CARAT weight is the easiest to understand of the 4Cs. A diamond’s weight is measured in carats. The carat is subdivided into 100 equal parts called ‘points’ or ‘cents’ (cents is term mostly used in South Asia). One point/cent equals .01 carat or 1/100 carat. A one carat diamond equals 100 points/cents.

COLOUR evaluation on gem-quality diamonds is based on the absence of colour. The colour uses a D to Z alphabetical scale. The diamond on the lower end of the scale (D) will have the least amount of colour – it is considered a colourless stone. The diamond at the higher end of the scale (Z) has deeper yellowish tones. However, when a diamond’s color is more intense than the “Z” grading, it enters the realm of a “Fancy Color” diamond. In this case, the intensity of the color in the diamond can play a significant role in its value. The value of a Fancy Colored Diamond can surpass that of colorless diamonds if the intensity of the color is high and the color is rare.

CLARITY is a measure of the tiny imperfections found in most every diamond. A flawless diamond with little to no imperfections is extremely rare and comes with high premium on price. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that it is very common for diamonds to be formed with slight imperfections. Clarity Grade scale has five main categories:

Gold Purity Guide – Finesse of Gold

Karat is the term used to measure the gold finesse or purity. Karat is globally represented by letter “k”. Here’s a simple guide to understanding the difference between 24k, 22k and 18k gold.

24k gold is also called pure gold or 100 per cent pure gold. This means that all 24 parts in the gold are all pure gold without traces of any other metals. It is known to be 99.9 per cent pure. Typically, 24k gold takes on a distinct bright yellow colour, unless it is treated or polished to another colour. Since this is the purest form of gold, it is naturally more expensive than 22k or 18k gold. 24k gold is lesser in density as compared to lower karate of gold which makes it soft; hence, it is not well suited for most regular forms of jewellery. However, gold coins and bars are mostly of 24k gold purity.

22k gold is known to be only 91.7 per cent pure gold. The other 8.3 per cent comprises metals like silver, zinc, nickel and other alloys. It is this addition of metals that make the texture of gold harder thereby making the jewellery durable and enables heavy studding of gemstones. This kind of gold is most commonly used in jewellery making, especially in South Asia.

21k gold is known to be only 87.5 per cent pure gold. The other 12.5 per cent comprises metals like silver, zinc, nickel and other alloys. It is used in lieu of 22k for harder texture of gold ornament and enable heavy studding of gemstones.

18k gold implies is 75.0 per cent gold mixed with 25.0 per cent of other metals like silver, zinc, nickel and other alloys. Usually heavily studded jewellery and other diamond jewellery is made in 18K gold. This kind of gold is most commonly used in jewellery making, across the globe. It is not so much in South Asia, except when explicitly desired by the customer or demanded by design requirements.

Buyer’s Tip
Sometimes vendors may not clearly specify the karatage of the gold used in a jewellery piece, therefore it is up to the buyer to get more clarity on the purity of the gold. It is YOUR RIGHT to ask your jeweller for the gold karatage and explicitly get it in writing. The following is a quick reference chart.

Calculating Weight of Pure Gold
Calculating the weight of our gold in a piece of jewellery, is pretty straight forward: Weight of Gold x Karats / 24. For example, an 18k pendant that weighs 10g, the amount of pure gold will be (10gx18k/24k): 7.5g