Learn the 'C's of Diamonds: Cut, Clarity, Color, Carat

You have found the perfect woman. You love her with all your heart and you know she loves you, and now the time has come to ask her for her hand in marriage - but wait! You need the perfect ring for the proposal. You want a diamond that will sparkle and shine almost as brightly as her eyes will when you ask her to be your wife. In order to do that, you might want to learn the basics of diamonds before you set out to buy that perfect engagement ring as a symbol of your love for her.

Diamonds come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and it can be quite a daunting task to step into a jewelry store and not know what to expect. This article will give you a bit of the 'lingo' to help you be a bit more knowledgeable when you walk into the store.

There are four main 'C's to keep in mind when shopping for a diamond: Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat. Let's look at each of these a bit more in depth.

Diamond Cut:

The cut of the diamond is what will primarily determine its shape. The diamond could be square, round, oval, etc, and each of these cuts have a specific name. According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), all diamonds, regardless of shape, can be classified into three main categories:

Brilliant Cuts - these have many facets, shaped like triangles that point outward, allowing light to be captured and shine through the diamond, causing light to bounce off of the facets and creating a brilliant shimmer to the stone. The most common shape for a brilliant cut diamond is the traditional round diamond.

Step Cuts - these diamonds have fewer facets than the brilliant cut diamonds, and the facets are sloped, with four sides, which step up or down on the slope of the cut. The most common step cut diamond is the emerald cut, which is rectangular in shape.

Mixed Cuts - these diamonds are pretty much just what they sound like, a mix between brilliant and step cut diamonds. Generally, the top part of the diamond, the part seen from the top view, will be a step cut, with the under side being a brilliant cut. This allows for more light to shine through from the bottom of the diamond than in the step cut diamond, but gives the flat and smooth top surface of the emerald cut diamond.

Out of these three basic diamond cut categories, there are many styles of cuts from which to choose. These include some of the most popular cuts styles, such as: round diamonds, marquise diamonds, oval diamonds, pear shaped diamonds, princess style diamonds, emerald cut diamonds, heart shaped diamonds, radiant diamonds, Asscher diamonds, and cushion diamonds.

Diamond Clarity:

Clarity refers to the flaws that are found in the diamond that might affect how the diamond shines or whether the diamond appears cloudy when light shines through it. The better the clarity of the diamond, the more expensive the diamond will be. Poor quality and poor clarity diamonds are usually used for diamond chips or smaller channel set diamond rings, while better clarity and quality diamonds are used for solitaire settings.

Clarity is determined by examining the diamond and scoring it on a scale and then giving the diamond a letter score. The most common scale used to score the clarity of a diamond is as follows:

Fl = flawless
IF = internally flawless; can have surface flaws
VVS1 or VVS2 = miniscule inclusions, probably not visible to the naked eye
VS1 or VS2 = very small inclusions, visible only with the aide of a jeweler's loop
SI1 or SI2 = small inclusions, some may be slightly visible to the naked eye
I1, I2 or I3 = imperfect, cloudy, or visible inclusions or problems with the diamond

Diamond Color:

While many of us look at a stone and generally judge what type of stone it is by its color, for example: sapphires are blue, topaz is purple, and diamonds are clear, this is technically not an accurate way of determining what a stone actually is. There are red sapphires and there are orange topaz stones, and diamonds are no different.

Diamonds come in all sorts of natural colors. What makes a diamond is its chemical composition and not its color. According to the Natural Diamond Color Encyclopedia, diamonds can be found in nature in over 300 different identified colors, from pink to black.

Still, most people will want to buy a clear diamond stone, since that is the most recognizable and traditional color for diamonds, especially a diamond engagement ring. The color of the clear diamond may still be slightly detectable, and that is why the GIA has created a diamond color code for the color of a traditional clear, or colorless, diamond. Using a ranking system from D to Z, the color of a diamond is indicated as:

D, E, F = colorless
G, H, I, J = near colorless
K, L, M= faint yellow
N to Z = very light or light yellow

Generally speaking, there is not a lot of difference between the colors of the stones for a colorless diamond unless you have a D classified diamond sitting immediately next to a Z classified diamond. Of course, the less color in the diamond, the more valuable the diamond will be, and when matched with clarity, the goal is to find a diamond with the least amount of color but the highest level of clarity, and then worry about the next 'C', which is carat.

Diamond Carat:

Carat is a unit of measurement that ultimately determines the size of the diamond. Technically, the Carat determines the weight of the diamond, and not the actual size, so a diamond that is more dense could have the same carat weight as a less dense diamond, but actually be a bit smaller in size.

Carat weight is determined on a 100 point scale, with each 10 points being 1/10 of a carat. A .5 carat weight diamond is a half a carat, and a 1.0 carat weight diamond is a full carat, and a .25 carat weight diamond is a quarter of a carat, and so on.

Carat is probably the most well known measurement of the size or value of a diamond, but it is very important to note that a very poor clarity diamond of a full carat weight will actually be less valuable and therefore less expensive than a very clear clarity diamond half its size.

When determining what diamond to buy for the perfect engagement ring, or for any other diamond purchase, it is important to take all four 'C's into consideration and find a diamond that is affordable, but is the best quality and size for your budget and style.

The best bet is to start with the easiest - carat weight. Pick a diamond carat weight that is about the size of a diamond that you would like to have, and then play with the size, color, clarity, and cut until you find the perfect diamond at a price you can afford.