Diamond Education
The 4 C’s of Diamonds

When choosing the perfect loose diamond or diamond jewelry for yourself or that special someone it's very important that you pay attention to the 4 C’s of Diamonds to make sure you have a high quality stone.

Cut

The cut of the diamond is the secret to its universally appealing glow and sparkle. Not every diamond is perfect so it is extremely important to focus on the 4 C’s to get the best bang for your buck. The cut of the diamond has the greatest effect on the sparkle of a stone , You can have a .50 carat or a 50 carat diamond, the sparkle will be affected by how deep or shallow the cut is.

Color

Fancy color diamonds aside, the best, most beautiful color for a diamond is no color at all. Most ECI diamonds are graded "near colorless" - between G and J on the color scale. At a J grade and beyond, the human eye can start to detect a yellow tint.

The D grade at the top of the scale, is considered colorless, rarest and most expensive

Moving down the scale toward H or I lets you buy a diamond that still appears white, but is more common and more affordable

Clarity

Clarity is the degree to which a diamond is free from flaws, which can hinder light as it passes through your diamond. Like people, diamonds have "birthmarks" that vary in size, shape, position, quantity and color. These birthmarks are known as inclusions (internal) and blemishes (external).

The clarity grade is determined based on the size, number, position of, nature and color of the diamond's blemishes

Carat Weight

Diamonds are weighed in units called carats. A carat is measured in increments called points. One carat is equal to 100 points. Carat weight is the easiest of the 4C's to determine because it is measured on a diamond scale