THE 4 C'S

Everything you need to know to find your perfect diamond.

Diamond Cut

Cut is the most important of the 4 C’s — it determines how much a diamond sparkles. It has nothing to do with the shape of the diamond and everything to do with how precisely its facets are angled to reflect light. A well-cut diamond will appear brilliant and alive even if it has slight imperfections in color or clarity. GIA grades cut from Excellent to Poor — always aim for Excellent or Very Good.

Diamond Color

Diamond color is graded on a scale from D (completely colorless) to Z (visibly yellow or brown). The difference between grades close together is nearly impossible to see with the naked eye, which means you can often go a few grades below D and save significantly without any visible difference. For white gold or platinum settings, stay in the D–H range. For yellow or rose gold, you can go as low as J or K since the warm metal masks any yellow tones.

Diamond Clarity

Clarity refers to the presence of natural imperfections called inclusions (inside the diamond) and blemishes (on the surface). The scale runs from Flawless (FL) down to Included (I3). Most inclusions are invisible to the naked eye — a diamond graded VS2 or SI1 will look identical to a Flawless diamond without a magnifying loupe. Focus on “eye clean” diamonds rather than chasing a perfect clarity grade, and put that savings toward a better cut or larger carat.

Diamond Carat Weight

Carat refers to the weight of the diamond, not the size — though the two are closely related. One carat equals 0.2 grams. Going just under a round number (like 0.90ct instead of 1.00ct) can save 15–20% with almost no visible size difference. Keep in mind that carat weight looks different depending on the shape — a 1ct oval will appear larger than a 1ct round because of how the weight is distributed.