Buying a diamond starts by understanding the unique characteristics of each stone. After all, no two diamonds are the same. To help you make sense of shopping for these timeless gems, diamonds are graded based off the 4Cs - cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. The 4Cs of diamonds impact a stone’s beauty and value. Keep reading to learn more about each of the diamond 4Cs, what these elements mean for diamond appearance and price, plus tips for finding the perfect diamond.
Diamonds Cut
Cut measures how well-proportioned a diamond’s dimensions are, including its balance and brilliance. This influences how well a diamond interacts with light, impacting its brilliance, fire and scintillation. A well-cut diamond will look its very best with optimal light performance. Diamond cut is considered the most important of the four Cs. No matter which diamond jewelry style you choose, you’ll always want to prioritize cut.
Diamonds Color
Diamond color refers to how colorless a diamond is. Color is the second most important of the 4Cs of diamonds. Colorlessness is a desirable feature in most diamonds and the more colorless diamonds are rarer. The less color a diamond has, the higher the diamond color grade. Certain jewelry metals can complement faint color diamonds, so diamond color is a flexible 4C that can vary depending on preferences and jewelry settings.
Diamonds Clarity
Clarity assesses small imperfections within a diamond. Inclusions can occur naturally during the diamond forming process for both natural and lab diamonds. Clarity is used to quantify and specify any inclusions. When it comes to the four Cs of diamonds, clarity is typically not the most important, as many blemishes are too small to be seen without magnification. But some larger blemishes can be visible. Review a diamond’s clarity plot to see its inclusions.
Diamonds Carat
Carat measures a diamond’s weight, not its size. This 4C of diamonds dates back to the 1500s when carob seeds were used to measure diamonds and gemstones. Today, carat refers to an exact weight of 200 milligrams. Carat weight choice is a matter of preference, one weight is not necessarily better than another. Typically, heavier high-quality diamonds are rarer than ones with lower carat weights and diamond prices can reflect this.
Diamonds Shape
Shape refers to the outline or overall physical form of a diamond. Though it’s not one of the 4Cs of diamonds, shape is still an important factor to consider when buying a diamond. Each shape has different attributes that can affect price and quality grades. Some shapes may look larger for their carat weights, and others may hide blemishes well.
Diamonds Certification
Diamond reports and certifications can provide the full information on a diamond’s cut, color, clarity and carat weight. Unbiased diamond grading reports are offered with every Blue Nile diamond.