When selecting a diamond, the 4Cs—Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat—offer a comprehensive way to assess quality.
Once upon a time, there was no agreed-upon standard by which diamonds could be evaluated. in the 1940s, Robert M. Shipley, the founder of GIA, coined the term 4Cs to help his students remember the four factors that characterize a faceted diamond: color, clarity, cut and carat weight. The concept was simple, but revolutionary.
Cut: The cut of a diamond greatly affects its brilliance and fire. The grades range from Excellent to Poor. An Excellent cut diamond reflects most light that enters it, maximizing sparkle. For round shape diamonds, we recommend 3EX cut (Excellent in Cut Grade, Polish, and Symmetry). For other shape diamonds, we recommend EX or VG.
Color: Diamond color is graded from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). The closer a diamond is to colorless, the higher its value. Most preferred are D-F grades for their lack of color. G-I grades are value for money choice, they are also nearly colorless. We do not recommend choosing colors below I grade.
Clarity: Evaluating diamond clarity involves determining the number, size, relief, nature, and position of these characteristics, as well as how these affect the overall appearance of the stone. Clarity grades range from Flawless to Included . The clearer a diamond, the more beautiful and expensive it typically is. We recommend vvs1 to vs2 clarity, which are virtually invisible to the naked eye and relatively reasonably priced.
- Flawless (FL) No inclusions and no blemishes visible under 10x magnification
- Internally Flawless (IF) No inclusions visible under 10x magnification
- Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) Inclusions so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification
- Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) Inclusions are observed with effort under 10x magnification, but can be characterized as minor
- Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) Inclusions are noticeable under 10x magnification
- Included (I1, I2, and I3) Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification which may affect transparency and brilliance
Carat: Carat refers to the diamond's weight, not size. A metric “carat” is defined as 200 milligrams. Each carat is subdivided into 100 ‘points.’ This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. A higher carat diamond will generally be larger, but its cut, color, and clarity can make a smaller diamond more valuable.
