In the world of diamonds, 4Cs grading have reigned supreme as the ultimate criteria for assessing a diamond's beauty, rarity, and value. For any serious diamond buyer, the concept of the 4Cs - carat weight, color, cut, and clarity - is a familiar guide in the pursuit of the perfect gem.
With the internet's wealth of information at our fingertips, researching the 4Cs has never been easier. A quick search for "How to choose a diamond" yields a staggering half a billion results. However, this explosion of information doesn't necessarily equate to better consumer knowledge.
Surprisingly, a search for "Trust among diamond consumers" garners over 78.5 million results, indicating that trust in the diamond industry remains a prevalent concern.
While the 4Cs provide valuable insights, they may not fully encapsulate a diamond's true allure and character. This is where the concept of Light Performance steps in to transform the diamond buying experience.
Unlike other gemstones, a diamond's appearance is profoundly influenced by how it interacts with light. As light enters, bends, and refracts within the diamond, it emerges to captivate the observer's eye. Every diamond's interaction with light is unique, stemming from factors like birthmarks (inclusions and flaws), cut, and polish quality.
If the diamond is cut too shallow, the light “leaks” out the bottom of the diamond. If the diamond is cut too deep, the light is lost altogether. An optimal cut diamond ensures that the light reflects out through the top of the diamond, allowing its full light performance beauty to shine through.
Clarity, on the other hand, affects the amount of light returned back out of the diamond, depending on the size, type, and location of inclusions and birthmarks.
The 4Cs framework, though essential, encompasses only four dimensions: carat weight, color, cut, and clarity. This framework fails to address the central element that defines a diamond's allure: its play with light. Thus, two diamonds with similar 4Cs grades may exude significantly different radiance and, subsequently, display a notable value discrepancy.
How can diamond retailers elucidate the price difference between seemingly similar diamonds? Moreover, how can they guide buyers to distinguish between such gems confidently? The answer lies within the revolutionary diamond dimension - Light Performance.
The dimension of Light Performance introduces a scientific and objective way to assess a diamond's light interaction. It is founded on four crucial visual parameters: Brilliance, Sparkle, Fire, and Light Symmetry.
In this blog series' inaugural installment, we delve into Brilliance - an integral facet of a diamond’s Light Performance. What is Brilliance, and how does it reflect a diamond's nature and value?
Brilliance in diamond Light Performance is the luminous white light that radiates from within the gem. Measuring this characteristic involves cutting-edge technology, such as the Sarine Light™ Performance technology. This device employs specialized camera imaging technology to capture three facets of a diamond's appearance: Y (luminance), representing black-and-white brightness, and U and V (chrominance), representing color attributes.
Grading a diamond's Brilliance primarily centers on its Y (black-and-white luminance). Calculated as the average gray level, Brilliance relies on a composite scanned image derived from multiple captures by the Sarine Light™ camera technology. Higher gray levels correlate with elevated Brilliance levels, which fall within five categories: Exceptional, Very High, High, Standard, and Minimum.
Sarine's diamond reports leverage Brilliance as an engaging conduit to convey a diamond's unique visual characteristics to consumers. It bridges the gap between diamonds sharing similar 4Cs grades, providing retailers with a visual foundation to distinguish their diamond inventory qualities in-store. An array of visual merchandising tools, including the Sarine Light™ Performance Scale Display, equips retailers to effectively communicate their diamonds' distinctions and beauty to customers.
This blog unveils the brilliance of Brilliance, marking the first step in our exploration of diamonds' Light Performance. As we continue this journey, we'll delve next into Sparkle, Fire, and Light Symmetry, unraveling the remarkable facets that constitute a diamond's captivating play with light.
Subscribe to our blog for forthcoming posts, as we embark on a radiant expedition through the captivating world of diamonds and Light Performance.
For those eager to quickly discover all the parameters of diamonds' Light Performance, we invite you to explore the Light Performance page on our website.