The basics about diamond buying revolve around the famous 4C’s of diamond buying:

• carat
• clarity
• color
• cut

Carat

Carat weight is the weight of a diamond. The most important thing to know is that the price of diamonds increases exponentially with weight - this is because larger diamonds are much rarer than smaller diamonds. In other words, a diamond twice as large will be much more than twice as expensive.

Clarity

Clarity refers to the flaws of the stone. Flaws on the outside are called “blemishes”, and flaws on the inside are called “inclusions”. However for diamond grading, all flaws are called “inclusions”. Flawless (FL) are extremely rare, Internally Flawless (IF) are very rare. Most consumer purchases are from VVS₁ to SI₂. We strongly advise avoiding purchasing diamonds of the Included (I₁ to I₃) grades.

Color

Diamond color is typically graded from D to X. These range from colorless (D, E, F), near colorless (G, H, I, J), faint yellow (K, L, M), very light yellow (N, O, P, Q, R), and light yellow (S, T, U, V, W, X).

We recommended choosing a color from G to M - grades G to I show virtually no color that is visible to the untrained eye, and so are suitable for almost any jewelry. Grades J to M will only show a very faint hint of color, but this is normally not noticeable if the diamond is set within a gold setting. Thus, for platinum jewelry, G to I are recommended, while for gold jewelry J to M will suffice. We do not recommended colors N or below.

Cut

The cut of a diamond is not to be confused with its shape. Diamond “shape” refers to the general appearance, for instance “emerald” and “round” refer to diamond shape, not cut.

The features that define diamond cut include reflective qualities, and proportions. Ideal Cut diamonds maximize reflectiveness, while Fair & Poor cut diamonds maximize carat weight and thus don’t reflect much light. Cut ratings are:

• Ideal
• Premium
• Very Good
• Good
• Fair & Poor

Consult your jewelry for more information on cut.

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