4 C's of Diamonds

You've probably heard about the 4 C's of a diamond, and you may even know that it stands for cut, color, clarity and carat weight. Below we take a closer look into the individual 4Cs.

Of all the 4Cs, cut has the greatest effect on a diamond’s beauty. In determining the quality of the cut, the diamond grader evaluates the cutter’s skill in the fashioning of the diamond. The more precise the cut, the more captivating the diamond is to the eye. 

Color

The color of gem-quality diamonds occurs in many hues. In the range from colorless to light yellow or light brown. Colorless diamonds are the rarest. Other natural colors (blue, red, pink for example) are known as "fancy,” and their color grading is different than from white colorless diamonds. 

Clarity

Diamonds can have internal characteristics known as inclusions or external characteristics known as blemishes. Diamonds without inclusions or blemishes are rare; however, most characteristics can only be seen with magnification.

Cut

Diamond Cut specifically refers to the quality of a diamond’s angles, proportions, symmetrical facets, brilliance, fire, scintillation and finishing details. These factors directly impact a diamond’s ability to sparkle, along with its overall aesthetic appeal. The GIA grades Diamond Cut on the scale of Ideal, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.

Carat

The carat is the diamond’s physical weight measured in metric carats. One carat equals 1/5 gram and is subdivided into 100 points. Carat weight is the most objective grade of the 4Cs.