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Diamond 4Cs Guide
At Rings of UK, we understand that choosing the perfect engagement ring is an incredibly meaningful journey. It symbolises love, commitment, and the beginning of a beautiful chapter in your life. To help you make an informed and confident decision, we’ve created this guide explaining the 4Cs of diamonds — the universal factors that define a diamond’s quality and brilliance.
Understanding the 4Cs
The 4Cs stand for Cut, Colour, Clarity, and Carat Weight. These four elements form the international standard used to grade and compare diamonds, helping you find the stone that matches your personal taste and budget perfectly.
Cut
The cut of a diamond determines how well it captures and reflects light, giving it that signature sparkle and brilliance. A well-cut diamond will reflect light beautifully, creating incredible fire and shine. Cut grades range from Excellent to Poor, with excellent cuts offering the most brilliance and visual appeal.
Colour
A diamond’s colour grade refers to how colourless it appears. The less colour a diamond has, the more valuable it tends to be. The scale ranges from D (completely colourless) to Z (light yellow or brown). Diamonds with strong hues outside this range are known as fancy-coloured diamonds.
Clarity
Clarity measures the purity of a diamond by examining internal marks (inclusions) and surface imperfections (blemishes). The clarity scale runs from Internally Flawless (IF) to Included (I). Most inclusions are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye, so even diamonds with small inclusions can appear perfectly clear and beautiful.
Carat
A carat represents the diamond’s weight, not its physical size. One carat equals 0.2 grams — roughly the same as a paperclip. Two diamonds of the same carat weight can look different depending on their cut and shape, so it’s important to balance carat with the other three Cs to find your ideal stone.
