Learn About Diamonds

The Basics: Cut, Clarity, Color & Carat Weight

Your jeweler can help you create the perfect ring that combines the timeless elegance of filigree with a high quality diamond.  Click Here to located an authrorized Whitehouse Brothers retailer for assitance in finding the perfect diamond.

Cut:

A diamond's cut is crucial to the stone's final beauty and value. Of all the diamond 4Cs, it is the most complex and technically difficult to analyze.  A stone will given a cut grade from "poor" to "Excellent" depending on the precision of the stone cutter.  The cut grade will determine the Brightness, Fire, and Scintillation of your diamond.  Below is a chart exhibiting the importance of a proper cut grade:

Clarity:

A diamond that is perfect is free of inclusions or imperfections. Inclusions are tiny fractures or trace minerals that have been present in the stone since its formation in the earth. Diamonds are rated for clarity using the following scale:

When a diamond is certified, the gemologist provides a summary of any inclusions (imperfections) in a diamond — details about the number, location, size and type.

Color:

The diamond color grading system determines the degree of colorlessness in a diamond.  A colorless diamond will be place on the grading scale at D.  Diamonds with more color will located farther down the scale between D and Z.

Carat Weight:

Diamond carat weight is the measurement of how much a diamond weighs. A metric "carat" is defined as 200 milligrams.Each carat can be subdivided into 100 'points.' This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. A jeweler may describe the weight of a diamond below one carat by its 'points' alone. For instance, the jeweler may refer to a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats as a 'twenty-five pointer.' Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals. A 1.08 carat stone would be described as 'one carat, eight points.'