The Four Cs of Diamonds

   Diamond is a girl’s best friend. How true? Every bride-to-be loves diamond jewellery hanging graciously on her neck, sparkling on her finger or shining on her ears. Well, if you don’t really fancy diamonds, you just confirmed that there’s always an exception to every rule! 
   Diamonds are the most precious and most valued gemstone in the world. Even for men who don’t wear jewellery, diamond isn’t a bad idea after all. Before your first visit to your wedding jeweler, you need to know four things about this favourite gemstone. I suppose you don’t want to pick up a diamond ring you don’t know anything about. 

• CLARITY – this defines the purity of the diamond, the imperfections or inclusions in it. Clarity is graded as F = flawless (no inclusions at all, perfect), IF = internally flawless (minor blemishes), VVS1 – VVS2 = very very slightly included (very very small inclusions), VS1 – VS2 very slightly included, S1 – S2 slightly included = the human eye cannot see the imperfections, [I1 – I3 included] = the human eye can see the imperfections.
•  COLOUR – D (colourless) to Z (light yellow). The rarest and most expensive is the colour grade D, which is a white brilliant diamond. It allows are high refraction of light. D – F grade is colourless, G – J is near colourless, K – N is slightly tinted, O – Q is very light yellow, R – T is light yellow, U – W is yellow and X – Z is light fancy. 
•  CARAT – the actual weight of the stone measured in carats. There are five carats in a gram. Two diamonds could be of the same carat but different cuts. 
•  CUT – this is often confused with shape; the most important factor in choosing diamonds. The shape of the diamond is the form or outline it exhibits. Diamond shapes you are likely to come across are oval, emerald, round, trillion, marquise, heart, princess and radiant. However, the cut of your diamond is the faceting. It is the perfection of the proportions. A well cut diamond exhibits more brilliance while a poorly cut diamond lacks brilliance and beauty. The cut of a diamond is graded Ideal, Premium, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. However, if you are on a budget, go for Good cut.

So now that you have all the information required to shop for your diamond, have a wonderful time at the stores!
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