4 C's of Diamonds

CUT | COLOUR | CLARITY | CARAT

These four qualities of a diamond are the key components that impact its beauty and structure. The 4C’s interact with each other within the diamond. They dictate how the diamond appears and how high quality it is. As an example, the diamond’s ability to reflect light back to your eyes depends primarily on cut quality but also on colour and clarity.

CUT

Of all the 4Cs, diamond 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 diamond is cut, the more captivating the diamond is to the eye.

The four diamond characteristics are graded by professionals on a consistent scale, giving you a tool to evaluate diamonds. By reviewing the 4C’s of a particular diamond, you can better determine if the diamond is of high-quality.

COLOUR

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

CLARITY

A Diamond’s Clarity grade evaluates how clean a diamond is from both inclusions and blemishes. The GIA Diamond Clarity Scale has 6 categories, some of which are divided, for a total of 11 specific grades.

  • 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 is commonly referred to as the size, but it is actually the unit of measurement for the weight of the diamond. Two diamonds may be of the same carat weight but can be different sizes due to the cut.

The below sizes are shown are for proportionality purposes. These images do not reflect actual carat size.