Cut is often considered to be the most important of the 4Cs. Diamond Cut refers to the quality of its proportions, symmetry, and polish, all of which affect how the diamond's facets interact with light. This determines the brilliance and sparkle of the diamond.
Cut grades include Ideal, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor. At MiaDonna, we only offer loose diamonds in Ideal, Excellent, Very Good, and Good quality for considerations of your budget. Our pre-designed jewelry, where our diamond experts choose your diamond for your completed piece, only utilize Excellent Cut and Ideal Cut diamonds.
While sometimes used interchangeably, Cut should not be confused with a diamond's Shape. See our special section below about Shape.
Color refers to the amount of tint that is present in white diamonds. Diamonds come in all colors of the spectrum with yellow being the most predominant color present. It is generally preferred to choose a stone with the least amount of color possible, but that may also affect the price of a diamond.
Diamond Color is graded on a scale from D to Z and is divided into 5 categories:
Colorless (D-E-F)
Near-Colorless (G-H-I-J)
Faint Color (K, L, M)
Very Light & Light Color (N through Z)
At MiaDonna, we only offer loose diamonds in D, E, F, and G color for budget considerations. All of our pre-designed jewelry, where our diamond experts choose the diamonds for your jewelry are E, F, or G in Color. See the product page for details.
Clarity measures a diamond's purity, and refers to imperfections on the surface (blemishes) or inside (inclusions) the stone. Generally, higher quality diamonds will have fewer imperfections present and/or visible to the naked eye.
Clarity is graded according to standards using 10X magnification:
Flawless (FL)
Internally Flawless (IF)
Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1-VVS2)
Very Slightly Included (VS1-VS2)
Slightly Included (SI1-SI2)
Included (I1,-I2-I3)
At MiaDonna, we offer most loose diamonds and finished jewelry in VS2 or higher Clarity. This Clarity grade and higher is considered to be "eye clean" which means that inclusions generally cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Carat weight is the standard unit of measure for the weight of a diamond. One carat equals 200 miligrams, or 1/5 of a gram. One carat is divided into 100 "points", and may be expressed as a decimal (like 1.25 carats) or as a fraction like (1 1/4 carats).
Carat (sometimes abbrevated as "ct") usually refers to the weight of a single stone, whereas Carat Total Weight (often abbreviated as "ctw") refers to the sum of carat weights of all the diamonds in a piece of jewelry.
At MiaDonna, we offer a variety of carat weights across our loose diamonds and popular jewelry styles.
The global industry standard for grading diamonds based on the 4Cs was established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in the 1950's, and provides a universal framework for evaluating diamonds.
Many diamond center stones are independently graded and include a diamond report or "certificate". Today, the International Gemological Institute (IGI) is the largest and most reputable organization for evaluating lab grown diamonds.
At MiaDonna, we provide independent diamond reports from IGI or GIA for all loose diamonds offered. We additionally include IGI certificates for jewelry that features a center stone (or stones) of 1 carat or larger. We do not provide certificates for fashion jewelry. However, our diamond experts will ensure that each jewelry piece meets or exceeds the advertised diamond quality, based on these industry standards.
While sometimes used interchangeably, Shape and Cut are not the same in diamonds. Shape refers to the diamond's geometric outline or silhouette (like round, oval, cushion, princess, pear, or marquise). Cut, on the other hand refers to the pattern and quality of the diamond's facets. Every diamond Shape has its own Cut specifications designed to maximize brilliance, fire, and scintillation. Ultimately, Shape is a design choice, while Cut is a measurable quality factor (one of the 4Cs) that impacts a diamond's value and beauty.
