4 c's

Bigger is Not Always Better: The price of a diamond varies considerably and one should take into account color, cut, clarity and carat weight. Since both color and cut are visible to the naked eye, they are the first two criteria on most grading charts.

color: Color describes the degree to which the diamond is colorless. Ranging from (D) colorless to (Z). (D) is very rare and very valuable. (K) - (Z) show more and more yellow color in the stone. The subtle changes in color from one shade to another are best seen in good lighting, on white paper and with several different shades next to each other.



cut: Cutting is critical because it reveals the beauty of a diamond through the distribution of light, thus resulting in its degree of brilliance Cut describes the proportions and angles with which the stone is cut. There are formulas that will bring out the most brilliance in a stone. The well cut stone reflects light internally, from one facet to another and disperse it through the top and are brilliant whether prong or bezel set.



clarity: Clarity describes the absence or presence of flaws, called inclusions. These take the form of minerals, fractures, crystals, clouds or feathers. The clarity scale ranges from Flawless (F) to Included (I), based on visibility at 10x magnification. Flawless (F) stones are very rare in nature and more valuable. The stone is also valued according to where the inclusion is located. In the case of the slightly included (SI) stone, the flaws may not be very noticeable, and may appear "eye clean" which means not visible to the naked eye.



carat weight: One carat is 200 milligrams or 100 "points". A .75 carat diamond is the same as a 75-points or ¾ carat diamond. The price of diamonds increases exponentially as the stone gets larger, quality remaining constant. Size (referring to weight) is not always the most important characteristic. The mountings we create here at Claudia Endler Designs are known for making diamonds appear larger.