What are the 4 C’s of diamond selection? In essence, they are the four traits that make a diamond valuable. When they come together, they transform a lump of carbon into the near-indestructible crystal of fire and light that we know as gem-quality diamonds. Cut, clarity, carat weight, and color are the C’s that you ought to keep in mind when shopping for your new diamond—and we here at Huntington Fine Jewelers have the kind of expertise with diamonds that allows us to help you figure out the traits that you’ll want when selecting a stone for your engagement ring!
Color
We tend to associate diamonds with clearness, which is a side effect of the atomic structure of the diamond’s carbon molecules. However, in nature, diamonds are rarely found without some other material hitching a ride inside the crystal during its development. Most commonly, nitrogen gas gets trapped in diamonds, giving them a yellow or brownish tint.
The GIA, the gold standard for diamond grading, offers a scale between D and Z for the color of white diamonds, with D being completely clear and Z being extremely yellow to the naked eye.
Cut
Diamonds, in their natural state, aren’t very sparkly or fiery. It’s when they’re cut into certain geometric arrangements that their true beauty blossoms. However, if those standards for each diamond shape aren’t adhered to, light can seep out and make even a flawless stone appear dull or grey. Again, the GIA grades how closely a diamond adheres to geometric standards by grading cut from “excellent” to “poor.” While the 4 C’s can be flexible for a buyer, we at Huntington Fine Jewelers advise you to be careful about diamonds lower than “good” quality.
Clarity
We mentioned nitrogen gas being trapped in diamonds during their development, but solids can get trapped in the crystal too; or the diamond crystal can be deformed during growth. Most often, small grains of carbon, silica, or iron can get caught in the stone like flecks of pepper. Unfortunately, these inclusions can block light from transmitting through the stone, making it less luminous and “dirtier” to the eye. The GIA grades clarity using a 10x loupe to determine how many inclusions are in the stone and how visible they are to the naked eye, using a very detailed scale from FL (flawless) to I3 (extremely included and visible to the naked eye) to grade the results.
Carat
Carat is colloquially thought of as a measurement of size, but it’s actually a measurement of weight, equaling 0.2 grams. While many stones increase in visual size with increases in carat weight, this isn’t a universal process for different shapes. For example, a diamond with a long table, such as an emerald cut, will appear far larger than a compact shape, like a round cut, of the same carat weight.
