There is no denying that every gal’s favourite thing is a sparkling, glimmering, twinkling diamond sitting pretty on her finger. And every lady and man should be aware, there is an art in picking the right one.”¨”¨There are four points known as the 4C’s in the selection criteria for a diamond – cut, colour, clarity and carat-weight, which sort the best from the rest.
Cut makes your diamond sparkle
A good cut is based on how well the facets (faces) of a particular diamond attract and reflect light and colour. Ideally when light enters the diamond, it should be reflected from one facet onto the next in a way that makes it disperse through the top. It is a precise, man-made symmetrical arrangement and if done wrong – cut too shallow or too deep – does not allow light to travel well and reduces the radiance we’ve all come to love.
Diamonds differ in colour
Most prized diamonds actually come in vivid shades such as blue, pink, purple, yellow and red. Even when the colours aren’t so drastic there are differences – most of these rocks fall within a colourless-to-light-yellow range and almost all of them have a trace of brown or grey. Completely colourless diamonds are very rare, extremely valuable and very pricey. Luckily most colour differences are not significant and make these precious stones more affordable without much sacrifice.
Clarity is valuable in diamonds
Flawless stones are very rare; most diamonds have minute mineral traces known as ‘inclusions’. Naturally the larger the inclusion the harder the passage of light and the duller your stone will look. However don’t despair as it takes quite a few inclusions to affect the movement of light – so you can happily purchase most diamonds and be rest assured it will sparkle.
Bigger is not always better
Don’t assume that a high carat diamond is of high quality. You can have a 2 carat diamond that is of less quality and value to a 1.5 carat diamond, if it lacks high-grade colour, brilliance and purity. Carat is a term referring to the weight of a diamond. One carat is equal to 100 points, so the weight of a diamond of 50 points is 0.50 carats, or half a carat.”¨”¨Now peruse the sparklers in our gallery and find a rock that will sit oh-so-well on your finger!