Meet the Four Cs

 Colour 顏色                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Often many people think of diamonds as colourless.  In fact, colourless diamonds are quite rare.  When diamond graders and experts appraise the colour of the diamond, they are looking for a lack of colour or degree of transparency.  The less colour the diamond has, the more desirable and higher its colour grade.  The most valuable white diamonds contain no traces of colour and are composed purely of carbon. 
    Diamonds contain traces of nitrogen that come in many colour like yellow or brown or other elements that may affect their transparency.  Diamonds often appear as pale yellow.  That is why a diamond’s colour grade is based on its lack of colour.  The less colour the diamond has, the more desirable and higher its colour grade.  A colour grade of D (Colourless) is the highest while Z (light) is the lowest.
      Other most valuable diamonds that possess natural colour is called Fancy-coloured diamond. They come in red; pink; blue; green; orange; brown and black or even multi-coloured in some cases.

      通常很多人認為鑽石是無色的。事實上,無色的鑽石非常罕見。當鑽石認證師和專家評估鑽石的顏色時,
      他們正在尋找顏色或透明度。鑽石的顏色越少,越受歡迎,其顏色等級也越高。
      最有價值的白色鑽石不含任何顏色的痕跡,並且完全由碳組成。

      鑽石含有微量的氮,有多種顏色,如黃色或棕色或其他可能影響其透明度的元素。
      鑽石通常呈淡黃色。這就是為什麼鑽石的顏色等級是基於其顏色評級的。
      鑽石的顏色越少,越受歡迎,其顏色等級也越高。
      D(無色)的顏色等級最高,Z(淺)的顏色等級最低。

      其他具有天然顏色的最有價值的鑽石稱為彩鑽。
      紅色;粉色的;藍色;綠色;橘色;棕色和黑色,甚至在某些情況下是多色的。
       
      Diamond Colour Scale  鑽石顏色分級

      D COLOURLESS Completely Colourless. Highest Colour Grade. Extremely Rare.
      (E)(F) COLOURLESS

      Minute traces of colour that can be detected by an expertGemologist.

      A rare diamond.

      (G)-(H) NEAR COLOURLESS

      Difficult to detect unless compared diamonds side-by-side of bettergrades.A terrific value compare to higher grades diamond.

      (I)(J) NEAR COLOURLESS

      Difficult to detect unless compared diamonds side-by-side of better grades. A terrific value compare to higher grades diamond.

      (K)(M) Faint

      Noticeable colour with traces of pale yellow.

      (N)(R) Very Light  Diamond within this grade will be distinctly yellow in color.

      (S)

      (Z)

      Light 

      Diamond within this grade will be distinctly yellow in color

       

      A hint of colour in diamond is so slight that only trained eyes are able to notice it, and it certainly does not detract from the beauty of the diamond.
      鑽石中帶有顏色非常微弱,只有訓練有素的眼睛才能注意到,這當然不會減損鑽石的美麗。


      Clarity 淨度                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
      The internal features of diamonds are called inclusions and surface irregularities, called blemishes.  They are called clarity characteristics.  Diamond with the least and smallest clarity characteristics receive the highest clarity grades.  Many of these clarity characteristics are microscopic, and do not affect a diamond’s beauty in any perceptible way.  There are no two diamonds in this world that have precisely the same clarity characteristics and that makes diamond so precious and unique of its own.

      鑽石的內部特徵稱為內含物和表面不規則性,稱為瑕疵。它們被稱為淨度特性。
      具有最低和最小淨度特徵的鑽石獲得最高的淨度等級。許多這些淨度特徵是微觀的,
      不會以任何可察覺的方式影響鑽石的美感。世界上沒有兩顆鑽石具有完全相同的淨度特徵,
      使鑽石如此珍貴和獨一無二。
       
      Clarity grade has several categories that affect the price of a diamond
      淨度等級有幾個影響鑽石價格的類別
       

      FL

      Flawless: No internal or external clarity characteristics. Extremely rare.

      IF

      Internal Flawless: No internal clarity characteristics. Extremely rare.

      VVS1, VVS2

      Very, Very Slightly Included: Very difficult to detect clarity characteristics under 10X magnification. An exceptional quality diamond.

      VS1, VS2

      Very Slightly Included: Clarity characteristics are not particularly visible under the unaided eye. Less expensive than VVS1 and VVS2 grades but brilliant quality.

      SI1, SI2

      Slightly Included: Clarity characteristics are visible to see under the 10X magnification and maybe noticeable under the unaided eye.  A diamond of good value.

      I1, I2, I3

      Included: Obvious to see clarity characteristics under 10X magnification. MOHSTEN does not carry diamonds of this grade.

       

      Cut 鑽石切割


      Cut is one of the most important in the 4Cs because this can have an overall impact on the beauty of the diamond.  An objective measure of a diamond’s light performance is its’ cut grade, resulting in a display of three essential diamond characteristics: brilliance, fire and scintillation. 

        Whilst light ray strikes a diamond, it either reflects off the surface or enters.  A diamond’s proportions decide how it interacts with light and its finish show off the diamond’s beauty.  If the diamond is cut too deep, light escapes out of the sides while if it is cut too shallow, light leaks out of the bottom.


        切工是4C中最重要的因素之一,因為這會對鑽石的美感產生整體影響。
        鑽石光性能的客觀衡量標準是其切工等級,從而顯示出鑽石的三個基本特徵
        :亮度、火彩和閃爍度。當光線照射到鑽石時,它要從表面反射。
        鑽石的比例決定了它如何與光線相互作用,它的光潔度展示了鑽石的美麗。
        如果鑽石切得太深,光線會從側面逸出,而如果切得太淺,光線會從底部漏出。



         
         Carat  克拉                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
        We use metric carats, abbreviated “cts” to measure diamond weights.

          The diamond/gem weight international measurement is one carat equals one-fifth of a gram (0.200 g).  The division of metric carat is 100 points.  A point abbreviated “pt.” is one hundredth of a carat (0.01ct).  Hence, 50 points is equal to 1/2 carat.
            Carat is specifically a measure of a diamond’s weight however by itself may not precisely reflect a diamond’s size.  To have a better understanding of diamond size, two conditions should be considered in conjunction with carat weight.  1. It is essential to measure the distance across the top of the diamond. 2. The cut grade of the diamond.
            我們使用公制克拉(縮寫為“cts”)來衡量鑽石重量。 鑽石/寶石重量的國際計量單位是一克拉等於五分之一克(0.200 克)。

            公制克拉的劃分是100分。一個點縮寫為“pt”。是百分之一克拉 (0.01ct)。
            因此,50 分等於 1/2 克拉。克拉是鑽石重量的具體衡量標準,
            但其本身可能無法準確反映鑽石的尺寸。為了更好地了解鑽石尺寸,
            應結合克拉重量考慮兩個條件。
            1. 必須測量鑽石頂部的距離。 2. 鑽石的切工等級。
            Fluorescence 螢光
            Fluorescence refers to how a diamond responds when exposed to ultra-violet light. 
              Some diamonds will glow into different colour.  Most of the time, diamond will glow into blue but on rare occasions, they can glow white, yellow, green or even red.  In the Gemological Institute of America diamond report, the fluorescence is graded as “None”, “Faint”, “Medium” or “Strong”.  Most diamond fluorescence is not detectable under normal daylight and therefore this does not affects its’ overall appearance.  For diamonds with a higher colour grade coupled with a strong fluorescence may appear a little hazy while diamonds with lower colour grade and strong fluorescence may appear whiter than they really are.
                熒光是指鑽石暴露在紫外線下時的反應。
                有些鑽石會發出不同的顏色。大多數情況下,鑽石會發出藍色光,
                但在極少數情況下,它們會發出白色、黃色、綠色甚至紅色的光。
                在美國寶石學院鑽石報告中,熒光被分級為“無”、“微弱”、“中等”或“強”。
                大多數鑽石熒光在正常日光下無法檢測到,因此這不會影響其整體外觀。
                對於顏色等級較高且熒光強度較高的鑽石,可能會顯得有點朦朧,
                而顏色等級較低且熒光強度較高的鑽石可能看起來比實際更白。