The 4 C’s of Diamonds: Clarity, Cut, Carat Weight and Colour

Suppose you’re ready to take the plunge and have begun looking for the perfect engagement ring. In that case, you’re probably already overwhelmed at the options that we have available here at Milton’s Diamonds. 

To help you out, we’ve gathered all the basics of diamond shopping into one handy guide to help you navigate the field and understand exactly what you’re looking at.

Clarity

What is diamond clarity?

Diamond clarity lets you know of how many imperfections or blemishes there are both within and on the surface of the diamond. Often these imperfections, or as they’re often called ‘internal characteristics’, cannot be seen just by looking at the diamond. 

Diamond clarity lets you know of these natural imperfections that cannot be seen, so you understand the condition of the diamond without needing to inspect it thoroughly.

What is the best diamond clarity?

You’re probably wondering what clarity should I buy? Have no fear. We’re here to tell you the best diamond clarity you can get.

The best diamond clarity is 

F/IF: The Flawless Diamond

The flawless diamond is going to cost you. This is a stone with no visible imperfections both on the surface and within the stone and so the bigger the stone, the more expensive it’s going to be.

What is the diamond clarity scale?

But you don’t have to buy the best diamond clarity to get a good diamond that will sparkle.

Lots of diamond imperfections can’t be seen to the naked eye, and if you’re just looking to purchase a diamond that is engagement ring size, then you definitely won’t need to worry too much about flaws as they’ll be even less visible.

Here is the rest of the diamond clarity scale so you can understand just how clear your diamond is:

VVS1/VVS2: Very Very Small Inclusions

For the stone to be graded VVS1/VVS2, a trained gemologist must inspect a stone through an eyeglass for several minutes to see any imperfections such as a minuscule clear bubble.  

VS1/VS2: Very Small Inclusions

These diamonds have tiny specs that will only be visible to a professionally trained eye. The diamond could be perfect; it may just be dust specs that can be seen under a microscopic lens. This means you’re still leaning on the more expensive side of diamond purchasing.

SI1/SI2: Small Inclusions

This is the level of diamond clarity where normal eyes will be able to begin to see the inclusions. Easier to spot, especially with an eyeglass, this clarity of a diamond is much more common, and you’ll be able to get something wonderful within a lower budget from this diamond clarity.

P1/P2/P3

The inclusions on these stones can be seen without an eyeglass. Consisting of grit in the stone or a cloudy diamond, the clarity of these diamonds are at the bottom of the scale.

Cut

What is the best diamond cut? 

Diamond cut refers to the shape of the diamond you’re looking at. Diamond cutting adds art to the diamond and makes it a more attractive piece of jewellery. 

The different shapes include:

• Round Brilliant: A round diamond
• Princess-Cut: A square-shaped diamond
• Emerald-Cut: A rectangular-shaped diamond
• Pear-Cut: A pear-shaped diamond
• Marquise: An oval-shaped diamond with pointed ends

Which diamond cut sparkles the most? 

Round brilliant diamonds are the diamond cuts that sparkle the most. Crafted with 58 facets, the round brilliant diamond will catch the light perfectly and sparkle straight away. The perfect choice for an engagement ring, the round brilliant cut diamond will catch everyone’s eyes in the light.

Carat Weight

How to tell the carat weight of a diamond 

Carat is the measurement of weight for diamonds:

1 diamond carat = 200 milligrams

When figuring out the carat weight of a diamond, the professional will take into account the shape of the diamond, will measure its length, width and height and will calculate the carat weight. 

The higher the carat weight, the rarer the diamond that you have. 

How much is 1-carat diamond worth? 

Full carat diamond weights are worth much higher prices. 

Colour

What colour is diamond white? 

Diamonds come in a large variety of colours, the most popular being clear/white. Instead of using terms like very very white, very white and white gemologists decided to use the alphabet as a scale. 

Colour grade ‘D’ is the best, and with each subsequent letter, the colour is slightly worse. That said, to the untrained eye and without holding two diamonds side by side Colour ‘D’ to ‘J’ could look the same in non-lab conditions. 

From ‘K’ onwards, you start to see a yellow tinge which becomes more and more prominent along the scale. The more desirable diamonds are graded ‘D’ to ‘I’ and therefore cost more.

What colour diamond is the rarest? 

White and yellow are not the only coloured diamonds you can get. Although they can be precious, the rarest colour of the diamond is red. 

Investing in diamonds, especially for something as important as an engagement ring, can be a difficult decision. With a better understanding of how diamonds are cut, weighted and valued hopefully, we have helped you to make the best decision to suit your budget and style.