Put a Ring on it

Prior to being engaged, I didn't know too much about diamonds. I knew I wanted a princess cut solitaire (I despised round diamonds at the time) and I knew that colour, cut, and clarity were more important to me than carat size was. I now know about the wide variety of diamond cuts outside of round and princess. I still love my princess cut and I wouldn't change it for anything. However, maybe you are not yet engaged and could benefit from seeing what's out there.

Round

Oval

Princess

Emerald

Heart

Asscher

Cushion

Pear

Marquise

All photos and rings can be found here.

All of the above diamonds have been shown in solitaire form (meaning one, single diamond). Of course there are multiple settings that you can choose from (diamond bands, multi-stone, etc).

What about the 4 "Cs"?
What are they?

Cut

The "brilliance" of a diamond depends on it's cut.
Diamonds may receive a cut, from most to least desirable:
- Ideal
- Premium
- Very good

- Good

- Fair

- Poor

Clarity

Clarity refers to the size, number, and visibility of inclusions, or flaws, that a diamond has. Clarity is explained through a system F (flawless) through I (included).

F - Flawless
No internal or external flaws; these diamonds are rare and expensive.

IF - Internally flawless
No internal flaws, but some external flaws; still rare.

VVS1-VVS2 - Very, very slightly included (two grades)
Extremely minor inclusions that are still very difficult to detect, even when magnified under 10x.

VS1-VS2 - Very slightly included (two grades)
Minor inclusions, still difficult to detect, even when magnified under 10x.

SI1-SI2 - Slightly included (two grades)
Minor inclusions detected easier when magnified under 10x; still cannot detect with the naked eye.

I1-I2-I3 - Included (three grades)
Inclusions easily detected when magnified under 10x and to the naked eye. Diamonds of this quality are not recommended.

Colour

Lighter diamonds allow for more light to hit the diamond, and thus, they create a better sparkle. Colour is grades using the letters D through Z.

D, E, F
Colourless

G, H, I
Near colourless

J, K, L, M
Faint yellow

After this, they become "very light yellow" to "yellow" and even "brownish." While D, E, F are most desirable, it is notable that G, H, I grade diamonds also appear virtually colourless to an untrained eye.

Carat weight

Diamonds are measured by a unit of weight: carats. The higher the carat, the larger the diamond. Larger diamonds are more rare to find in nature than small diamonds, thus, they are more expensive.

• What was or will be more important to you of the 4 C's? What is your favourite diamond shape?