The 4Cs, explained honestly

Every diamond is graded on four things. Here is what each one actually does to the stone in front of you, and where we would and would not spend your money.

Cut

Cut is not the shape. It is how well the stone has been proportioned, and it is the only one of the four that is entirely down to human skill. A well cut diamond returns light through the top; a badly cut one leaks it out of the bottom.

Where we would spend. If you take one thing from this page, take this. Cut does more for how a diamond looks than colour, clarity or size. We would rather sell you a smaller excellent cut stone than a larger mediocre one, and we will say so across the counter.

Colour

Graded D to Z, with D colourless and the scale warming as it goes. Most people cannot tell D from G side by side, and almost nobody can once the stone is set.

Where we would save. G to H in white metal looks colourless to the eye and costs meaningfully less than D or E. In yellow or rose gold you can go further still, because the metal warms the stone anyway.

Clarity

A measure of the tiny inclusions inside the stone. Graded from Flawless down through VVS, VS, SI and I.

Where we would save, carefully. VS2 or SI1 is usually eye clean, meaning you cannot see anything without a loupe. The exception is emerald and other step cuts, where the open facets show everything and a higher grade earns its money.

Carat

Weight, not size. Two stones of the same carat can look quite different depending on how they are cut.

Worth knowing. Prices jump at the round numbers. A 0.90ct often looks near identical to a 1.00ct on the hand but costs noticeably less, because the market pays for that magic number. We use that gap regularly to get people more ring for the same budget.

What we would actually do with £5,000

Excellent cut, G colour, VS2 clarity, around one carat, in a plain platinum setting. That combination spends the money where it shows and saves it where it does not.

Come in and we will put three stones in front of you and show you the difference rather than describe it.