Most people assume that women only care about the look of an engagement ring and the rest is history. This incidentally is untrue, no one should take shorts cut in choosing a diamond! After all a diamond is an investment and the most important part of any engagement ring is the diamond! It is not every day that ladies are lucky enough to buy diamonds, as they may be with other products such as handbags, diamonds are a timely mark in a person’s history and must be treated with respect and appreciation.

All diamonds are rare and no two diamonds are alike. A diamond’s quality and rarity are determined by its unique combination of characteristics of Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight. The International Diamond Grading System, used around the world since its invention by Gemological Institute of America in the 1950s, is based on the 4Cs. The 4Cs are what everyone in the market for a loose diamond or diamond ring should endeavor to ace before purchasing a rock of beauty.

Carat: Diamonds are weighed in metric carats. Two carats weigh about the same as a small paper clip. A carat is divided into 100 points, so a diamond of 50 points weighs 0.50 carats.

Clarity: Nearly all diamonds contain unique clarity characteristics. Flawless diamonds are exceptional and costly. Most inclusions are invisible unless magnified.
Colour: GIA uses letters to represent colours, beginning with D (colourless) ranging down to Z (light yellow or brown). The further down the scale you move towards Z, the more yellow the diamond, therefore the lower quality it is. Fancy-coloured diamonds have their own GIA color grading system.

Cut: While diamonds come in different shapes, such as round, pear or marquise, the term cut refers to proportion. The well-cut, balanced diamond has unbridled brilliance, sparkle and fire. Cut ranges from Excellent through to Poor, the better the cut of the diamond the more appealing it will be to the naked eye, the poorer the cut the duller it will appear.

Any diamond dealer can present two diamonds to an untrained consumer, which may appear to look identical, however, this is why knowledge and understanding of the 4Cs is critical. The world’s most respected retailers, museums, auction houses and private collectors rely on the expertise of GIA graders to assess, grade and verify gems. Buying a diamond with a GIA Certificate legitimates the diamond’s quality- cut, colour, clarity and carat. Learn and understand the GIA Grading System before taking on any biased advice from those who may consider themselves experts in the field. Diamonds accompanied by GIA Certification are the Rolls-Royce of diamonds, the most sought-after diamond globally of unquestionable quality.

Take the fear and uneasiness of buying a diamond away by acing the 4C’s!

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