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In 1939, the world’s largest producer of diamonds, De Beers, created a system by which the consumer could evaluate diamonds. The system, known as the 4 Cs, was introduced to the world in the mid-1950s, in what was to become one of the best-known advertising campaigns ever. Because of the success of the campaign, the Gemological Institute of America adopted the system shortly thereafter and has been successfully promoting it ever since. To this day, the De Beers concept remains one of the most powerful marketing tools of its kind.
In the dimensional stone industry, no such system exists, because unlike diamonds (only one type of stone), this industry deals with over 2,000 different types of stone. A one-size-fits-all grading system would be impossible to create. There is however great differences between stones of the same name, being provided by two different fabricators/suppliers. Just like there is a difference between a one-carat diamond from a bargain jeweler and one from Tiffany’s. You can spend anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 on a one-carat diamond. While there is not quite that price range differential when dealing with dimensional stone, it is important to understand the characteristics of dimensional (or natural) stone materials.
MARBLEX has introduced the concept of the 4 Ds as a way to help you, the homeowner or trade professional, evaluate natural stone materials. While the stone industry does use a grading system by which dimensional stone is bought and sold – grades 1-4, with a “commercial” grade being between grades 1 and 2 – it is a verbal system, used by the stone brokers. What is more surprising, is that the diamond wholesale industry is very much the same, with diamonds often being bought and sold at the wholesale level, based on nothing more than a handshake.
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