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The 4 C’s of Diamonds: Cut, Colour, Clarity, and Carat

Every diamond is evaluated on four fundamental characteristics - Cut, Colour, Clarity, and Carat. Together, these determine a diamond's beauty, rarity, and value. Understanding each one helps you…

4Cardinal qualities
VS1+Our minimum clarity
57Round brilliant facets
60-80%Better value than mined

Cut


Details about the cut quality of a diamond.

Colour


Details about the colour quality of a diamond.

Colour Grading Scale

Diamond colour is graded D (colourless) through Z (light yellow). We stock D–J.

D–F
Colourless — the rarest, most valuable range
G–J
Near-colourless — excellent value, face-up white
K–M
Faint — slight warmth visible to the trained eye
N–Z
Light — noticeable colour, outside our standard range

Clarity


Details about the clarity quality of a diamond.

Clarity Grading Scale

Clarity describes internal and surface characteristics under 10× magnification.

FL / IF
Flawless / Internally Flawless — exceptionally rare
VVS1 / VVS2
Very Very Slightly Included — inclusions invisible to the naked eye
VS1 / VS2
Very Slightly Included — our minimum standard
SI1 / SI2
Slightly Included — visible under magnification
I1–I3
Included — inclusions visible to the naked eye

Carat


Details about the carat quality of a diamond.

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Explore the collection

Every CRTD stone meets VS1 minimum clarity, Excellent or Very Good cut, and full IGI or GIA certification.

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