Blacklock 4C's
Discover how every diamond is evaluated and assessed at Blacklock. The 4C’s prescribed by the GIA is the industry benchmark, however at Blacklock we go further in our quest to find only the best diamonds. Diamonds need to be assessed and seen for their core beauty to be understood. Blacklock do this for you.
Proportions too deep.
Light is lost through the sides.
Ideal proportions.
All light is captured and thrown back.
Too shallow.
Light is lost through girdle facets.
Cut
The one characteristic that truly defines the overall beauty of the diamond is the cut - this depends on the essential craftmanship of the diamond cutter. Diamonds need to be cut to exact specification as optimum scintillation and sparkle can be lost if the facets of the stone are not perfectly aligned or the stone is cut too shallow or too deep. Perfect proportions mean perfect scintillation and sparkle.
Colour
The most highly regarded diamonds are completely, or close to completely, colourless. Diamonds are graded on a scale from D to Z, with D being deemed as being ‘exceptional’ white. This is the most sought after colour and the tell tale sign of such a diamond is a blue/white flash of light when moved.
Most Blacklock diamonds range between D and G – the rarest and most sought-after grades.
Blacklock Quality
I J K L M - Slightly tinted
N O P Q R - Very light yellow
S T U V W X Y Z- Light yellow
2.00ct
1.50ct
1.00ct
0.50ct
0.20ct
Carat
Carat is the unit of measurement used to describe a diamond’s weight. A measure of weight and not size and is equal to 0.2 grams. A simple rule – the greater the weight the greater the value, however we feel that small and perfect is often the better way to go when judging on carat weight.
Blacklock can source diamonds up to 10cts and beyond.
Clarity
Clarity is the characteristic that judges the amount of imperfections within a diamond. When a diamond is being formed way down in the earth’s mantle other crystals and minerals are often present and become part of the diamond crystal as it naturally forms. This makes every diamond unique. A clear and flawless diamond is exceedingly rare and therefore its value reflects this.
Blacklock only selects diamonds of a clarity of FL to VS2 which means any imperfections are not visible with the naked eye and very hard to spot with x10 magnification.
Blacklock Quality
VVS1 VVS2
Very nearly flawless
Si1 Si2Inclusions at 10x magnification
P1 P2 P3Inclusions noticeable to human eye
Additional Characteristic that need to be taken into account…..
Certification
A certificate provides an independent verification of the quality of the stone. Certification from one of the trusted gem labs (GIA / HRD / IGI) provides another layer of certainty.
However a certificate alone does not allow you to fully understand the beauty of a stone. We handpick all of our stones which allows us to reject those that certificate well but don't have life about them. We certificate all stones over 0.50cts.
Feel
Having a feel for a stone's quality is an immeasurable quanitification that only 190 years of experience can bring to bare. Experience of looking at thousands and thousands of stones. Ellis McRae Blacklock, 4th generation of Blacklock owner always lived by the maxim 'if the stone doesn't have life about it - don't accept it'.
To this very day we allow ourselves to feel sentiment about a stone whenever it is presented to us. It is not merely a linear choice - if a stone stirs emotion we are interested,
Brilliance 40 collection
The Brilliance 40 collection is inspired by the magnificence of the perfect facet alignment achieved through the perfect 'cut' of a diamond. When cut to perfection no light leaves the stone through the bottom or sides. In this Blacklock signature collection we only use 'triple excellent' cut stones in homage to the ultimate sparkle.
