The Four C's of Diamonds
CUT
The Round brilliant cut is, by far, the most popular shape of diamond followed by the princess cut. These two cuts have the best optical transmission properties.
Clarity is a measure of the purity or cleanness of a diamond. A diamond is clean if it has no internal inclusions or external blemishes. An inclusion is a natural impurity within the diamond whereas a blemish is on the surface, such as a scratch. Clarity is graded upon a scale ranging from flawless to imperfect. The grading scale rates the visibility of the inclusions of a stone.
IF VVS1-VVS2 VS1-VS2 SI1-SI2 I1-I2-I3
IF= Internally Flawless (Rare and Expensive: Royalty, Trump, etc.)
VVS=Very Very Slightly Included (Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. An exceptional and excellent quality diamond.)
VS=Very Slightly Included (Difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. An excellent grade of diamonds.)
SI=Slightly Included ( "Eye Clean" diamonds, usually difficult to see inclusions with unaided eye, obvious under 10x magnification.)
I=Included (Obvious inclusions seen with unaided eye.)
CARAT
A carat is a measure of weight corresponding to 0.2 grams. The size of a diamond is directly related to its weight. For some this may be confusing since the size of a diamond is often referred to by carat. Due to the various ways diamonds are cut, a diamond that appears large to the naked eye, or from a particular angle may in fact be of a lower weight than one expected. When comparing diamonds it is essential to know the carat weight since the naked eye may be fooled.
COLOR
Diamonds naturally occur in a number of different colors. Most diamonds range from colorless to a light yellow or brownish color. Colorless is considered to be the highest quality. Color is rated on a scale that ranges from D (colorless) to Z (light obvious color).
Colorless: D, E, F
Nearly Colorless (Brilliant White): G, H, I, J
Very Light to Light Pale Yellow: K, L, M
Yellow: N, O, P, Q, R
Very Yellow: S, T, U, V, W, X
There are subtle differences between the grades. The difference between a D color diamond and an I color diamond can be hard to tell when viewed separately and the difference between a D and F diamond may be hard to see when viewed side by side. Diamonds that naturally occur with a vibrant shade of some rare colors are referred to as "fancy".
