The 5-C's.
You’ve heard of the Four Cs—the four factors that determine the quality, and ultimately the price, of a diamond and they apply to both mined and lab created diamonds. Understanding them is critical grasping the unique, cost-benefit allure of a lab created diamond. At Love Earth, we’ve expanded the standard criteria to 4 Cs, the include a 5th “C” being that of “choice.”
Cut
The most important of the 4Cs, cut is what makes a diamond sparkle; the ability to transform a rough stone into a faceted jewel is a prized skill entrusted to a trained specialist. An exceptional cut not only unleashes that display of brilliant fire associated with the most beautiful diamonds but can also camouflage imperfections.
Clarity
Most diamonds come with inclusions (dark spots) and their presence in a diamond is evaluated on an 11-point scale ranging from “flawless” to “included.” Diamond clarity measures the purity of a stone based on how visible and pronounced the inclusions are (but a good cut can improve appearance overall).
Color
The industry standard for grading color is to evaluate each diamond against a master set and assign it a letter grade from "D" (colorless) to "Z" (light yellow). In general, the closer to being "colorless" a diamond is, the better but remember that cut and clarity can also greatly impact your sense of the stone’s beauty.
Carat
A diamond’s weight is measured in carats. One carat is equal 0.20 grams. The higher the carat weight, the larger the stone.
Choice
Modern technology makes it possible for superior diamonds to be created in a laboratory setting. You now have a choice between lab created diamonds and those that were mined from the Earth. Once you are educated on the similarities between the two options, you can make an informed choice—something previous generations did not have available to them. We can’t make the choice for you, but we can share the facts:
- Lab created diamonds are 100% real diamonds and have the same chemical, physical, and optical properties of mined diamonds.
- More consumers have opted for lab created diamonds in pursuit of a kind of lab-controlled perfection—and a choice that is sustainable and conflict free.