The 7 Cs of Buying a Diamond

When shopping for a diamond ring, you always hear about “The Four Cs”, but did you know there are actually seven Cs you should be aware of when buying a diamond? The primary four Cs are the universal way of determining the quality of a diamond anywhere in the world. The remaining three Cs are extra things to take into consideration when purchasing your diamond.

The standard 4Cs

Cut

People often confuse diamond cut with diamond shape, but they’re two very different things. Diamond shape simply refers to the shape of the diamond, such as princess, marquise or pear.

Diamond cut is how well the diamond has been fashioned from the original rough stone. This determines how the light shines through the diamond and therefore how well it sparkles. Diamond cut is graded according to the following scale:

• Excellent/Ideal cut
• Very good cut
• Good cut
• Fair cut
• Poor cut

Colour

Diamond colour decides how white or transparent a diamond is. Due to the natural presence of nitrogen, colour appears in a diamond in pale yellow. A diamond with a pale yellow tint isn’t as valuable as a diamond with no colour.

Colour is graded on a scale from D to Z, with D being the highest value, most transparent diamond and Z being the lowest value, least transparent diamond. To the average eye, there’s very little difference between D to H diamonds.

Clarity

Diamond clarity is determined according to the number and intensity of the imperfections (known as inclusions) present. Although inclusions are completely natural and make each diamond unique, the fewer inclusions a diamond has makes it more valuable.

The following scale is used to define the clarity of a diamond:

• Flawless: FL - IF
• Very, very slightly included: VVS1 - VVS2
• Very slightly included: VS1 - VS2
• Slightly included: SI1- SI2
• Included: I1 - I3

Carat

Diamond carat is the weight of the diamond — not a measurement of its size. Diamonds that weigh the same carats can be completely different sizes, depending on their cut and shape.

One carat is 0.2g (200mg). Carats are also sometimes referred to as “points”, in which 1 point is 0.01 carats. This would make a 0.50 carat diamond a “50 pointer”.

The extra 3 Cs

Certificate

It’s important to check that the diamond you’re thinking of buying has a certificate from an independently certified lab. This is proof that the diamond has been graded by an unbiased and professional team.

At Angelic Diamonds, all individual Diamonds above 0.50ct come with a certificate to confirm it’s been examined by an independent lab. If GIA is selected then an independent Certificate will come with any Diamond over 0.30ct

Conscience

Many people also find it essential to know where their diamond came from to ensure it’s not linked to conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme helps reduce the prevalence of these types of diamonds, by making it clear which ones have been purchased legitimately.

We only source our diamonds from ethical places which follow the Kimberley Process rules. This way we can be certain that none of the diamonds we pass onto our customers are conflict or blood diamonds.

 Cost

One of the most important things you need to think about when buying a diamond is the cost. There are plenty of tricks you can use to get a more glamorous ring without going over your budget, as well as several areas you can cut back on without spoiling the look.

To help make things more affordable, our diamond jewellery is 60% cheaper than the high street and we also offer 0% finance plans to help you spread the cost.

Smart shopping

Now that you’re armed with the 7 Cs of buying a diamond, you should feel confident enough to move forward and buy the diamond of your (or your partner’s) dreams. If you need any more help, please contact us.