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| This is what a 0.3ct, round brilliant, H, SI1, 'excellent' cut diamond looks like |
If you've been researching buying a diamond engagement ring, you may have come across the term 'the 4 Cs'.
But what exactly are they?
Well this catchy little phrase
stands for Carat, Clarity, Colour and Cut. However, as I learnt, while they all
begin with the letter 'C', this certainly does not mean they are all equal. They
can also all have a dramatic effect on the price of the stone, so it pays to
know which of them is the most important.
Carat
This is probably the thing with
which the majority of buyers are most concerned – I know I was initially.
'Carat' refers to the weight of
the stone; so quite simply, the bigger the number, the larger the rock. And for
some people, getting their hands on a gem that hits the magic 1ct mark becomes
something of an obsession.
My jeweller told me that one of
his other clients had paid hundreds more than he could have on a slightly
smaller 0.95ct diamond, just so he could have the pleasure of telling people it
was 1ct in size.
As well as being unnecessarily
expensive, such stones will also appear very large on your fiancée's hand and
she might actually feel more comfortable with something a little less
ostentatious.
I got my fiancée a 0.3ct diamond
(anything smaller and I couldn't have got a certified stone) and, despite a few
concerns, was actually pleasantly surprised at just how big it appeared once it
was her finger.
Overall, my best piece of advice
is not to get caught up on the numbers – think instead about matching the diamond
to your girlfriend. This also makes sense financially, as for every 0.1ct you
add, the price increases significantly.
Clarity
Clarity refers to how perfect the
diamond is. However, unlike carat and cut, which are in the hands of the
craftsmen, clarity and colour are determined by Mother Nature.
The clarity rating of a diamond
is related to the number and size of the 'inclusions' present inside it. When
viewed through a microscope – I recommend trying this at your jewellers – these
inclusions appear as black specs or foggy patches. These are caused by crystals
or cracks inside the diamond.
You may have guessed that anything
which you need a microscope to see is not really something to be too concerned
about and you certainly don't need to waste your money buying a flawless gem
(unless you want to brag about it). In fact, anything better than 'slightly
included 1' (SI1) and you should be fine. 'Very slightly included' (VS) and
you're laughing.
Colour
As mentioned above, this is
another element about which nature decides. Strangely with diamonds, both ends
of the scale demand high prices.
So although colourless diamonds fetch
mega bucks, very strongly coloured diamonds ('fancy' diamonds) can also be
highly sought after. Somewhere in between are the kinds of stones you will find
in most jewellery shops.
Colour has a strange grading
system, no doubt designed to bamboozle the average consumer, which is based on
most of the alphabet: 'D' meaning colourless, down to 'Z' with a yellow tinge.
Where A to C went is anyone's guess.
But again, as with clarity,
perfection is not needed here and anything graded 'H' or better should not
appear yellow to the naked eye. This is another area where you can easily waste
hundreds of pounds on something that doesn't really make a visible difference.
Cut
This, quite obviously, refers to the
process of taking the raw material that came from the ground and turning it
into a perfectly shaped stone. The quality of the cut – the way in which the
individual facets of the diamond have been angled – is by far the most
important of the 4Cs, as it has the biggest influence over how well the gem
will catch the light.
The word 'cut' might also be used
to refer to the shape of the diamond. I went for a round brilliant style, but there are many others, including emerald, which is a rectangular shaped
cut.
Your jeweller may also tempt you
with something called 'hearts and arrows'. This is where the diamond has been
cut so precisely that, when seen through a special viewer, a perfect circle of
hearts is created on one side of the diamond and a circle of arrows is created
on the other.
It looks very cool (like a
natural kaleidoscope) and I admittedly did get caught up in the romanticism of
it all. However, once the diamond was actually set in the ring I could no
longer see this special effect and only assure my fiancée it was there – it's
all a bit gimmicky really.
However, this being said, the
ring does sparkle beautifully and it was well worth spending the extra to get
an 'excellent' cut and polish.
Conclusion
The 4Cs are by
no means all equal – prioritise the right elements and you can easily get a
gorgeous diamond that's just right for your girlfriend but within your budget.
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