, with angular geometric lines, a pyramidal shape, and with four bevelled sides.