The prospect of purchasing a diamond may seem daunting, but through GIA, an unbiased authority on diamonds, you have several handy resources to help you select the highest quality diamond. First up, an overview of the 4Cs: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight.

Here is a simple reference guide designed to help anyone shopping for a diamond understand the 4Cs of Diamond Quality; color, clarity, cut and carat weight.

This guide will help you navigate and understand the relative quality differences that exist on the color, clarity and cut grading scales.

Few things in nature are absolutely perfect. This is also true with diamonds. As touched on in the first part of the clarity series, diamonds have internal features called inclusions and surface irregularities called blemishes.  Together, inclusions and blemishes make up a diamond’s clarity characteristic.

Diamond clarity is one of the four quality factors (the 4Cs) that describe and determine the value of a diamond. By definition, clarity means “a gemstone’s relative freedom from inclusions and blemishes.” These two terms are locational- blemishes are found on the outside of the gem and inclusions are located on the inside. Both of these clarity characteristics can dim the brilliance of a diamond, though some are so minute that they are invisible to the naked eye.