Diamond Guide
Diamonds come in many qualities, and before attempting to buy one it helps to know something about the stone.
The 4 C's are used worldwide to describe the quality of diamonds.
Carat
The size of a diamond is measured in carat weight. One carat is divided into 100 points, so that a diamond of 75 points weighs 0.75 of a carat.
Big is not necessarily better - diamonds of high quality can be found in all size ranges. However one diamond of one carat is usually worth more than two diamonds of 0.50ct.
Cut
Put simply, the better the cut the more the diamond sparkles. Light travels through a well cut diamond and bounces back out the tip of the stone allowing it to dazzle. An ideal cut diamond makes full use of the light entering it, maximizing it's brilliance and "fire".
Cut also refers to the shape of the diamond itself. The most popular shape is the Round Brilliant Cut as this sparkles the most, but there are many other popular shapes.
Colour
In diamond quality, the accepted colour grading scale runs from colourless to light yellow. The differences from one grade to another are very subtle. Generally the best colour for a diamond is no colour at all. Diamonds with a very strong colour - such as pink, red or strong yellow are very rare and very valuable.
Clarity
Diamonds are naturally occurring stones and so most of them contain tiny natural marks within the diamond known as inclusions. The number of inclusions, how big they are and where they are located all affect a diamond's clarity. The fewer inclusions a stone has, the rarer and more valuable it is.
