Diamond sorting is the separation of diamonds into categories. The sorting into categories takes place at several stages of diamond processing.
Stage 1
Rough diamond producers sort the diamonds into categories, in order to distribute them to their clientele. De Beers’ DTC, for example, sorts rough diamonds into approximately 16,000 different categories according to shape, size (weight in carats), quality and color.
Stage 2
The cutters sort the rough diamonds according to the criteria of their work.
Stage 3
After the completion of cutting, boiling and cleaning away the detritus created by the production process, the polished diamonds are sorted for marketing purposes. The main criteria for sorting are: diamond size, color, perfection and quality of cut.
Advanced Stage
A more advanced stage of the sorting process is the preparation of a mix which combines several categories of sorted diamonds in order to create a more marketable diamond package. The quality of the sorting has a large influence on the marketability of a diamond package.