Diamonds - the 4 Cs

If you only know one thing about diamonds, make sure you know the 4Cs - cut, colour, clarity and carats. Get these right and you get the sparkle you seek.

Cut

The most important of the 4Cs because it creates sparkle and brilliance. The cut is determined by the number of facets, their proportions and how they are positioned to bring out the beauty of the stone. Always choose the best cut grade you can afford.

Colour

The second most important factor in choosing your diamond is colour. Diamonds naturally occur in a wide variety of shades including white, grey, yellow, pink, green and brown but it’s actually the absence of colour that determines the value – the less colour, the higher the price.

Clarity

There is no such thing as a perfect, flaw-free diamond. They all have internal imperfections of some kind but usually they’re too small to be seen with the naked eye and don’t affect the beauty of the stone. In general, the higher clarity grade your diamond is, the more valuable it will be.

Carat

All the carats tell you is the weight of a diamond, not its physical size or sparkle. It’s a simple mistake but lots of people make it – they think more carats automatically means more shine! Always choose a diamond to suit you, regardless of the carat weight, because sometimes smaller works better.