The Ultimate Diamond Guide

Featured on ShayJewelry.com

The Ultimate Diamond Guide, you’re welcome!

Picking the perfect diamond can be an exciting, challenging, and daunting experience all at once, so we have compiled our guide to help simplify the process. 

Consider selecting the most beautiful and top graded diamond that fits your style, personality, mood, and/or day-to-day activities. 

Let’s review the shapes. Diamonds are cut into ten standard shapes: round (classic and most common), princess cut (square), cushion-cut (soft-edged square/circle shape), oval cut, pear cut, emerald cut, and radiant cut. These are the most popular shapes. What is your style? If it’s classic and timeless, the round shape sounds perfect. If it’s playful and feminine, consider a boho style heart. Start by selecting your top three shapes you adore and will fall in love every day, then go through the four C’s to make sure you’re choosing the most perfect, quality diamond. 

With the four C’s guide (in order of significance), here are some points to keep in mind when choosing the perfect diamond for you or that special someone. 

Cut 

Cut is the most important characteristic of a diamond because it is related to the diamond's overall beauty, internal brilliance, and its ability to capture light. When a diamond is cut to perfection, the light shining through is able to reflect and refract. In shallow-cut diamonds, light seeps through the bottom and when diamonds are cut too deep, the light leaks out the sides. Modern diamond cutters have a set of proportions and angles that harness the way diamonds capture light. 

Color 

The less amount of color, or the clearer the diamond, the rarer and more valuable it is. The diamond’s color is created by natural elements of nitrogen that were present when the diamond formed under the earth. 

The chart below shows the color scale however, most of these can not be seen with the naked eye. You can request this information from your jeweler.

Clarity 

Usually, inclusions such as tiny cracks or cloudiness, are microscopic but diamonds with little to no flaws are considered rare, high-quality, and valuable. Carefully look into the diamond for any blemishes or imperfections. 

Carat 

Carat refers to the weight of the diamond, something to consider but not a vital characteristic, especially if all the other elements are up to par. 

Edited by Indhra Gare