The Guide On 4C's You Actually Need To Read

I'm writing this blog on a late evening as I just got off a call with one of my clients. He has inspired me to write this blog, and I really hope it can help at least one person out there who is looking for a diamond right now. It's some of the best advice any one can give you, and much of what most jewellers won't want you to read about as well.

If you’ve done any research at all on buying engagement rings, you would probably have a mini master in the 4C's. You would've also realised that the internet is flooded with a lot of what I call nonsense, or you may call "copy and paste" blogs.

Let's cut through all the chase and get straight into it.

1. Cut

So which cut is best? It all starts with your budget. Before you head to the jeweller, have a budget in mind and all the conversations will flow from there. In our experience, the cut is too often overlooked, with most people like talking about the carat (more on that later). It’s important to know and remember that the cut of the diamond often has the biggest swing factor on the price tag. A diamond’s cut ultimately determines the ‘sparkle’ of your diamond. Our take is, if you have a diamond that is well cut - carat, colour and even clarity, can take a little bit of a compromise. So here’s it from me - splurge your budget on the cut. Please use the slider below to view example's of different cut grades, and you will see for yourself what a real difference a cut grade can make to the diamond!

2. Colour

The diamond colour scale starts from “D” and ends at “Z”. This is a global standardised grading on the colour of the diamond. “D” colour is the most "colourless", or you can also think of it as the “whitest” diamond available in the market. So what colour should you get? Sorry to say - but there's not straight up answer here. Again - let you budget drive this for you. If you're aiming for something more colourless - then walk into a jeweller and see it with your own eyes. What does a D colour look like? How does a F colour compare?

When considering the colour of your diamond, you may also want to take into consideration the colour of the metal you will be setting it in. A faint coloured diamond will look very fitting with the warm glow from yellow gold, where a D colour diamond can look great in both white and yellow gold settings.

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3. Clarity

Clarity clarity clarity! There are too many misconceptions about clarity! So let’s clear some points here today. For starters, clarity is an expert’s assessment of the naturally occurring imperfections both on the surface and within the stone. One of the biggest industry secrets you can need to learn before buying an engagement ring is that opting for an eye clean diamond will get you the most bang for your buck. In our experience, diamonds that are rated VS1 or higher are almost always “eye-clean”. Hence, my recommendation to you is that the perfect range to get the best value for your money is in the VS2 - SI2 range of clarity. The single most important fact to remember is: EVERY, SINGLE diamond is DIFFERENT. It’s important to remember ratings allow for a range of inclusions, what does this mean? A rating of SI1 on two round brilliant cut diamonds can look completely different, so that’s why I always insist that you need to have a look at each diamond before making your purchasing decision.

To demonstrate this, below are two 1 carat, round brilliant cut SI diamonds:
A magnified diamond of SI clarity that is eye clean next to a diamond of SI clarity that is not eye clean

While both diamonds are graded SI, you will notice that the one on the right is eye-clean, where the one on the left has an inclusion right in the centre of the stone!

At Just Gold Jewellery, we will always provide you with a close-up 360 video when purchasing diamonds - this is through a 20x loupe so there's absolutely nothing to hide! You can have the confidence that you will know exactly where those inclusions are!

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4. Carat

First things first - when it comes to diamonds, bigger does not equal better. Also important to note here - carat is the weight of the diamond, not the size. A well cut diamond will have a larger table (surface area of the diamond) compared to a poorly cut diamond. So remember, not all 1 carat diamonds will look exactly the same - when your jeweller helps you maximise the specs, your 1 carat diamond can look more like a 1.2 carat at times! On the contrary - if you're purchasing a poorly cut diamond, a 2 carat diamond can end up, sadly - looking more like a 1.7 carat...

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My ultimate advice to you is 1. Start with how much you want to spend and 2. Don't let ANYONE tell you what you "need" or "should get". You should be spending within your budget, and your jeweller should be helping you maximise the VALUE for the hard-earned money!

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Do you still have questions about the 4C’s? Are you looking to create your very own custom made engagement ring? We would be delighted to help you out! Our expert jewellers can guide you through any diamond questions you may have - drop us a question and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

To learn more about diamonds head on over to our 'Learn About Diamonds' page.

- Just Gold Jewellery - Sydney Engagement Ring Specialists, Sydney Diamond Specialists, Sydney Custom Made Jewellery Experts, Sydney Wedding Ring Specialists