Our Guide to The 4C's
CHOOSING YOUR DIAMOND
We are here to help every step of the way when it comes to creating both your dream ring and the diamond that sits within it. Choosing a perfect diamond comes down to personal taste, but it is also important to be aware of the below factors so that you can make an educated decision when choosing your diamond.
THE 4C'S
CUT
CARAT
COLOUR
CLARITY
CUT
The cut of a diamond impacts how it sparkles which is why we consider it to be so important. It is determined by the quality of how the diamond has been cut and refers to its proportions, symmetry and polish. A cut grade is only ever given to a round diamond, however fancy cut diamonds (any other shape) are given a symmetry and polish grade. Symmetry looks at whether the facets of the stone are aligned whilst polish refers to the external facets of the diamond and how smooth each facet is. Both symmetry and polish determine how light sparkles and reflects through the diamond.
CARAT
The carat of a diamond refers to its weight. Diamond value increases as the carat weight increases, with all other factors being equal. It is worth noting that the carat weight between two different shapes can look different as can two diamonds of the same shape where cut, clarity and colour differ.
COLOUR
A diamond colour grade refers to the lack of colour displayed within a diamond. If a stone is a noticeable and striking colour this is termed a fancy coloured diamond. Most stones appear ‘colourless’ when often they display a small tint of yellow. To an untrained eye, it can be difficult to assess the difference between a colourless and near colourless diamond and you often need to compare stones at least two colour grades apart to be able to notice a difference.
Colour is graded from D – Z, with D displaying the least amount of colour, termed ‘colourless’ and Z displaying a light yellow colour ‘tinted’.
CLARITY
The clarity of a stone refers to its lack of inclusions and blemishes. Most diamonds contain some form of inclusion and these are formed naturally when growing. Grading takes place under 10x magnification and is based on the number, size and position of inclusions. We recommend stones that have an SI1 clarity or above, to allow for few to no visible inclusions and to ensure that the overall beauty of the stone is not impacted.