When you start searching for the perfect diamond engagement ring, you may feel overwhelmed by the overwhelming number of options available in the market. A simple Google search will bring up endless information about diamond shapes and varieties. The type of metal of the ring, the setting, and much more as you dive into the engagement ring buying process. You will eventually find “4 cs of diamonds“. Most shopping guides and jewellery websites will have information on 4C’s and if you are new to diamond sourcing. You might be wondering what these diamonds are. Did these affect your final choice?
Cut:
The cut is the only component of a diamond that is not influenced by nature, and Mills considers this to be the most important of the 4Cs. This factor refers to the quality of a diamond’s cut, not shape or size and diamond cuts, their proportions and how well they cut. It also determines how the diamond interacts with light. The lustre, which is the diamond’s ability to return light to the eyes, can only is measured by the cut of the stone. For any shape of a diamond, visually, cut is the first C to consider, followed by colour, and the second most important is clarity.
Colour:
Next on the list of 4cs is colour, and while you might assume that all diamonds are colourless, they are actually graded on the basis of colourlessness. And this feature directly influences the value of a diamond. The shape of a diamond also affects its points on the colour scale. For example, a clear round diamond hides colour very well, this means you can go further down the scale without seeing yellow. However, longer diamond shapes, such as ovals and radials, show colour much more easily. Always keep in mind that the colour of a diamond is largely a personal preference and does not indicate quality in any way.
Clarity:
This C-value relates to the amount of natural imperfections known as flaws present in the diamond and whether you can see it with the naked eye or not. It’s helpful to know that flaws are not necessarily a sign of a “bad” diamond. In fact, these spots may be common when natural diamonds crystallize in the mantle under extreme heat and pressure. The same can happen with lab-grown diamonds as well. This is because these diamonds are created through a process that mimics the mantle environment. These stones are, therefore, prone to being incorporated.
Carat:
Last but not least, Carat refers to a measure of the actual weight of a diamond. According to the GIA, one carat converts to 0.2 grams, essentially the same weight as a paperclip. Therefore should look at the carat as a guideline. This is because it only determines the weight of the stone compared to its actual size. At the same time, you might assume that higher carat weight is associated with a larger diamond. But this is not always the case. Some diamond shapes can be larger than their carat weight due to their surface area on the hand.
