Diamond Professionals use a special set of value factors to describe and classify diamonds, these are called the 4 Cs

• Clarity
• Colour
• Cut 
• Carat weight

The 4 Cs describe the finished diamond quality which directly relates to its value.

Clarity

Very few things in nature are perfect and thats the same with diamonds. Diamonds have clarity characteristics such as internal features called inclustions. Diamonds are ranked on a scale depending on their clarity.

Colour

Diamonds are graded from D-Z. D being colourless and the most rare on the scale, with Z diamonds becoming yellowish brown in colour.

Cut

A well cut diamond can make light perform in breathtaking ways. The three most important diamond attributes are brightness, fire and scintillation.

Brightness or brilliance as it also maybe called is the combination of all the white light reflections from the surface and inside the diamond.

Fire is the word for flashes of colour you see in a polished diamond.

Scintillation describes the flashes of light and contrasting dark areas, you see when the diamond is moved by the observer.

Carat Weight

Its fair to say the larger the diamonds are the more rare they are. The more scarce something is the more it is worth. A larger stone doesn't only just cost more but it also costs more per carat.

When deciding on a Diamond, its important to work out what works best for you, if you would prefer a bigger diamond and scarifice cut and colour or prefer a smaller diamond and have better cut and colour.

We at House of McKinley are here to help find the perfect diamond for you x