Here at Morton & Rudolph Jewelers, it is always diamond season! When it comes to buying an engagement ring, you want to make sure you find the right diamond for you. As a Forevermark® Retailer, we believe in going beyond the normal grading standards and selling diamonds that are classified as the finest and most beautiful in the world. Only 1% of the world's diamonds are eligible to be Forevermark® diamonds.
It is important to know the value and character of your diamond. The four standards of grading (known as the 4Cs) are carat, clarity, cut, and color. Lets take a look at the different ways our Forevermark® diamonds surpass the standard grading of the 4Cs.
CARAT
Carat is the unit of measurement that determines how much a diamond weighs. Numerically, one carat equals 1.00ct. The larger the diamond, the higher the price, as larger diamonds are rarer than smaller diamonds. Many people think that the carat size of their diamond is the most important factor, however, the other three factors are equally, if not more, important.
CLARITY
The clarity of a diamond is determined by its lack of inclusions or marks. These inclusions materialize as irregularities during the diamond’s formation process under intense heat and pressure near the earth's core and appear as large marks, cloudiness, or haziness. The clarity grading scale ranges from FL to I3. F meaning flawless to the trained eye under 10x magnification and I meaning inclusions.
De Beers Group, the mining affiliate of Forevermark®, mines the rough diamonds before they are sold to diamantaires to be cut. Even from the very beginning, the clarity of these rough diamonds must be of superior quality. In fact, eligible rough diamonds must be assessed by an Authorized Forevermark® Diamantaire for anything that will affect the diamond’s ability to reflect or refract light.
CUT
While most people think that cut pertains to the shape of a diamond (round, oval, cushion, heart), cut actually grades how well a diamond transmits light. The more sparkle a diamond has, the better cutting grade it has, which ranges from poor to excellent.
The Forevermark® diamonds that are sold at Morton & Rudolph Jewelers are cut to spectacular standards. Once a diamond arrives at the Forevermark® Diamond Institute to be evaluated, the diamond’s initial polish must have a high degree of transparency to reflect and refract light. The diamond’s cut also must be precise enough to result in both outstanding symmetry and durability.
Any diamond that shows signs of vulnerability to chipping or abrasions, durability issues, asymmetry, low polish degree, signs of burning, laser holes, or any other characteristic beyond perfection would be rejected by the Forevermark® Diamond Institute. Forevermark® believes in the diamond standard of perfection. The cut of Forevermark® diamonds is one of the many factors that sets a Forevermark® diamond apart from any other diamond.

(Regular Princess Cut Diamond)

(Forevermark FirePrincess Cut Diamond)
COLOR
Diamond color refers to the lack of color in a diamond. Diamond colors range from D-Z, with D being colorless and Z having some light color. The less color a diamond has, the more expensive it is, as a colorless diamond is a higher quality diamond.
A Forevermark® diamond will never have a color grade past an L. These diamonds are extremely high quality, so a diamond with a color grade below an L would be rejected at the Forevermark® Diamond Institute. This further ensures the beauty you receive with a Forevermark diamond.
Morton & Rudolph Jewelers stands by a tradition of excellence and takes pride in being quality fanatical. The quality of the diamonds we show to our customers are anything but standard and truly shine beyond the limits of the 4Cs.