Learn about diamond cut, color, clarity, and carat weight from the diamond experts at Ishine, and find the perfect diamond today!
For over 40 years, the knowledgeable Ishine Jewelers staff is has presented their Austin, Texas, area customers with an immense collection of GIA-certified loose diamonds of all shapes, sizes, and varieties.
Aware that the world of diamond shopping can intimidating, the trained diamond experts at Ishine Jewelers have put together this easy-to-follow guide to help their customers understand the 4 C’s of diamond buying. Meaning Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight, the 4 C’s of diamond buying are to remember when searching for the perfect loose diamond for any situation.
1. Cut:
The determination of a diamond’s brilliance, cut refers to the shape of a diamond. Found today in an array of cuts, every diamond shape has its various advantages and disadvantages.
Some Popular Diamond Cuts:
- Round: Round diamonds are circle shaped, and are generally the brightest of all diamond cuts.
- Princess: Princess cut diamonds are square in shape, are renowned for their subtlety and versatility.
- Asscher: Created in the late 1880’s, asscher diamonds are bright and feature due to their large facets and high crowns.
- Pear, Heart, Oval, and Emerald Cuts: All “modified brilliant-cuts”, these are perfect for those searching a unique and distinctive diamond.
According to the experts at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), diamond cut is rated on a scale that ranges from “Excellent” to “Poor”, and greatly depends on the ability of the stone cutter themselves.
2. Color:
Referring to the colorlessness of a, color is graded on a scale that goes from “D: Absolutely Colorless” to “Z: Noticeably Colored”.
As Austin's leading diamond retailer, Ishine Jewelers only sells stones of color rated H or better.
3. Clarity:
A way to record the amount of flaws (sometimes called inclusions) which occur naturally, diamonds with higher a clarity rating are usually pricier than “less clear” stones.
Clarity is Graded as:
FL: Flawless.
IF: Internally Flawless.
VS: Very Slightly Included.
SI: Slightly Included.
I: Included.
When diamond shopping, it is important to remember that most diamond flaws are hard to see with the naked eye, and can be easily covered by a ring’s diamond setting.
4. Carat Weight:
Finally, carat weight is a way to talk about the physical weight of a diamond. Usually, the higher a diamond’s weight the bigger the price, and because carat weight doesn’t guarantee a diamond of high quality, it’s important to pay attention to a diamond’s cut, color, and clarity of a diamond.
