The 4Cs of diamonds: Cut, Colour, Clarity, and Carat Weight—are the key factors that determine a diamond’s quality and value. Cut refers to how well a diamond is shaped and affects its brilliance. Colour measures how colourless the diamond is, with the best stones having no colour.
Cut
The ‘Cut’ is perhaps the most important aspect of a diamond quality that impacts a diamond’s beauty.
Diamond cut specifically refers to the quality of a diamond’s angles, proportions, symmetrical facets, brilliance, fire and finishing details.
These factors directly impact a diamond’s ability to sparkle, along with its overall aesthetic appeal.
The Ideal and Excellent grades, depending on diamond shape, signify proportions and angles cut for maximum brilliance and fire.
ICY Standard: Excellent
Colour
Diamond colour is all about what you can’t see, this is valued by how closely they approach colourlessness – the less colour, the higher their value.
The exception to this would be fancy colours, such as pinks and blues which lie outside this colour range
ICY Standard: DEF
Clarity
Diamond clarity refers to the grade given to a diamond based on the imperfections and inclusions found in a diamond. The fewer inclusions and blemishes a diamond has, the higher grade it will receive on the diamond clarity chart.
ICY Standard: VVS1/VVS2
Carat Weight
Carat weight is often misunderstood as size however this measures the weight and overall diameter of the diamond.
Bigger isn’t always better because two diamonds of the same carat weight aren’t necessarily equal.
The value and quality of a diamond reflects all 4Cs and not just carat weight.
