Education

Basic Diamond Course: The 4 C’s

The 4 C’s

Basic / Introductory · 3 days · In person + practical lab

An intensive three-day programme that takes you from how diamonds form to confident, hands-on grading of the 4 C’s: Carat, Colour, Clarity and Cut, to IDC Rule Book standards.

The Basic Diamond Course is JTR Academy’s three-day introduction to diamond science and the 4 C’s grading system. It is built for professionals who need a dependable, standards-based understanding of how diamonds are assessed: jewellers, retail staff, dealers, and anyone whose work depends on judging a diamond’s quality with confidence.

The programme begins where every diamond begins: deep in the earth. You follow the stone through its geological formation, mining, and the pipeline that turns rough crystal into a polished gem. From there the course moves into the heart of the 4 C’s: Carat weight, Colour on the D–Z scale, Clarity from Loupe Clean to included, and Cut. Each is taught to International Diamond Council (IDC) Rule Book definitions and reinforced with practical exercises under controlled lighting.

A significant part of the course is hands-on. You train on JTR’s professional microscope and the Loupe S digital loupe, the same instruments used in JTR’s ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory, learning to locate inclusions and assess cut with the precision the trade demands. The final session covers synthetic diamonds, teaching you to screen stones on the JTR REVEAL instrument and interpret the results with confidence.

Overview

This course follows the diamond’s full journey: formation deep in the earth, mining, and the pipeline that turns rough stone into a polished gem. From there it moves into the heart of the 4 C’s, then spends significant time on practical instrument work with JTR’s microscope and Loupe S. The final chapter covers recognising synthetic diamonds and screening with the JTR REVEAL instrument.

Who it’s for

Entry-level gemologists, jewellers, diamond traders and retail staff, plus quality-control personnel and purchasing agents who need a reliable understanding of diamond grading.

Prerequisites

None. No formal gemological qualifications or prior instrument experience required; all terms are defined as introduced.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Describe how natural diamonds form and the principal mining methods used to extract them
  • Explain the diamond pipeline from rough stone to polished gem
  • Apply the 4 C’s framework (Carat, Colour, Clarity, Cut) using IDC Rule Book standards
  • Use the D–Z colour scale under controlled lighting
  • Classify clarity grades (FL–I3) and locate inclusions at 10× magnification
  • Operate the JTR Microscope and JTR Loupe S for professional examination
  • Recognise synthetic diamonds and screen stones with the JTR REVEAL instrument

Curriculum

1. Origin of Diamond: Geology & Mining

  • How diamonds form
  • Primary & secondary deposits
  • Mining methods
  • Rough to polished: the pipeline

2. Overview of the 4 C’s

  • Carat weight
  • Colour grading (D–Z)
  • Clarity grading (FL–I3)
  • Cut quality

3. Use of the Microscope & Loupe at 10×

  • JTR Microscope
  • JTR Loupe S
  • Practical examination techniques

4. Threats on the Market: Synthetics

  • Overview of synthetic diamonds
  • The JTR REVEAL instrument