4 C’s of Diamonds- DIAMOND CUT
The Diamond cut is the quality the breathes life into the stone. The allure and beauty come from the diamond’s fire, sparkle and brilliance. By far the most important C in the 4 C’s of Diamonds. A well-Cut Diamond not only helps the fire and brilliance of the diamond but also all other factors. A beautifully flashy diamond will appear larger, make inclusions(imperfections) hard to see and also hide a lower color better. A well-cut diamond will also make sure the dimensions are ideal in proportion. This means a one carat will look like a one carat. If the cut is poor, this can be because the shape is off, bottom heavy, causing the diamond to appear smaller from the top view. These are the major components that attribute to the Cut grade.The major components, from top to bottom, are the crown, girdle and pavilion. A round brilliant cut diamond has 57 or 58 facets, the 58th being a tiny flat facet at the bottom of the pavilion that’s known as the culet. The large, flat facet on the top is the table. The proportions of a diamond refer to the relationships between table size, crown angle and pavilion depth. It is important to note that a wide range of proportion combinations are possible, and these ultimately affect the stone’s interaction with light and how attractive the diamond is to the person viewing it. corporate video produced by Buzz Media Agency
via GIA “
“Cut is King”
An important wording to point out ” wide range of proportion combinations are possible”. Sometimes the most ideal numbers don’t add up once you add up all the angles and attributes. Each stone is different. This especially holds true to Fancy shapes(anything other than a round diamond) Here is a photo example of a Princess Cut. This was found in Blue Nile. Both are a 1.01 carat. One diamond is too deep with a large table. The other perfect proportions, giving it an excellent shine and sparkle. Can you tell which is the better cut?Can you also tell the left is larger than the right even though they weigh the same! To be precise, measurements on the left are 5.65 x 5.61 x 3.88 mm vs the right 5.32 x 5.14 x 4.11 mm.
Huge Tip:
Round diamonds are the easiest to buy regarding CUT. Gia offers a cut grade only for Round Diamonds. All Other Shapes like Princess, Emerald Cushion don’t have an official cut grade. You have to evaluate the stone by eye and various elements such as table and depth percentages. If this is confusing, please contact me here so I can guide you. James Allen, Blue Nile and Brian Gavin all have their signature line of cuts. If you are buying round you may not need to go there, however for any shape such as Princess, Cushion, etc. It’s not a bad idea to look. Pricing is fair for the quality. Blue Nile has Their Astor Line. They have brilliant Princess and Cushion cuts. If you are shopping for those its worth taking a look here.Signature Selection
Brain Gavin has its Signature Diamonds Cut Line which often come with a AGS Diamond Certificate. Its the only certificate focusing on light performance of a diamond. Brian Gavin is a master diamond cutter that is known for the best cuts. I Highly recommend a Fancy Shape Diamond(Princess,Cushion, Emerald, Oval ETC) to have a AGS Certificate.James Allen doesn’t have a signature series but that doesn’t matter. In there filters for diamond search, you can put AGS diamond certificate. This means any fancy shape diamond with a grade of O (ideal) means its a brilliant light dazzling diamond.
Certificate Sample
Your Fancy Shape Diamond(any diamond other than round) wont display a cut grade, you must click on AGS diamond certificate picture and read.
See sample below
A signature series is nice because it takes the guess work out of it. But not always necessary to find a beautiful diamond. In the end you must gauge price with attributes. I give my clients options for the top 3 diamond providers so they can compare offerings. Each company has their strengths.
DIAMOND CARAT
Diamond Carat is considered 2nd in importance in the 4 C’s of Diamonds. Costumers usually default to this because size is easily visible to the human eye. While color and clarity are hard to see. It’s the obvious aspect that adds expense as there really isn’t a way around it. Size cost money. A 0.95 carat vs a 1-carat diamond has a large price jump. Each fraction can make a large difference in cost.Here is a 4 C’s of Diamonds buying tip:
What I love about different styled engagement rings is you can dress it up and give it a larger appearance. If you have a certain budget, it may have more impact to buy a .80 with a beautiful halo diamond engagement ring than a one carat on a solitaire band. The halo engagement ring will give the diamond a larger appearance. This may not be important to some and your significant other may prefer a solitaire. But if she likes size and its an expectation, a halo engagement ring may be best. Also some stones such as an Emerald has a larger appearance. However, refer to my buying guide to see the disadvantages of Emeralds. I hope my guide can help you improve that size by much more by showing you to buy correctly and spread your budget.CLICK HERE FOR A GREAT PAGE ON BLUE NILE THAT SHOWS PURCHASED RINGS. THIS CAN HELP YOU FIND A SIMILAR STYLE. YOU ARE ABLE TO SEARCH THROUGH PRICE, SHAPE AND ENGAGEMENT RING STYLE.
SAMPLE IMAGE OF BLUE NILE’S RECENTLY PURCHASED.
CLICK IMAGE TO VISIT SECTION FOR IDEAS.
Notice the L/W/D ratio circled. The top Princess is measuring 5.63-5.62mm versus the inferior cut stone below measuring 5.23-5.14mm. Both Weight about the same.
DIAMOND COLOR
The more closely a diamond approaches colorless, the less color, the more they are valued. As a tip found in my diamond color guide, you will see the sweet spot for value is in between H-J color. In terms of hierarchy in the 4 C’s of Diamonds, I consider it 3rd in importance. See below for a sample chart.DO YOU SEE A LOT OF COLOR? 
Below is a color chart showing color illustrations.
DIAMOND CLARITY
In terms of hierarchy in the 4 C’s of Diamonds, I consider it last. High clarity isn’t needed and You won’t be able to see a difference between VS1 or higher. Only get higher quality if there is a good deal. Each diamond is unique. A diamond has a fingerprint unique only to itself. Hence, Clarity refers to their birthmarks/flaws. Either internal (inclusions) or external (blemishes). The grade refers to the absence or presence of inclusion(flaw). In conclusion, Flawless is so rare some jewelers have never encountered one. So don’t think you need a flawless stone. Find a deeper discussion on clarity Here. As stated I find SI1 to be the sweet spot for value and quality. It’s possible to find an SI2 diamond that’s eye clean with great attributes. Those are stones worth evaluating and rarely an I1 can be found that’s a great stone.Below are descriptions of each clarity grade:
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- Flawless (FL) – No inclusions and blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10× magnification.
- Internally Flawless (IF) – No inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10× magnification.
- Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) – Inclusions are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10× magnification.
- Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) – Inclusions are minor and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification.
- Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) – Inclusions are noticeable to a skilled grader under 10x magnification.
- Included (I1, I2, and I3) – Inclusions are obvious under 10× magnification and may affect transparency and brilliance.
Here is a Diamond Clarity Scale illustrating the different grades. Save Money Buying Your Engagement Ring buy staying in the SI1 range. SI2 can work as long as the diamond is eye clean.
LEARN CLARITY
Below is an example of what the size of inclusion can look like and what grade it can be given. Furthermore, know that location of the inclusion doesn’t matter, rather its size.4 C’s of Diamonds REAL LIFE SAMPLE OF ABOVE CHART
As you can see some Inclusions(diamond flaws) are white and are deeper or off-centered causing them to not be as noticeable. Further proving the point that not all SI1 Diamond grades are the same. This is again why I only recommend vendors such as James Allen, Blue Nile & Brian Gavin that have proven track records of thousands of happy clients and real images and video of their diamonds in regular lighting magnified so you can judge and evaluate more accurately.click on the image above to visit James Allen and learn more.
Save Money Buying Your Engagement Ring by choosing an SI1 Clarity.
MOST IMPORTANTLY- Save Money Buying Your Engagement Ring and use trusted vendors that use GIA grading reports or AGS Diamond Certificates to grade the 4 C’s of Diamonds. Do not buy a diamond unless GIA or AGS certified.Recommended Places To Buy
For me to recommend any business, they must meet certain criteria. They must prove valuable to my clients in regards to How to buy a diamond savings and selection | EXPECT 20%-40% LOWER PRICES THAN TRADITIONAL JEWELERS |, time doing business(legitimacy), reputation, and return policy.
James Allen has the highest volume in diamond sales in the web. They have industry leading diamond viewing technology. I argue the ability to see your diamond more clearly than in a physical retail store is a massive plus for you. JA has incredible costumer service and just added Lab created diamonds to their inventory.
They have free shipping domestic + international – free ring resizing – no questions asked money back return 30 days – provides insurance appraisals – lifetime warranty
Blue Nile was the original online giant that opened in 1999! They have the industry-leading largest available exclusive online inventory. They have incredible prices and their images are catching up to James Allen.
No questions asked money back 30 day guarantee – Free shipping – Free ring sizing – Provide insurance appraisals – Lifetime warranty – 100% future credit towards upgrades
Brian Gavin opened in 2009. He is a 5th generation Master Diamond Cutter. He is an authority when it comes to crafting Hearts & Arrows Diamonds and is well respected in the industry. An excellent brilliant Cut grade is the focus of Brain Gavin and its his biggest PRO.
Feel free to reach out and send me a message. Do you want buying advice on How to buy a diamond or have you found a stone you wish for me to evaluate. Feel free to drop me a line and say hello. Advice is free.