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The 4Cs of Diamond Quality

Whenever you shop for something, you always research a little bit in some way about what’s trending in the market and which place is selling it in the best quality. However, the case becomes even more special when you are buying something for the first time and it’s for a very special occasion such as your engagement ring. Buying Diamonds requires research because it involves emotions along with a huge amount of cash. Buying your engagement ring is the most precious purchase you will ever make so make sure to learn how to evaluate diamonds based on four key characteristics. Cut, color, clarity, and carat are The 4Cs of Diamond Quality that describe the quality to identify a diamond. The 4Cs of Diamond Quality also determine the diamond’s worth. While evaluating a diamond each quality is graded on a scale in relation to one another. Diamond cuts are graded as excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. You can often “slide” the scale up or down to balance out all the qualities to select a perfectly gorgeous diamond that stands out. The diamond shouldn’t be on the top in all 4Cs to be the right choice for you. We‘ll explain below:

Cut:

The most important in The 4Cs of Diamond Quality is “cut” as it has the greatest influence on diamond’s sparkle because it determines how the diamond interacts with light. The cut of a diamond refers to how well the stone is faceted, proportioned, and polished and this is the only quality not influenced by nature. An experienced and precise craftsman can affect a diamond’s cut. The cut has also the greatest impact on the diamond’s appearance.

• Experts evaluate three light-reflecting qualities while determining the grade of a diamond’s cut. The first three are:
• Brightness: Internal and external white light reflected from a diamond.
• Fire: The scattering of white light into a rainbow’s spectrum of colors.
• Scintillation: The flashes of light, or sparkle, a diamond produces.

In a nutshell, a diamond’s brightness, fire, and scintillation are often considered as a diamond’s “brilliance”, the diamond’s overall ability to return light to your eye. A well-cut diamond will be sparkly and stunning regardless of color or clarity, whereas a colorless, perfectly clear diamond will appear dull and lifeless if it’s cut poorly.

Color:

The third C refers to the natural imperfections that can be within the diamond or on its surface. Most of the imperfections are not visible to the naked eye. The diamonds with the least blemishes and inclusions are graded the highest on the clarity scale.
Diamonds are graded from FL (flawless) to I (included), and although we recommend choosing a highly rated diamond, it’s most important that the diamond appears “eye clean” — regardless of its actual rating.

• FL → Flawless
• IF → Internally flawless
• VVS1 / VVS2 → Very, very slightly included
• VS1 / VS2 → Very slightly included
• SI1 / SI 2 → Slightly included
• I1 / I2 / I3 → Included

Here comes the balance of The 4Cs of Diamond Quality. You can choose a diamond that is higher on the color scale but lower on the clarity scale to save the budget without sacrificing quality and beauty. Clarity is more important for some diamond shapes than others, emerald and Asscher shapes diamonds require a higher grade of clarity to look perfect due to their glassy, smooth tops.

Carat:

The last of The 4Cs of Diamond Quality is carat which determines the weight of the diamond. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. The more carats the diamond attains the more expensive it is. However, carat is commonly mistaken as referring to the diamond’s size. Two diamonds having the exact same amount of carats can look radically different in size due to their Cs – cut, color, clarity as well as shapes. Elongated shapes, such as ovals, pears, or marquise, can appear larger than their carat weight. The 4Cs of Diamond Quality make the diamond valuable and precious. Always make sure to get well-balanced diamond jewelry by grading it on scales. Final Touch Jewelry makes sure to provide its customers with balanced 4Cs in diamonds.