The 4Cs of Diamond engagement Rings

Before shopping for a diamond engagement ring for your loved one, it’s well worth doing some homework about diamond rings in general. Many elements and factors contribute to the final ring that your loved one will enjoy wearing on her finger. The 4 Cs of diamonds are an excellent starting point. Carat, cut, color, and clarity are the fundamental variables of diamonds, and together they make one precious chunk of pure carbon highly distinguishable from another.

Carat

Diamonds come in different sizes, and thus, weight. Diamond weight is measure in carats, whereby one carat equals 0.2 grams. Another popularly used diamond measuring unit is the point. One cart equals 100 points. It’s worth knowing that a diamond engagement ring that has a poorly cut one carat diamond might pale in significance compared with a beautifully smaller diamond. Therefore, bigger isn’t always better. The overall quality of the diamond is always the result of a combination of the 4 Cs. Vendors such as Diamonds-USA offer rings in a range of carat weights.

Cut

People often say “cut” when in fact they are referring to the final shape of the polished diamond (round cut, marquise cut, etc.). “Cut” actually refers to the quality of the workmanship that eventually brings out the brilliance in the diamond. An engagement ring with a high quality cut should bring about maximum symmetry of the facets, and this will enable the diamond to shine in all its brilliance. The quality of the cut is graded on a scale from “ideal cut” to “poor”. Although nowadays diamond cutting is performed with computerized, high-precision machines, many still consider it an art-form, with the necessary skills being passed down from generation to generation. Cut is probably the most important aspect to consider when purchasing diamonds.

Color

Color simply refers to a diamond’s natural color, as determined by nature. Color is also graded on an alphabetical scale that has been set by the Geological Institute of America (GIA). D, E, F are described as colorless, and are highly prized. Moving up the scale, the diamonds take on an increasingly yellow hue, and are considered less valuable. Off the GIA scale completely are the very rare and highly valuable fancy colors, such as pink, blue, canary yellow, and green.

Clarity

Clarity refers to the number and size of flaws, imperfections or inclusions that affect the appearance and brilliance of a diamond. Like cut and color, clarity is also described by a scale, ranging from “flawless” followed by “VVS1” (very very slight imperfections) all the way down to I2. For the most flawed diamonds. Almost all diamonds have some flaws, although not all can be seen with the naked eye.

The 4Cs of Diamond engagement Rings / Author: Dan P

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