Diamond Color Cut Clarity Guide

Color clarity cut and carat weight.

Diamond color cut clarity guide.

While flawless and colorless diamonds are extremely rare cut determines a diamond s true value. The color grade is more important than the clarity grade because cushion cut diamonds tend to retain a lot of color. Understanding what diamond color means helps in choosing the right diamond. If you don t want any hints of color look for a cushion cut diamond with a color grade of h or above.

For example look at this 1 carat vs2 clarity excellent cut d color round brilliant cut diamond from james allen. The importance of diamond clarity is affected by the other diamond qualities such as shape and size. An fl diamond has no imperfections even when magnified 10x by a professional. Fl or flawless is the highest grade for clarity.

Radiant cut diamonds have lots of facets and angles which means imperfections are generally not visible. Interestingly the diamond color evaluation of most gem quality diamonds is based on the absence of color. In step cut shapes such as emerald cut and asscher cut diamonds the shallow pavilion and open table accentuate the clarity of the stone and can make characteristics more easily visible. A stone much larger than one carat should usually have a clarity of vs2 or higher and preferably a color grade around g or h.

The rapaport report displays a price for a combination of diamond color and clarity with a weight range of 0 01 to 5 99. There s no question. A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond has no hue like a drop of pure water and consequently a higher value. If while shopping for a diamond you are ever given a color range e g.

In the report the main factors that determine the cost of polished diamonds are three of the 4cs cut carat color and clarity. Every diamond certified by the gia undergoes a thorough independent evaluation. For color d or completely colorless diamond is the highest grade. While a d color diamond is undoubtedly the best in terms of color the difference in price between a d color diamond and a diamond with a lower color grade but near identical appearance can often be huge.

The larger the carat the more obvious the other qualities become. A lower color diamond with a higher cut grade will have more sparkle and visual appeal than a higher color diamond with a lower cut grade. Here you will learn how gia diamond grades are established and how those grades affect the diamond s price. Gia created the first and now globally accepted standard for describing diamonds.

Today the 4cs of diamond quality is the universal method for assessing the quality of any diamond anywhere in the world. G h as opposed to a specific grade the diamond is not certified by gia.