The Famous Four Cs
Mention diamonds, and someone’s bound to mention the four Cs—cut, color, clarity, carat—the factors professionals use to classify diamonds. But how much do you really have to know to buy a diamond? It all depends on you.
Maybe you’re a researcher. The guy who doesn’t step into the car lot without becoming the automotive equivalent of Einstein. Or maybe you’re the freewheeler, the one who passes over a subdivision while skydiving and sees a house he likes. Or maybe you’re just a guy in love who wants to be able to recognize a great ring.
Whoever you are, your Flora Gems personal jeweler can provide as much or as little information as you want. It’s your world—we’re here to serve.
With that in mind, here then is a primer on the four Cs. Take in as much or as little as you like, or ask our gemologists your most detailed questions—they’re as good as an encyclopedia of diamonds!
Tip: No one C is worth more than the other Cs. It’s the total combination of the four Cs that determines a diamond’s value.Cut
More than the shape of the stone, cut also refers to how the diamond reflects light—the sparkle and brilliance you see on her finger.
A diamond that’s cut very shallow or deep allows light to leak out the side or bottom of the stone, while a well-cut diamond reflects light down through the entire stone and back up toward the viewer.
Tip: Don’t just look at a diamond from above. View stones from all sides to compare how the light hits them.
Color
While diamonds may look colorless, in reality most have a faint yellow or brown tint.
Rare Colorless
Diamond
Near Colorless
Diamond
Fancy Diamond
Gemologists grade diamonds on a D to Z grading scale, with D being colorless and Z+ being fancy. If all other factors are equal, a “D” color diamond will always be the most expensive. Colored diamonds, due to their rarity, are also extremely valuable.
- D - F
- G - J
- K - M
- N - R
- S - Z
- Z+
- Colorless
- Near colorless
- Faint yellow
- Very light yellow
- Light yellow
- Fancy
Tip: The ring's metal color can also affect a diamond’s appearance: a yellow gold setting can cause a slightly yellow stone to appear whiter, or make a white diamond look more yellow.
Clarity
Like most of nature, diamonds aren’t perfect. Imperfections on the stone’s outside surface are called blemishes, while imperfections on the inside of the diamond are called inclusions.
To rate clarity, gemologists use a scale combining letters and numbers to reflect the diamond’s appearance under 10X magnification:
| Clarity Grade | Appearance under 10x magnification |
| FI | flawless |
| IF | internally flawless |
| VVS1 and VVS2 | very very slightly included |
| VS1 and VS2 | very slightly included |
| SI1 and SI2 | slightly included |
| I1/I2/I3 | included |
Tip: Look at a diamond under a microscope to see all blemishes and inclusions.
Carat
Professionals measure all diamonds with a basic unit of weight, the carat. How much does a carat weigh? About as much as a small paper clip.
Carat weight is rounded to the nearest hundredth, or point. Thus, a 0.95 carat diamond is a “95 point” diamond.
Because large diamonds are so much rarer than small diamonds, a 2.00 carat diamond may be worth three times as much as a 1.00 carat diamond.
1/4 ct, 1/2 ct, 3/4ct, 1.00ct, 1.50ct, 2.00ct, 3.00ct, 5.00ct
Tip: Though you typically can’t see the difference between a 0.99 carat diamond and a 1.00 carat diamond, the price difference can be significant.
