The 4 C'S

CARAT

Diamonds are weighed in carats, with 1 carat equaling 0.2 grams. In other words, you would need a 5-carat diamond just for 1 gram.
The weight affects the price of a diamond because the rises appreciably per carat.
However, a 1 carat diamond is not necessarily half the price of a 2 carat gem since there are other criteria to take into account.

In addition, there are large differences involved in small adjustments in carat sizes.
A 1.94-carat stone will cost considerably less than a stone of 2 carats despite there only being a difference of six points.

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COLOR

Diamonds come in a wide range of colors, ranging from colorless (sometimes called white) to yellow, and more rarely blue, green, orange and red.
Nonetheless, the majority of diamonds fall within a color range that runs from colorless (limpid) to near colorless and then to light yellowish or brownish.

How do graders determine a diamond's color? The universally agreed way is by using the CGL's color scale.

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CUT

The quality of the cut, or the “make” as it is often called in the diamond industry, determines how light entering the stone will react and how much light return will be obtained, and thus how much fire, scintillation and brilliance will come into view.

This should not be confused with the shape of a diamond which is sometimes also referred to as the “cut.”

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CLARITY

Refers to the purity of the diamonds or to the degree that it is free of inclusions. In principle, the value of a diamond increases in proportion with its clarity grade.

The clarity of a polished diamond is affected by both external blemishes and internal inclusions, which were created either by nature
during the crystallization of the gemstone or in the course of the cutting and polishing process (or as a result of wear and tear after
being worn with jewelry.

The diamond industry has the following clarity grades:

• FL – Flawless

  Flawless means that no blemishes or scratches have been found on the surface, and there are no inclusions in the diamond after examination by a skilled grader using 10X magnification. This is the most expensive of diamonds.

• IF – Internally Flawless

  IF is short for Internally Flawless. A stone of this type does not contain internal flaws, but it may include some surface scratches. These stones are rare and, therefore, very costly.

• VVS1-VVS2 – Very Very Slightly Included

  VVS is Very Slightly Included, and there are two grades. The stone has minute inclusions that are not easy to distinguish by a trained gemologist without a 10x magnification.

• VS1-VS2 – Very Slightly Included

  The next grade down is VS1-VS2 which are two grades of Very Slightly Included. These inclusions are so small that distinguishing them can only be carried out using 10x magnification.

• SI1-SI2 – Slightly Included

  Slightly Included is slightly larger inclusions and can be more easily distinguished using 10 x magnifications. Indeed, sometimes the inclusions can be seen with the naked eye if they are large enough.

• I1-3 – Inclusions

  Finally, I1-3 are inclusions that are sufficiently large to be seen with the naked eye if they are large enough.
  
  An understanding of the key information relating to the 4 Cs gives diamond shoppers a sense of the quality of the gemstone they are purchasing.
  
  The diamond certificate lists all the vital data contained in the 4 Cs, which represent your stone’s actual DNA. Hence, for all intents and purposes the sought-after diamond certificate is the 5th C.

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