4 C's of Buying a Diamond

The Shapes

Cut

Most often a person gets confused and thinks cut is the shape of the diamond but actually it refers to the angles and proportions of a diamond. Diamond cut is considered the most important of the four Cs, so it is important to understand how it affects the properties and values of a diamond.

Diamonds that are cut either too deep or too shallow can lose or leak light through the sides and bottom and will be less brilliant-and ultimately of less value. But a well cut diamond is able to handle light better, creating more scintillation and more sparkle which leads to brilliance.

Clarity

Diamonds are graded for clarity under 10x loupe magnification. Clarity ranges from flawless (perfect) to I (included). Below is the chart that certification societies have standardized for grading to describe the clarity of a diamond.

Color

Diamond's color is usually referring to the presence or absence of color in white diamonds. Diamonds act as prisms and can divide light into a spectrum of colors and reflect this light as colorful flashes referred to as fire. The more colorless a diamond is the more colorful the fire will appear.

Diamond colors generally range from D - Z for white and yellow diamonds. D is the whitest. Around S they become "Fancy" yellow Diamonds.

Carat

This is the weight of a diamond measured in carats. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. Sometimes one carat is referred to as 100 "points", so that a diamond of 75 points weighs .75 carats. Carat-weight is the easiest of the 4C's to determine. But two diamonds of equal weight can have very unequal value, depending on their cut, color and clarity. Larger diamonds often cost more per carat due to their size. Diamond cost increases exponentially with an increase in weight because larger diamonds are rarer than smaller diamonds and this rarity increases the value of a larger diamond.