top of page
The Ultimate Diamond Guide
You may wonder, what are the four C's and why are they important? The 4Cs are a set of criteria used to evaluate and distinguish the quality of a diamond. These criteria were established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The 4Cs stand for Carat, Cut, Colour, and Clarity. Ultimately, if you are looking at buying any piece of diamond jewellery understanding the 4C's will help you choose the best quality diamond for the best value.
Carat
Carat is a measurement of a diamonds weight, not it's size. Whilst carat weight has a significant impact on the price of a diamond. Larger diamonds are generally more valuable, assuming other factors like cut, colour, and clarity are equal. However, the relationship between carat weight and price is not linear; larger diamonds may have a higher price per carat.
Jewellers Advice: If you are buying a diamond engagement ring for your partner consider the size of their hands/fingers. You don't want to choose something either too overpowering or underwhelming.
Cut
The cut of a diamond refers to how well the diamond has been shaped and faceted from its rough form. Cut is a crucial factor that significantly influences a diamonds overall appearance, brilliance, and value. To tell if a diamond is cut well, look for the sparkle! A well-cut diamond reflects light internally, maximising its brilliance and sparkle.
Jewellers Advice: Don't compromise on cut when choosing a diamond, the better the cut the more sparkly. Plus, an excellent cut diamond can appear bigger.
Colour
Diamond colour is graded from D to Z, generally, diamonds with higher colour grades have higher prices. Colourless diamonds (D to F) are rarer and, therefore, more valuable. The choice of metal for the setting can influence how noticeable the diamond's colour is. For example, a slightly warmer-toned diamond might appear more colourless when set in yellow or rose gold compared to white gold or platinum.
Jewellers Advice: Choose a diamond which is as colourless as possible that works within your budget.
Clarity
Clarity is a measure of the purity of a diamond, indicating the presence or absence of imperfections. This, in turn, helps determine the diamond's grade and price. Clarity is graded on a scale ranging from flawless to included.
Jewellers Advice : If you're looking for a diamond that doesn't compromise on appearance and offers the best value, consider choosing a diamond within the VS2 to VS1 range. These grades, classified as very slightly included, are generally not visible to the naked eye, striking a good balance between value and clarity.
Conclusion
We hope this guide was helpful and has given you a good idea of what to look for when choosing your next piece of diamond jewellery. If you are looking for the best possible value diamond and don't want to compromise on appearance we suggest choosing a diamond that is very slightly included (VS1 &VS2) these inclusions are typically unnoticeable to the naked eye, regarding colour choose between G to J. Diamonds in this range appear colourless to the naked eye while being more affordable. We suggest prioritising cut, choose between excellent and very good cut grades and lastly, consider choosing a diamond which is slightly below a whole carat or half carat weight as these may cost less than a whole carat.
Take a look at our diamond jewellery
bottom of page