FATUR

DiamondQualit:AhortHitorofthe4C
AlGilbertson

October27,2016
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TheearliestGIAcoursematerialsintheRichardT.LiddicoatGemologicalLibraryandInformationCenterthatmentionthe4Csarefrom1949.

Diamondcolor(http://www.gia.edu/giaabout4CsColor),clarity(http://www.gia.edu/giaabout/4CsClarity),cut(http://www.gia.edu/giaabout/4Cs
Cut)andcaratweight(http://www.gia.edu/giaabout/4CsCarat)arecollectivelytermedthe4Csthefactorsthat,whencombined,defineadiamonds
qualityandultimatelydetermineitsvalue.Priorto1940,however,therewerenostandardtermsorfactorsthatdefineddiamondquality
(http://www.gia.edu/diamondqualityfactor).

Goingbackasfarasthe1500s,merchantsusedmanydifferentandinconsistenttermstotalkaboutthefourelementsofadiamondsvalue.Without
flawsorwithimperfectionswereusedtodescribeclaritytinctureortinttodescribecolorandtermssuchasmakewellormadepoorlyto
describecut.Carattodescribeweightistheonlytermthatwasconsistentlyusedfromthe1500stotoday.Becauseofthesedifferentand
inconsistentterms,therewasnoeasywayforjewelerstocommunicatethoseelementsofvaluetotheircustomersorfortheircustomerstoremember
them.
Intheearly20thcentury,RobertM.Shipley(http://www.gia.edu/gianewsresearchGIAinnovatorsshipley),aformerretailjeweler,undertookthetask
ofprofessionalizingtheAmericanjewelryindustry.Tothatend,heestablishedGIAin1931toprovideformalgemologicaltrainingtoaspiringjewelers.
ShipleyalsoestablishedtheAmericanGemSociety(AGS),aprofessionalguildwhosememberswereGIAgraduates.
Shipleystandardizedthediamondvaluetermstocolor,clarity,cutandcaratweightandcalledthemthe4Cs,amnemonicdevicetohelpstudentsand
jewelerslearnabout,rememberandexplainthefactorsthatdetermineadiamondsvalue.
UnderShipleysdirection,theterm4CsbecamepartofindustryvernacularthroughGIAcoursematerialsandadvertisingGIApreparedforAGS
memberretailers.
TACHINGJWLRAOUTTH4C
WhileitsnotknownexactlywhenShipleyfirstbegantoteachthe4CsatGIAbecausethereareafewgapsinthedatesormissingpagesfromhis
earlycoursematerials,thetermappearsinnewspaperarticlesintheveryearly40sduringthewaryearsbyjewelerswhohadtakenGIA
courses.TheearliestGIAcoursematerialinthearchivesattheRichardT.LiddicoatGemologicalLibraryandInformationCenterinCarlsbadthat
mentionsthe4Csarefrom1949.Thetextreads:
Theseprincipalpropertiescanbedescribedasthewriter[Shipley]firstdidinpreparingadvertisingforAGSstudentsasColor,Clarity,Cuttingand
Caratsizethe4CsofDiamondValue.
AGIAstudenthelpedproducethefirstchartusedinGIAscoursematerialsaboutthe4Cs,explaininghowdiamondscanbecomparedinvalueby
measuringthemwiththesefourrulers.ThetermalsoappearedintheAGSbookletDiamondsin1951,andcontinuestobepartofGIAandAGS
materials.
ADVRTIINGPRADTH4CMAG

ADVRTIINGPRADTH4CMAG
Beginningin1940,GIAcollaboratedwithDeBeerstocreateadvertisingdesignedtostimulateaninterestindiamonds.Jewelersbegantousetheterm
4Csinnewsarticlesasearlyas1941.
Later,ShipleyarrangedtohaveGladysBabsonHannaford,alecturerforN.W.Ayer&Son(theU.S.advertisingfirmthatrepresentedDeBeers),
travelaroundthecountrytoteachjewelershowtotalkaboutthe4Cstotheircustomers.Oneofhertourskickedoffin1947whensheadvised
jewelerstoexplainthefourfactorsdeterminingthevalueofadiamond.WecallthemthefourCs.
N.W.Ayer&SonwroteSecretsoftheDiamondExpertforTheJewelersCircularKeystone(nowJCKmagazine)in1954.Itfocusedonthe4Cs
andthematerialpresentedseemstohaveevolvedfromthetalksgivenin1947.Itwasmeantasaspeechforjewelerstousetoaddressconsumer
groups,accordingtoasecondaryheadlineinthearticle.
WhileDeBeershelpedwiththeadvertisingcampaignsthatinvolvedthe4Cs,itwasnotuntilAugustof1962,whenthetermhadbecomepopular,that
DeBeersadoptedtheterm4Csinitsnationalmagazineadvertisingcampaign.ItstoppedusingthetermpurityandstartedusingShipleystermclarity
(awordstartingwithc).
Today,the4CsofDiamondQualityistheuniversalphraseforreferringtothefourqualitiesthatdeterminethevalueofanydiamond,anywhereinthe
world.Thissimplemnemonicdevice,alongwiththegradingstandardsandpracticesGIAalsodeveloped,meansthatdiamondqualitycanbe
communicatedinauniversallanguagesodiamondpurchasersknowexactlywhattheyarebuying.

AOUTTHAUTHOR
AlGilbertson,aresearchassociateatGIAinCarlsbad,ispartoftheteamthatdevelopedtheGIACutGradingSystemforroundbrilliantdiamonds
andistheauthorofAmericanCutTheFirst100Years.ThisinformationonGIAscreationofamnemonicdevicecalledthe4Cshasbeen
excerptedandupdatedfromAmericanCut.

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