The easiest place to start when determining a woman’s wedding ring is actually four points condensed into something jewelers like to call “the four Cs.” The four C’s stand for carat weight, clarity, color, and cut.
4 C’s of Diamonds: Diamond Carat Weight
Carat weight is, simply, the weight of the diamond. You’ve probably heard about one carat diamonds before, and perhaps even of more famous ones like the Cullinian diamond, the largest diamond ever discovered (it has since been cut into smaller stones, many of which now reside in the crown jewels).
4 C’s of Diamonds: Diamond Clarity
Clarity refers to how clear the diamond is. Imperfections in diamonds are very common – less than 2% of all diamonds in the world have no imperfections whatsoever. They are, however, more noticeable in some diamonds than in others. There is a scale beginning in the “I” section and ending with “F,” which stands for flawless. There are a variety of diamonds that fit in between that scale. While “I” is the lowest clarity sold in diamond jewelry, it is also the most common and least expensive.
4 C’s of Diamonds: Diamond Color
Color signifies how tinted the stone is. It is important to note that some colored diamonds – the ones that are very saturated with color – are even more valuable than white diamonds. The pink diamond is the most rare among these. This reference of color is for diamonds that are just barely showing a hint of color (or, in some cases, very obvious and unappealing hues). The most common shade seen creeping into white diamonds is yellow. Color is graded on a scale from D-Z, D being the most colorless a diamond can be.
4 C’s of Diamonds: Diamond Cut
Cut deals with two things. The first is the shape of the diamond. Round (sometimes called round brilliant) is considered the traditional diamond shape. All others are called “fancy” cuts. Cut also refers to the only man-made aspect of diamonds: how well a jeweler physically cut the diamond to give it its maximum brilliance and dispersion. Most people neglect this aspect of diamonds, but it can actually be instrumental in getting a diamond to truly shine.
How Do I Find the Perfect Diamond For My Budget?
So what do you need to find out? Determine the woman’s ideal specifications within the budget. Figure out what the most important C is to her and focus on that. It would be extremely costly to find and purchase a diamond that is perfect in all areas, so by narrowing the focus to what matters most, the chances increase of less stress and higher success while diamond shopping.
