Every diamond is unique and there are a variety of factors which affect the price of a diamond. The four main factors to consider when purchasing your diamond are the 4 C’s. Colour, Cut, Carat and Clarity.
Colour: Diamonds come naturally in every colour of the rainbow. However most people are concerned with diamonds in the white range and the more colourless the diamond the greater its rarity and value. Diamonds are colour graded from D (colourless) to Z (yellowish brown)
Cut: Cut refers to both the proportions and shape of the diamond. Every diamond regardless of its shape gets its brilliance by cutting and polishing the diamond facets to allow the maximum amount of light that enters through its crown to be reflected and dispersed through its table
Carat: A carat is the unit used to measure the weight and size of a diamond. One carat is divided into 100 points, so that a diamond of 25 points weighs .25 (or a quarter carat). Most importantly, two diamonds can be of equal carat-weight, but their value can differ greatly due to their cut, colour and clarity.
Clarity: The clarity of a diamond is determined by the amount and position of natural inclusions in the diamond when viewed under 10 x magnifications. The size, number, colour and position of the natural inclusions will affect the clarity of diamonds. Diamonds are clarity graded from flawless to pique 3 (highly included). The grades are as follows: Flawless, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, Pique 1, 2 and 3