The Four C's of Diamonds
Introduction to Finding the Perfect Diamond
The 4 C's - Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight - are the unique characteristics of an individual diamond, which will together make a diamond what it is. Whenever you are considering purchasing a diamond, in addition to considering the shape of the stone, it is very important to consider these four categories, each of which impact the quality and price of a diamond.
1. CUT
The cut is an important aspect to consider when buying a diamond because it determines the "brilliance" of the stone. Specifically, this is the way the diamond is polished, and the best cut will give a diamond the most sparkle. A diamond that is cut too deep will look smaller than its weight would suggest, and a diamond that is too shallow will look glassy, meaning that the diamond will not sparkle brightly. The GIA provides cut ratings only for round diamonds, which are rated from Excellent to Fair.
2. COLOR
Whites
The color of a typical diamond is generally considered on a whiteness scale. The whiteness scale goes from D (the most white) to Z (a light yellow color). The whiter the stone, the rarer and more expensive it is.
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The most rare and expensive white diamonds are the "fine whites," which range from D to F color.
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G to J colors are the level below fine whites, and are called the "whites." These are the most popular and well-priced colors.
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K and lower colors will show warmer shades of yellow and are not typically as desirable.
Yellows
Beyond Z color diamonds become yellow diamonds. The more intense the color, the more expensive they are. The scale from most intense to least intense is:
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Fancy vivid yellow
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Fancy intense yellow
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Fancy yellow
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Fancy light yellow
Other Colors
There are other colors of diamonds, such as pink, blue and green, which are very rare and consequently very expensive.
3. CLARITY
Clarity describes the internal cleanliness of (or lack of imperfections in) a diamond. The clarity scale ranges from Flawless to Imperfect. Specifically, the scale is divided into the following categories, most of which are then also subdivided
I.F. = Internally Flawless. This is very rare and expensive.
V.V.S. = Very Very Slightly Included. This is also considered a rare and expensive stone, but is more commonly seen and sold than IF stones.
V.S. = Very Slightly Included. If you are looking for a very clean stone, you can go for a VS diamond, which is at a lower price than a VVS stone but still has very high clarity. This is a popular clarity for people who want an internally cleaner diamond.
S.I. = Slightly Included. This is also one of the most popular clarities because it is still "eye clean," but at a lower price than a VS diamond.
I = Imperfect. Imperfect diamonds will not appear clean to the naked eye, and as a result are considerably cheaper than SI stones.
4. CARAT WEIGHT
Carat weight is a metric unit that equals 1/5 of a gram. A diamond is weighed on very precise scale that will measure its weight to within 1/100 of a carat (each called a point). Diamond prices per carat generally increase exponentially as the weight increases.