Know Your 4 Cs When Diamond Shopping!
Whether you’re buying a diamond for the first time or remodeling grandma’s heirloom – familiarize yourself with the 4 Cs!
CUT: This doesn’t mean shape. The easiest way to explain cut is how sparkly or brilliant the diamond looks. Gemologists measure the quality from Ideal to Poor.
COLOUR: Most diamonds, although appearing colourless, actually have slight tones of yellow/brown. Colour is ranked on a lettered system from D to Z with D, E and F being colourless; G – J near colourless; all the way down to S – Z having the most colour.
CLARITY: This is probably the most confusing! It signifies rough edges, markings or inclusions found in the diamond. The best ranking is FL (flawless) followed by VVS (very, very slight); then VS (very slight); SI (slightly included) and finally I (imperfect).
CARAT: This means weight, and weight = size. A one-carat diamond = 100 points.
When buying a diamond you can juggle the 4 Cs based on your budget, but according to Mae West and many others, size does matter!
