What Are the 6Cs?

What Are the 6C’s?

A diamond is one of the most sought-after stones in the world. With their radiant sparkle and shine, it’s no wonder this stone continues to rise in popularity and value.  A beautiful diamond can convey so much. Whether you’re in need of an elegant piece of jewelry for an event or you’re looking to purchase an engagement ring for someone special, diamonds are the right choice!

After much consideration, you’ve made the decision to purchase a bold and brilliant diamond. However, choosing the right diamond can be a bit on confusing side. How do you know that you’re getting the best diamond for your budget? A top-notch jeweler will steer you in the right direction by informing you of the diamond’s 6Cs.

What are the 6Cs, you may ask? The 6Cs are made up of a diamonds:

• Cut
• Color
• Clarity
• Carat (weight)
• GIA Certificate
• Commoditization

 All of these factors are necessary when it comes to determining the value of the diamonds you intend to purchase. Without them, you’d simply be guessing. The more educated you are, the better your investment is going to be. 

Cut

Though you may think of a diamond’s cut in terms of shape, such as oval, pear, princess, or marquise, the cut of a diamond is really determined by how it reflects light. It takes skill, precision, and specially crafted tools to create the cut that perfectly captures the light. 

The most popular diamond type is the round brilliant cut. Its grade is determined solely by its face-up appearance. A diamond’s cut is graded on a scale of excellent to poor and according to the experts it is by far the most important factor in diamond selection. 

Excellence is achieved when the diamond has an even amount of light and dark areas. In order of importance, the cut is key to a diamond’s value. 

Color

A diamond’s color is actually based on its lack of color. No, you didn’t read that wrong!  A beautiful and un-tampered with diamond will have no visible color at all. The less color a diamond has, the more value it carries. 

A prime factor in the valuation of diamonds comes from the Gemological Institute of America.  The GIA has established a grading scale that forms the guideline that buyers, sellers and especially Jewelers go by. You’ll find very few others that choose to follow different grading standards. 

The GIA grading scale of D-G is given to the diamond in order to assess the amount of color that is present, if any. “D” represents colorless, while the middle of the scale is near-colorless, and the tail-end of the scale is very light. The end of the scale usually refers to yellow, brown, or other uniquely colored diamonds. 

Another popular color term for diamonds is “fancy color”. There is no standard protocol for when it’s appropriate to refer to a diamond as fancy color, but it’s usually reserved for colors other than yellow or brown diamonds. Examples of fancy colors could include, blue or pink.   Currently, the most rare color of diamonds is red which first appeared on the scene in 1956. Today’s price for a red diamond starts at approximately $100,000. 

To determine the color of your diamond, the knowledgeable jewelry professional will compare the diamond to an established high-value stone. However, a skilled jeweler will also compare their findings to its GIA certificate. For more information, see the 5th C below. 

 From there, the jeweler can determine what your stone is worth. Any slight differences are almost invisible to the naked eye but those differences will make a large impact on the stone’s value overall. Color is the second most important factor when selecting the right choice of diamond. 

Clarity

When discussing the clarity of a diamond, a trained professional is speaking about the diamonds lack of blemishes or inclusions. Inclusions are created when crystals fall into the diamond while it’s being formed. The crystals can sometimes affect the structure of the diamond which will affect a diamond’s clarity grade. 

It takes a great deal of heat and pressure to create a diamond. The result of all of that pressure and heat is what creates a diamond’s clarity. While no diamond is completely absent of inclusions or blemishes, the closer to pure and untouched, the better! Diamond clarity is graded on a scale divided into 6 categories from Flawless (FL) to Included (I) and is third on the list of 6C importance.  

Carat Weight

Lastly, but still important to diamond value, is the actual carat weight. Diamond carat weight measures the amount a diamond weighs. It’s taken in the form of decimals, for example, 1.00 ct. 

The more a diamond weighs, the more value it has because larger diamonds are more rare. More often than not, two diamonds with the same carat weight will have different values based on the measurement standards of the 6Cs. 

The 5th C

When purchasing a diamond from a first-rate jeweler, you’ll always hear talk of the main 4 of the 6Cs, color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. However, one very important fact that must not be forgotten is the GIA certificate. 

This certificate is the most recognized and respected diamond grading certificate in the jewelry industry. Your jeweler must provide you with a GIA certificate for your purchase in order to confirm your diamond’s value and quality. 

If your jeweler cannot provide this documentation, it is highly recommended that you purchase your diamond from another establishment. 

The 6th C

Do you currently own a diamond that has been graded according to the 6Cs standards? Are you in need of extra income for home repairs, medical bills, or more?

A wise solution exists for you!  Not only can you sell your asset at a great value, but you can also commoditize it and receive a collateral loan against your luxury asset.  

Don’t let that diamond ring or necklace collect dust in your jewelry box! Now, you can make your gently used luxury assets work for you. If your diamonds are in pristine condition and come complete with their GIA certificate, you could potentially receive a greater loan against your diamond(s).

A local jeweler can provide you with the best offer in town, allowing you to keep 50% of the value of your asset. 

When purchasing your diamond, don’t just consider its cut and color, think about how it can work for you for years to come.  

Summary

Choosing the right diamond doesn’t have to be a struggle. Once you’ve paid a visit to your local jeweler, you’ll have the chance to see the 6Cs of your potential diamond up close and personal. Don’t settle for any old diamond sight unseen. 

You’ll want to ensure that your diamond has a wonderful color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. While all of this may still be new to you, a jeweler will help to educate you on the best diamonds that they’ve got to offer. With a great local jeweler on your side, you can take solace in the fact that you’re receiving a diamond of the finest quality. 

About the Author

Vasco Assets Inc. is a privately held international investment firm located in Newport Beach, California. Vasco Assets has over 35 years of industry expertise from investing, lending, buying and selling of luxury items to collaborating with charities in developing custom offerings and much more. At Vasco Assets, we create and cultivate long-term, multi-generational relationships with our clients.

Vasco Assets’ diversification in the global economy helps maintain our position as an independent international institution that is not subject to the fluctuations in the market conditions. In recent years, we’ve been making significant investments in our patent-pending technological platform and applying them to lending, investments, and fostering our client relationships.