The 4 C's
CUT
How a diamond has been cut, polished and to what proportions, are of utmost importance since these factors determine the life, brilliance and lustre of the diamond. If these cutting factors fall below standard, the appearance of the diamond will be adversely affected. The brilliant or round cut is the most popular but other exquisite cuts such as the marquise, pear, oval, emerald, heart shapes and others are also highly prized.CARAT
The weight or size of a diamond is measured in Carats. A carat is 0.2 grams and there are 100 points (or 200 milligrams) per carat.
CLARITY - Grading Scale
| Flawless | I.F. | VVS¹ | VVS² | VS¹ | VS² | SI¹ | SI² | I¹ | I² | I³ |
| Internally Flawless | Very Very Slightly Included | Very Slightly Included | Slightly Included | Imperfect Eye Visible Inclusions | ||||||
| All descriptions assume a trained grader working with 10x fully corrected magnification (loupe or microscope) and effective illumination (diffused horizontal lighting or darkfield for inclusions and reflected light for blemishes). Many of the descriptions are most applicable to round brilliants in typical jewelry sizes. (Characteristics may be more visible in large stones and fancy shapes) | |
| Fl | No inclusions or blemishes |
| IF | No inclusions, and only insignificant blemishes |
| VVS¹ and VVS² | In VVS¹, minute inclusions, they are extremely difficult to see, visible only from the pavilion, or small and shallow enough to be removed easily by repolishing. In VVS², Minute inclusions that are very difficult to see |
| VS¹ and VS² | Minor inclusions ranging from difficult to somewhat easy to see |
| SI¹ and SI² | Noticeable inclusions that are easy (SI¹) or very easy (SI²) to see. Inclusions are often centrally located and noticed immediately; they may be eye-visible |
| I¹, I² and I³ | Obvious inclusions that are often easily eye-visible face-up; in I³ they may threaten durability |
COLOR - Grading Scale
| D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | Z+ |
| Colorless | Near Colorless | Faint Yellow | Very Light Yellow | Light Yellow | Fancy | ||||||||||||||||||