Guide to Diamonds

The beauty of a diamond is defined by four essential characteristics: Cut, Colour, Clarity, and Carat. Known as the 4C’s, these elements work together to determine a diamond’s appearance, rarity, and value. Understanding them allows you to appreciate the subtle differences that make each stone unique—and to choose a diamond that reflects your personal sense of perfection.

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The 4C's

Explore each of the 4C’s through a series of visual guides, designed to illustrate the subtle details that define a diamond’s character. From light performance to colour and clarity, each element is presented with clarity and precision.

Cut

Round Brilliant: With 58 carefully arranged facets, the round brilliant cut is optimised for light return, offering the highest level of sparkle of any diamond shape.
Oval Shape: With its elongated silhouette, the oval cut enhances perceived size while maintaining excellent brilliance. Its faceting pattern reflects light beautifully, offering a refined balance of sparkle and elegance.
Emerald Cut: Defined by its step-cut facets, the emerald cut reflects the clean lines and symmetry of Art Deco design. Its structured geometry creates a refined, understated elegance with subtle, mirror-like reflections.
Pear Shape: Combining the brilliance of a round cut with a unique tapered point, the pear shape offers graceful elongation and strong light performance. Its distinctive silhouette creates a refined and elegant appearance
Cushion Shape: Recognised for its soft, rounded corners, the cushion cut blends classic shape with modern brilliance. Its faceting produces a gentle, romantic sparkle with a timeless appeal.
Radiant Cut: Combining the elegance of step cuts with the brilliance of round cuts, the radiant cut features trimmed corners and a vibrant faceting pattern. The result is exceptional sparkle with a bold, contemporary edge.
Mrquise Shape: Designed to maximise carat weight, the marquise cut features an elongated form with pointed ends. Its brilliant faceting enhances sparkle while creating the illusion of greater size.

Colour

D-F Colour: Defined by its step-cut facets, the emerald cut reflects the clean lines and symmetry of Art Deco design. Its structured geometry creates a refined, understated elegance with subtle, mirror-like reflections.
G-H Colour: Classified as rare white, G–H diamonds appear colourless in most lighting conditions. Their subtle warmth is imperceptible to the eye, offering refined brilliance with a sense of understated luxury.
I-J Colours: Classified as near colourless, I–J diamonds display a subtle warmth that is rarely noticeable once set. They offer excellent brilliance with a soft, refined tone, representing a considered balance of beauty and value.
K-L Colour: Classified as slightly tinted colour, K–L diamonds display a gentle warmth that becomes more noticeable to the eye. Their softer tone offers a distinctive character, particularly suited to warmer metal settings.
N-O Colour: These tinted diamonds often display a yellow/brownish colour, N–O diamonds display a noticeable warmth that softens their overall appearance. This gentle tint gives the stone a distinctive character, often complemented beautifully by yellow or rose gold settings.
FLY-FY Colour: From soft, subtle tones to richer golden hues, Fancy Light Yellow to Fancy Yellow diamonds celebrate natural colour. Their warmth and radiance create a striking, individual expression of luxury.
FIY-FVY Colour: Defined by their depth and saturation, Fancy Intense to Fancy Vivid Yellow diamonds radiate a vivid golden colour. Their brilliance is matched by a powerful sense of individuality and rarity.

Clarity

FL-IF Clarity: Flawless and internally flawless diamonds are exceptionally rare, with no inclusions visible under 10x magnification. Their remarkable purity allows light to pass through uninterrupted, creating a level of brilliance that is both pristine and highly sought after.
VVS1-VVS2 Clarity: Standing for Very Very Slightly Included, VVS diamonds are defined by their exceptional clarity. VVS1 is marginally purer than VVS2, though in both cases, inclusions are virtually imperceptible, preserving outstanding brilliance.
VS1 Clarity: Standing for Very Slightly Included, VS1 diamonds contain minor inclusions that are difficult to detect under 10x magnification. This high level of clarity ensures excellent transparency and a bright, eye-clean appearance.
VS2 Clarity: Standing for Very Slightly Included, VS2 diamonds feature small inclusions that are typically visible under 10x magnification. While slightly more noticeable than VS1, they remain difficult to detect without magnification, offering strong brilliance and excellent overall appearance.
SI1 Clarity: Standing for Slightly Included, SI1 diamonds contain inclusions that are visible under 10x magnification but are rarely detectable to the naked eye in certain cases. They offer good brilliance with a balance of character and value.
SI2 Clarity: Standing for Slightly Included, SI2 diamonds contain more noticeable inclusions that are visible under 10x magnification and often detectable to the naked eye. While these characteristics are more apparent, the diamond can still display pleasing brilliance and individuality.
I1-I2 Clarity: Standing for Included, I1–I2 diamonds contain obvious inclusions that are visible under 10x magnification and clearly seen by the naked eye. These characteristics can affect transparency and brilliance, giving each stone a more distinct and individual appearance.

Carat

Weighing 0.50 carats and measuring approximately 5.2mm, this size offers a subtle yet refined look. Its balanced proportions create a graceful presence, ideal for those who appreciate understated elegance
Weighing 0.70 carats and measuring approximately 5.7mm, this size offers a slightly more pronounced presence on the hand. Its refined proportions enhance brilliance while maintaining a sense of understated elegance
Weighing 1.00 carat and measuring approximately 6.4mm, this size offers a beautifully balanced presence on the hand. Its proportions create a noticeable yet refined look, with brilliance that feels both classic and enduring.
At 1.50 carats and measuring approximately 7.3mm, this size offers a more prominent presence on the hand. Its generous proportions enhance light performance, creating a striking balance of brilliance and refined elegance.
At 2.00 carats, measuring approximately 8.0mm, this size delivers a bold and commanding presence on the hand. Its larger proportions amplify brilliance, creating a statement look with a refined sense of balance.
At 2.50 carats, measuring approximately 8.7mm, this size offers a striking and luxurious presence on the hand. Its expansive proportions enhance brilliance, creating a bold yet elegantly balanced appearance.
At 3.00 carats, measuring approximately 9.1mm, this size presents a truly impressive presence on the hand. Its substantial proportions maximise brilliance, creating a confident and undeniably luxurious statement.

Cut

Arguably the most important of the 4C’s, cut is the only characteristic influenced entirely by human craftsmanship. It determines how effectively a diamond reflects light, directly impacting its brilliance, fire and overall sparkle. Each diamond shape has its own ideal proportions, carefully achieved by master polishers to maximise light performance and reveal the stone at its most radiant.

Colour

White diamonds are valued for their purity, graded according to the absence of colour on a scale from D through to Z. The most colourless stones sit at the very top of this scale.
Fancy colour diamonds, by contrast, are defined by the intensity of their hue. As colour becomes deeper and more saturated, rarity increases—ranging from soft Fancy Light tones to the richness of Fancy Vivid..

Clarity

Diamonds are graded for their clarity—the presence of internal inclusions and surface blemishes. While the scale may seem complex, it is straightforward: Flawless (FL) and Internally Flawless (IF) diamonds show no inclusions under magnification, VVS and VS grades contain minute inclusions that are difficult to detect, while SI and I grades display more noticeable characteristics, sometimes visible to the naked eye.

Carat

Carat refers to the weight of a diamond rather than its size, though as weight increases, so too does its visual presence when proportions are maintained. Each carat is divided into 100 points, meaning a 0.50 carat diamond is also described as 50 points.
As carat weight increases, diamonds become progressively rarer, enhancing both their desirability and value

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