In general, 90% of all diamond engagement ring designs feature a prominent centrepiece stone which requires the buyer to have a little bit of knowledge about diamonds in general in order to buy the right ring, with the right type of diamond, bearing the right colour, cut and clarity for the right person.

For starters, before even leaving the home, one should consider the most appropriate diamond shape for the centrepiece as these gemstones come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colours and cuts. Other considerations that should be taken into account before you actually buy diamonds online. For example,  in regards to engagement rings, attributes such as the shape of the diamond are type of finger that the ring will grace, for example, oval, pear or marquise-shaped diamond engagement rings slenderize the finger.

Similarly, if the focus is on brilliance, then round brilliants or ovals should be considered. In order to ensure satisfaction from the diamond ring purchase it is important that the buyer as an adequate grasp of the 4C’s.

Comprehensive Summary of the 4C’s

Once the shape of the diamond has been decided upon, the next step is the 4C’s which basically revolve around the cut, colour, clarity, and carat of the diamond which have a direct influence on the price of diamonds and diamond engagement rings. Below are brief explanations of each of the elements in the 4Cs:

Cut Element

For every diamond shape, there are a specific number of facets which are basically the smaller flat surfaces around the crown and pavilion of a given diamond.

Different diamond shapes have a different number of facets that must be present, for example, the oval, heart, and pear shapes feature 58 facets whereas the radiant cut boasts 70 facets and trillion shaped diamonds own 50 facets.

However, more facets do not mean better or more brilliant diamonds; the secret to diamond brilliance is dependent on ‘the ideal cut’ which is actually dependent on perfect proportions and symmetry of facets more than anything else – the cut is all about light play!

Colour Element

The colour spectrum of diamonds are scaled from D to Z with the D indicating colourless diamonds (which are scarce and naturally more pricey) and Z representing light yellow diamonds which are more common and lesser in price. However, there are different grade scales for argyle diamonds that are pink.

Clarity Element

Clarity is about how transparent a diamond is and is categorized from FL (Flawless) all the way to I (Included). For grading clarity diamonds are observed under 10 times magnification. In between flawless and included there are other categories such as Internally Flawless (IF), Very Slightly Included (VS), Very-very Slightly Included (VVS) and Slightly Included (SI).

Carat Element

The fourth C is the carat of the diamond which is basically the weight of the diamond and this is quite important within the scope of diamonds as even a single decimal point difference in weight has a significant impact on the price of a diamond.

Published: 2024-03-14 16:30:16