The 4Cs Explained

To understand why the cut is so critical, it's important to delve into three key attributes that determine how a diamond responds to light: Brilliance, Fire, and Scintillation.

Brightness

Brilliance refers to the brightness of a diamond. It is the reflection of white light that enters through the diamond's crown (the top surface) and is reflected off the facets. A well-cut diamond allows light to reflect back to the eye, creating a dazzling effect. The more brilliant the diamond, the more light is reflected, giving it that characteristic sparkle.

In simple terms: Brilliance is the amount of white light a diamond reflects.

Fire

Fire is the term used to describe the colorful flashes that appear when a diamond is exposed to light. These flashes are created when white light enters the diamond and is dispersed into its spectral colors, much like a prism splitting light into a rainbow. A well-cut diamond will display vibrant fire, adding an extra layer of sparkle and life to the stone.

In simple terms: Fire is the rainbow-like colors seen in a diamond when it catches the light.

Scintillation

Scintillation refers to the flashes of light that appear when a diamond is moved or tilted. These flashes occur when light enters the diamond, reflects off its internal surfaces, and bounces back to the eye. This dynamic play of light makes the diamond appear to "dance" as it moves, creating that iconic twinkle or scintillation.
In simple terms: Scintillation is the sparkle you see when a diamond is moved or tilted.

Color refers to the absence of color in a diamond. Generally, the less color a diamond has, the more valuable it is. However, this rule does not apply to fancy-colored diamonds. The GIA D-to-Z color grading scale is used to grade white diamonds, encompassing five ranges featuring 23 grades of diamond colors:

D-F (Colorless)

The D-color diamonds are completely colorless and the highest color grade

E and F diamonds have very slight traces of color that are invisible to the naked eye.

G-J (Near Colorless)

G and H color diamonds contain minute traces of color, noticeable only when compared to the higher grades. I and J color diamonds have a faint color that is only slightly detectable.

K-M (Faint)

K, L and M diamonds have a faint yellow hue.

N-R (Very Light)

N to R color diamonds have a light yellow hue that is more noticeable than diamonds in the faint color range.

S-Z (Light)

S to Z color diamonds have a brown or light yellow hue.

The color of a diamond significantly affects its price, making D, E, and F color diamonds very expensive. G and H diamonds are typically considered the ‘sweet spot’ because they balance quality and value.

Clarity refers to the presence and amount of flaws or imperfections in a diamond, known as inclusions. These inclusions develop when diamonds are created under immense pressure beneath the Earth’s crust and include fissures, small crystals or blemishes. Diamonds with better clarity are more valued and expensive, ranging from ‘flawless’ (FL) to ‘obvious inclusions’ (I3).

Flawless (FL)

No inclusions or blemishes are visible under 10x magnification. These are extremely rare–less than 0.5% of diamonds fall into this category–making them highly valued.

Internally Flawless (IF)

Diamonds in this category contain no visible inclusions, but some blemishes can be seen under 10x magnification.

Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2)

Diamonds in this category have minute inclusions that range from extremely difficult to see (VVS1) to very difficult to see (VVS2) when viewed under 10x magnification.

Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2)

Diamonds in this category have minor inclusions that are noticeable under 10x magnification. These inclusions range from extremely difficult to see (VS1) to very difficult to see (VS2).

Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2)

Diamonds in this category have noticeable inclusions, ranging from easy to see (SI1) to very easy to see (SI2).

Included (I1, I2, and I3)

These stones have several extremely apparent flaws, which affect the diamond’s brilliance and transparency. They include flaws that are almost always seen (I1), several apparent flaws (I2), and several eye-visible flaws (I3).

Carat is the unit of measurement for precious stones. The higher the carat weight, the more valuable the stone. One-carat diamond equals 200 milligrams, and its size depends on its proportions. For instance, a one-carat diamond with excellent proportions will appear smaller than a wider one-carat diamond with shallow proportions.