Purchasing a Diamond Engagement Ring with 4C: Color & Clarity

Color, clarity, cut, and carat, these 4C are important characteristics to consider when someone evaluating a diamond. Understanding these characteristic will help when you need to purchase diamond engagement ring or wedding band. On these article we’ll cover the first two of these factors, color & clarity. Color refers to the diamond’s clearness and clarity is how many imperfections the gem has.

A diamond color referes to its lack of color or, in other word, its clearness. The less color a diamond has, the higher a diamond color grade. The highest color grade of diamond is grade D and the lowest is grade Z. Grade D diamond is absolutely colorless and extremely rare, grade E-F diamond are still colorless but with a minute traces of color which can be detected only by an expert, grade G-J diamond are near colorless and its color can be detected by comparing it with better grades diamonds, grade K-M diamonds has a slightly color tint noticeble with naked eye, grade N-R diamonds has a very light color which easily seen and grade S-Z diamonds has ‘too much’ light color for a white diamond.

Diamonds color becomes harder to detect by untrained eye once the gem is set in a ring and seen under uncontrolled environment.  For example, if you use a grade J diamond on a yellow gold ring, the slight color become less obvious and the diamond might look as colorless as grade E. On the other hand yellow gold ring will give a slight yellow tint to a grade E diamond. That’s why, if you’re planning to buy a higher color grade diamond, it’s recommended to use a platinum or white gold setting so the diamond color won’t be tinted in any way.

A diamond clarity refers to  how many imperfection the gem has. Most of the diamonds have tiny imperfections called inclusions and these inclusions mostly are on microscopic scale. Bigger inclusions will affect a diamond brilliance, that’s why the fewer and less visible the inclusions, the higher a diamond clarity grade. The highest clarity grade of diamond is grade FL and the lowest is I3.

Grade FL and IF diamonds are flawless even under 10x magnification. Grade FL have no visible blemishes and grade IF have very slightly blemishes. Both are the rarest clarity grade. The next clarity grade of diamond is grade VVS1 and VVS2, both has a very few inclusion but still difficult to spot at 10x magnification.  Grade VS1 and VS2 diamonds has minor inclusions while Grade SI1 and SI2 diamonds has noticable inclusions by a trained grader using 10x magnification. Grade I1, I2 and I3 diamonds has almost visible inclusions that can be seen even by naked eye and those inclusions sometimes affect the diamonds transparency and brilliance.

Searching for the right diamond engagement ring or wedding band sometimes depends on your preference and your budget, but if you’re looking for the best diamond jewellery for your engagement or wedding ring, The Light of Mondial™ would be the right choice. The Light of Mondial™ series are the the world's first only Type IIa Diamonds Graded D , FL - IF by GIA. That’s what makes it a perfect choice for an engagement or wedding ring. After all, diamonds are forever and Mondial Jeweler want to make sure that when you make a purchase for a diamond jewellery you will only get the best of the best. If you need more advice in choosing a diamond, our highly skilled store consultants are at your service.