The 4C’s Explained

The 4C’s Explained

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Cut Colour Clarity & Carat

Diamond Guide

 

You’ve delved into her heart and discovered she’s the one. So now it’s time to start looking into the world of diamonds and thinking about which engagement ring is right for her.

We are on hand to help explain the four C’s of a diamond.
Our diamond guide will help you understand how every diamond is unique yet shares the same features which determine its cut, colour, clarity and carat weight.

How diamonds are graded
The Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) has set the benchmark for how diamonds are graded. Their revolutionary grading system is now used worldwide by jewellers and diamond specialists to assess a diamond’s qualities.
This means that every diamond can be accurately evaluated by a professional and given a grading that is true to the stone and will influence its value.

Cut

The way diamonds are naturally formed is undoubtedly impressive, and a diamond’s beauty is mainly down to mother nature. Still, the shape and the skill it takes to cut and polish a diamond determines the all-important sparkle. Precise proportions and exactness mean more fire and more brilliance, and a much better cut.

“We consider the cut the most powerful of the four Cs. It is all about capturing and refracting light. An excellent diamond cut does just this, which significantly influences the sparkle and brilliance a diamond deserves.”

There are various beautiful diamond shapes to choose from whether you’re looking for glamour, timelessness or sophistication; there’s a diamond shape for every romance.

Diamond Shapes

There are various beautiful diamond shapes to choose from whether you’re looking for glamour, timelessness or sophistication; there’s a diamond shape for every romance.

HC Jewellers Royston Engagement Rings

Colour

Colour is another factor to consider when choosing the right diamond for an engagement ring. Diamonds are graded on a colour scale that ranges from D (colourless) to Z (lightly yellow). So really, colour grading actually measures the absence of colour. The less colour a diamond possesses, the more rare and valuable it becomes. Diamond colours range from white, colourless to displaying a slight yellow or brown hue(tint).

Clarity

Almost all diamonds will contain clarity characteristics, and that’s what makes each and every diamond so unique and special. These characteristics are known as inclusions and blemishes.

They appear because diamonds are formed naturally under immense pressure and heat deep within the earth. When other crystals and minerals are present within the diamond, this interrupts the refraction of light through the stone. Every diamond is individual, with naturally formed ‘birthmarks’ that define the overall rarity and value.

Carat

When deciding on what size diamond to choose for an engagement ring, it’s important to understand what ‘carat’ means. Carat relates to how much a diamond weighs, and this reflects in the price.

The higher the carat weight, the bigger and more expensive the diamond becomes. A single diamond that weighs over one carat would be valued higher than 2 diamonds weighing the same. This is because larger diamonds are simply rarer to find.

You also have to appreciate that two stones of the same carat weight will differ in value, too, depending on the quality of the cut, the colour and of course, the clarity.

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