The 4Cs Of Diamonds: A Reviewed Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to the guide to the 4Cs of diamonds: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight.

These crucial factors significantly impact a diamond’s value and play a pivotal role in your purchasing decision.

Understanding the 4Cs helps you to make an informed choice when selecting the perfect diamond for your needs and budget.

What Are The 4C’s Of Diamonds?

The 4Cs of diamonds—Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat weight—are the universal standard for assessing a diamond’s quality and value.

Cut refers to the diamond’s proportions, symmetry, and polish, determining its brilliance and fire.

Clarity evaluates the presence of internal or external flaws, known as inclusions and blemishes.

Color grades the diamond’s absence of color, with completely colorless diamonds being the most valuable.

Lastly, Carat weight measures the diamond’s mass, with one carat equaling 0.2 grams.

Understanding these factors helps consumers make informed decisions when purchasing diamonds.

How To Buy A Diamond Or Engagement Ring Using The 4C’s

Purchasing a VVS1 clarity diamond requires knowledge and application of the 4Cs plus the bonus 5th C. These elements, taken together, define the value, look, and quality of the diamond. So, if there’s one thing you can take away from this guide, it should be this section.

Put Cut above all else

The cut of the diamond has the most impact on its general appearance and brightness. You can get away with reducing the quality for every other C if you choose a diamond with an Excellent or Ideal cut. This is especially true for classic shapes like Round, Pear, or Oval.

Never buy without a Certificate

Although it technically has nothing to do with the actual diamond, make it a habit to only buy diamonds that are certified by reputable institutions. It doesn’t matter if your diamond is perfect if it’s actually fake.

Don’t get carried away with Clarity or Color

Once you get to an eye-clean level, it really doesn’t matter that much what the official clarity or color is. Most people won’t be able to see the difference between a VS1 and a VVS2, so if you’re holding off your purchase because you’re not sure if a VVS2 is worth it, just get the VS1 – you’ll thank us later.

Carat isn’t everything

Many people get impressed by high-carat diamonds. The truth is, people who know their way around diamonds won’t be amazed just because a diamond has a higher carat. Instead, they’ll take other factors into consideration too, like the clarity, the color, and most importantly, the cut

How Does 4C Determine Diamond Quality?

The 4Cs of diamonds provide a clear, objective framework for evaluating a diamond’s quality. This system guarantees buyers may evaluate a diamond’s worth by removing subjectivity and guesswork.

We’ll discuss each one in more detail below, but in a nutshell:

• Cut refers to how well a diamond has been shaped and faceted, influencing its brilliance and sparkle.
• Color gauges the absence of color in a diamond, with the most colorless diamonds being the most valuable.
• Clarity evaluates the presence of internal or external flaws, known as inclusions and blemishes, respectively.
• Carat quantifies the diamond’s size. 

Remember, each C provides a particular, quantifiable quality criterion that helps consumers decide if a diamond is worth its price. By understanding the 4Cs, consumers can make informed decisions and avoid overpaying for inferior diamonds. 

The 4Cs: Cut

In the realm of diamonds, cut is a technical term that refers to the quality of a diamond’s proportions, angles, symmetry, and polish.

It’s often deemed as the most important C of them all, as it greatly affects the brightness, fire, and scintillation of a diamond. Even here at Diamond Registry, my team and I emphasize the cut when we’re making recommendations to clients.

Cut assessments are based on renowned grading systems by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society (AGS).

The GIA grades diamonds on a scale from Excellent to Poor, with Excellent being the highest. This grading is based on a combination of factors, including the diamond’s overall face-up appearance, design, and craftsmanship. 

For example, an excellent cut grade indicates that the diamond maximizes its capacity to reflect light by having ideal proportions and angles, which means it generates great brightness and fire.

The cut of a diamond significantly affects its value, often more than other factors like color and clarity. Because of its better light performance, an Excellent cut-grade diamond tends to cost more money.

A 1-carat diamond with Excellent cut, D color, and VVS1 clarity, for example, may cost you about $12,000. By contrast, a comparable diamond with a Good cut might only cost $9,000. This price difference reflects the enhanced brilliance and fire of the well-cut diamond, affecting its desirability and value.

Investing in a better cut will increase the diamond’s capacity to reflect light, also enhancing its brilliance and energy. In fact, some better-cut diamonds with lower color or clarity grades may look better because they sparkle more than diamonds with higher clarity grades that are poorly cut.

Aside from cut quality, there is also the shape of a diamond. Nowadays, diamond professionals use them as the cuts:

• Round diamond cut;
• Cushion diamond cut;
• Oval diamond cut;
• Asscher diamond cut;
• Princess diamond cut;
• Emerald diamond cut;
• Pear diamond cut;
• Marquise diamond cut;
• Heart diamond cut;
• Radiant diamond cut.

Keep in mind that the cut differs from the diamond’s form, which relates to its physical form or outline (e.g., oval, round, princess).

Diamond Cuts Buying Tips

1. Check light performance. Test the diamond’s light-reflecting quality using ASET or Idealscope photos. These tools can expose light leakage, which will guide your process of choosing a diamond with better brilliance and fire.
2. Consider symmetry and polish. Make sure the diamond has either Excellent or Very Good ratings of symmetry and polish. The general look and light performance of the diamond depend much on these elements.
3. Evaluate proportions. Examine the dimensions of the diamond using table percentage and depth percentage. Perfect dimensions for round brilliant cuts are a table of approximately 53-58% and a depth of around 59-62.5%. These guarantee the best reflection of light in a diamond.
4. View the diamond in person. If it’s possible, you should look at the diamond under different lighting conditions to see its sparkle and brilliance firsthand. Videos and 360-degree views can also help if you’re buying online.
5. Avoid extremes in depth and table percentages. Diamonds that are too shallow or too deep can lose light through the sides or bottom, reducing brilliance. Aim for proportions within the ideal range for the best light return.
6. Balance budget and quality. While a better cut grade usually translates into a higher price, my personal advice is simply to go for the best cut you can afford. Sacrifice the other Cs if you can. A well-cut diamond will show more brilliance and beauty even if it’s not graded as highly on other Cs.

The 4Cs: Color

Diamond color is a measure of the absence of color within a diamond, ranging from completely colorless to shades of yellow or brown. 

The most widely accepted color grading systems are those established by the GIA and the AGS. GIA was the very first, having been developed in 1953. This was only a few years before I began Diamond Registry. 

The GIA color scale ranges from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow or brown). Diamonds that are graded closer to D are more transparent and allow more light to pass through, enhancing their brilliance.

The highest attainable grade, a diamond-graded D, is absolutely colorless and extremely rare and expensive. As the grade descends towards Z, the presence of color becomes more apparent, influencing the diamond’s overall appearance and value.

The AGS system mirrors the GIA’s scale, but it uses numerical values instead. The range is from 0 (colorless) to 10 (light yellow or brown), with 0 being the most desirable.

• D. As mentioned before, D diamonds are the most transparent colorless ones. Clear as glass, they are valued and demanded greatly;
• E-F. Humans are unable to spot the difference between D, E, or F. This is possible with specialized machinery;
• G-J. This scale of diamonds has a barely visible yellow tone. Bare eye can recognize it only under a particular angle and with great focus;
• K-M. A tint of yellow is noticeable on these diamonds. Budget decisions for customers who are not very concerned about transparency;
• O-Z. The yellow tone is obvious here. It is so saturated diamonds can’t be bright anymore. This is the least expensive option.

There are a few hints in terms of the diamond’s color. First of all, the G-J scale is optimal if you are going to place your diamond on a golden ring or earrings. The tone of gold will mask the tint of the diamond completely. You can also take a Z diamond. If placed correctly, a diamond with a saturated tone can pretend to be a colored one!

How Does Color Affect Diamond Value?

The value of a diamond is largely influenced by its color. Because of their rarity and great brilliance, colorless diamonds – grades D through F – are far more valuable. The more demand and rarity of colorless diamonds are reflected in this price differential. 

But the tiny variations in appearance between adjacent color grades—such as G and H—may not be apparent to the untrained eye. So, technically speaking, customers can save money by selecting a lower color grade without sacrificing visual appeal.

Fun fact: the lowest color grades are never sold as jewelry diamonds. Instead, they’re used for industrial purposes, like in factories and other hardware applications.

• Colorless diamonds are always the best choice. Although near-colorless diamonds (G-J) can provide great value and seem colorless to the unaided eye when set in jewelry, colorless diamonds (D-F) are much sought for.
• All diamonds in the same color grade look identical. Slight variations can exist within the same color grade, and the diamond’s cut and fluorescence can affect its appearance.
• Higher color grades always look better. The diamond’s setting and lighting conditions can influence how its color is perceived. For instance, diamonds with lower color grades can appear whiter when set in yellow or rose gold.
• You must avoid lower color grades. Diamonds in the K-M range can be an excellent choice, particularly when set in colored metals, which can hide their faint yellow hue. This can lead to significant savings in cost, too.
• Fluorescence detracts from color. While strong fluorescence can sometimes cause a diamond to appear hazy, in many circumstances it can improve the look of a lower color grade by making it seem whiter.

Diamond Colors Buying Tips

• Consider the setting. The metal of the setting can affect how the diamond’s color is perceived. While yellow or rose gold can cover minor hues, white gold or platinum accentuates the colorlessness of the diamond.
• Evaluate under different lighting. See how the diamond’s hue looks under different lighting sources. Lighting – natural daylight, incandescent, and fluorescent – can all affect color perception.
• Compare side-by-side. If at all possible, side-by-side comparison of various color grade diamonds will help one to observe the minute variations. This can help you determine the best value for your budget.
• Consider your budget. Balance your budget between color and other factors like cut and clarity. In my over 40 years of experience, I’ve found that lower color grades with a better cut typically provide more brilliance and aesthetic appeal – even if they cost less.
• Prioritize cut over color. A well-cut diamond can reflect light so effectively that it masks slight color tints. This renders a lower color grade more colorless than it actually is.
• Trust your eyes. Ultimately, choose a diamond that looks good to you. Personal taste is very important – at the end of the day, what counts most is that the look of the diamond satisfies you or your loved one.

The 4Cs: Clarity

Diamond clarity is the presence of either internal or exterior traits, also referred to as inclusions and blemishes. The fewer inclusions and blemishes a diamond has, the higher its clarity grade.

Both GIA and AGS use a detailed scale to grade clarity. The scale includes Flawless (FL), Internally Flawless (IF), Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2), Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2), Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2), and Included (I1, I2, and I3).

Examining a diamond at 10x magnification helps one find out its clarity grade. Among the elements taken into account are the count, size, relief, and location of the flaws and inclusions. For instance, a flawless diamond is quite rare and exceedingly valuable as even under 10x magnification, it basically reveals no imperfections or blemishes.

How Does Clarity Affect Diamond Value?

Higher clarity grades, such as Flawless (FL) and Internally Flawless (IF), typically cost premium prices due to their rarity and lack of visible imperfections. 

However, clarity is often the least important of the 4Cs in terms of visible impact on a diamond’s beauty. That’s simply because most inclusions in diamonds graded VS1 or higher aren’t really visible to the naked eye, unless you’re a trained professional.

Even diamonds in the SI1 and SI2 categories might seem eye-clean to regular consumers– that is, their inclusions are not obvious without magnification or training. This means buyers can choose diamonds with lower clarity grades if they want to save money while still achieving a beautiful stone.

Diamonds Clarity Buying Tips

• Prioritize eye-clean diamonds. Focus on diamonds that appear clean to the naked eye. An eye-clean SI1 or VS2 diamond can offer notable savings compared to a Flawless diamond without sacrificing looks.
• Consider the diamond shape. Different shapes hide inclusions differently. While step cuts like emerald and Asscher cuts show inclusions more readily, round brilliant cuts are great at disguising inclusions. Choose a clarity grade accordingly.
• Balance clarity with other factors. Though clarity is also important in a way, it should always be counterbalanced by the diamond’s shape, color, and carat weight. Again, a well-cut diamond with a reduced clarity grade can look more beautiful than a badly cut, high-clarity diamond.
• Review the diamond under various lighting conditions. Examine the diamond in different lighting settings to see how inclusions affect its appearance. This can help you make a more informed decision.
• Use high-quality images and videos. When buying online, make sure you can see high-resolution images or videos of the actual diamond.
• Understand the clarity plot. Familiarize yourself with the clarity plot on the diamond’s grading report. This plot maps the location, size, and type of inclusions, giving you a clear understanding of the diamond’s clarity.

The 4Cs: Carat

The carat is the highest valued C, with a direct impact on the diamond size.

Carat refers to the weight of a diamond, not its size. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams or 0.2 grams. The term carat is derived from the carob seed, which was historically used as a standard for weighing gemstones. 

Today, the entire diamond industry still uses the carat system to measure a diamond’s weight.

Usually, a higher carat weight indicates a bigger diamond. That said, the cut of the diamond also greatly affects its size and appearance. Variations in their cut allow two diamonds with the same carat weight to have distinct proportions and perceived visual sizes.

How Does Carat Affect Diamond Value?

Carat weight is a major factor in determining a diamond’s price. 

As the carat weight increases, the diamond’s price increases exponentially rather than linearly. This is because larger diamonds are rarer. For instance, a 1-carat diamond with an Excellent cut, G color, and VS2 clarity might cost around $7,000. However, a 2-carat diamond with the same cut, color, and clarity can cost around $25,000.

Additionally, diamond prices often increase at specific carat weight milestones, such as 0.5 carats, 1 carat, 1.5 carats, and so on. 

A 0.90-carat diamond might be significantly less expensive than a 1-carat diamond, even though the difference in size is minimal and often imperceptible to the naked eye. This means that understanding these price jumps can help buyers find better value while achieving their desired look.

Diamond Carat Buying Tips

• Prioritize cut quality. As we keep saying above, cut still matters more. A well-cut diamond will appear more brilliant and larger than a poorly cut diamond of the same carat weight.
• Consider carat weight milestones. Prices jump significantly at full and half-carat weights. Opting for slightly below these weights can save money without sacrificing noticeable size.
• Balance with other 4Cs. Consider carat weight alongside cut, color, and clarity. A slightly smaller, well-cut diamond can be more visually appealing than a larger, poorly-cut one.
• Evaluate diamond dimensions. Check the diamond’s measurements (length, width, depth) rather than relying solely on carat weight to gauge size.
• Think about the setting style. The setting can enhance or detract from a diamond’s apparent size. Halo settings, for example, can make a diamond appear larger.
• Use carat weight as a guideline, not a rule. Focus on the diamond’s overall beauty and how it appears to the naked eye rather than adhering strictly to a specific carat weight.

What’s the 5th C?

The 4Cs of diamonds may be vital for determining a diamond’s quality, but equally important is the 5th C: Certificate. 

A diamond certificate, or grading report, details a diamond’s characteristics. Issued by independent labs like the GIA, it proves the diamond’s authenticity and quality.

A diamond certificate offers an unbiased assessment of the diamond’s attributes. This ensures transparency in its valuation.

Without it, buyers must trust the seller’s claims, which might be unreliable. For instance, a diamond claimed to be VVS1 clarity and D color could actually be of lower quality, leading to overpayment. With a certificate, though, you can be sure that there was an unbiased third-party assessing the diamond to determine whether it’s truly what it claims to be.

Certificates also help in resale and insurance. If you decide to sell your diamond, a GIA certificate reassures buyers of its quality. For insurance, the certificate provides a professional description of the diamond, facilitating accurate appraisal and coverage.

Here at Diamond Registry, we view certificates as important as any of the other Cs. All our diamonds are GIA-certified, which means they meet all the strict standards needed to get the certification.

What is the most important of the 4Cs of diamonds?

Diamond experts agree on the fact you need to focus on the cut. This C should be your priority while choosing the diamond. Remember: decently cut diamond can outshine bigger gems with lower cut quality.

The carat number is totally up to you and your budget. There can’t be any recommendations. Some would like to have a humble 1 carat diamond engagement ring, and some would like to have 10 carats. The weight of a stone is only affected by how much you would like to spend.

Color depends on your taste and the type of ring you have chosen. For instance, D-F color qualities suit white gold and platinum. If your ring is made of yellow gold, you can go lower on a color – ring’s yellow tint will mask the tone of a stone.

Clarity is optional. It is not necessary to seek Flawless diamonds if you’re not into exclusive luxury jewelry. They are usually overpriced due to their rarity. However, we recommend avoiding going below VS1 and VS2 clarity.

Expert Advice From CEO Nissan Perla

I’ve been in this industry for over 40 years, and in that period, I’ve seen more diamonds than most people will ever see in their lifetime. Aside from the best practices I listed above, the only other advice I can give when it comes to buying diamonds based on their 4Cs is this: listen to your heart. 

For many people, diamonds are valuable not just because of their inherent worth, but because of the happiness that they can bring to you and the ones you love.

So, if you find a particular diamond immensely beautiful and think it will suit you or your beloved, it shouldn’t matter if it’s only 1-carat, VS2, F, and Good-cut. As long as it’s certified by GIA, AGS, or another verified gem institution, go for it! At the end of the day, your happiness is still the most important part of the buying process.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the 4Cs of diamonds – Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat – is the cornerstone of making an informed diamond purchase.

Each of these characteristics plays a vital role in determining a diamond’s beauty and value. However, the journey doesn’t end here. The deeper nuances of these qualities reveal a fascinating world where science meets art, and precision meets passion.

As you delve into the realm of diamonds, you uncover stories of nature’s wonders and human craftsmanship.

The 4C’s Of Diamonds FAQs