When it comes to diamonds, you’ll need to know the 4Cs, a set of four essential characteristics used to evaluate and grade the quality of a diamond. For each of the 4Cs (cut, clarity, colour and carats, or carats), there are specific criteria to look for, and the combination of each factor helps determine the diamond’s value.
Court
The term “cut” refers to the shape of a diamond. Some of the most popular cuts include round, oval, emerald, solitaire, or princess, but there is a wide variety of unique cuts that you can find when buying the ring of your dreams.
While there are more valued cuts (like the round) when it comes to cuts, you should always consider your style, says Kristina Buckley Kayel, director of the Natural Diamond Council. You may have a preferred shape according to your taste, or you may want to choose a style that fits the shape of your hand well.
Buckley Kayel tells us that stones from the oval and pear-shaped families can elongate the fingers, and for those with smaller hands, a minimal diamond shape will look more proportionate to the finger.
Colour
When it comes to the colour of a natural diamond, we are talking about a lack of colour: the closer a stone is to colourless, the rarer and more valuable it is. With most diamonds, you may need help to identify their colour quickly.
“To the average consumer, most natural diamonds appear colorless,” explains Buckley Kayel. In reality, they usually have slight yellow or brown tones. The Gemological Institute of America has a standardized colour spectrum that classifies the colour of a diamond, with D being the highest standard of colourlessness: D–F diamonds are colourless; G—L diamonds are “almost colorless”; and M—Z diamonds have traces of colour.
Clarity
This term refers to the absence of the natural inclusions that formed in them billions of years ago. “Natural diamonds that have no inclusions are extremely rare and are considered flawless,” says Buckley Kayel. “They make up some of the most valuable natural diamonds in the world.”
While in terms of monetary value, inclusions can reduce it, it can also be essential to remember that most diamonds will have some inclusions, and they can be a feature that makes a diamond more distinctive, just as each fingerprint is unique.
Carats or carat weight
The final ‘C’ of the four is the carat weight, which refers to the size of a diamond. In the US, the average length of an engagement ring is one carat, but choosing the right diamond size for you can depend on various factors, including budget and personal taste.
The Ring Mount
Once you’ve chosen a diamond based on the above criteria, you’ll want to consider how to set it into a ring in the way you prefer.
Grant Mobley, an expert at the Natural Diamond Council, says that the options are almost limitless, but to begin with, these are some terms that can help you.
For example, pins are how your diamond attaches to the ring, the pieces of metal attached to the stone to put it in place. Most rings are placed using them, a technique used for thousands of years.
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