{"id":21,"date":"2026-10-23T17:37:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T17:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.caratfarm.com\/?page_id=21"},"modified":"2026-10-23T17:37:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T17:37:31","slug":"diamond-education","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/staging.caratfarm.com\/?page_id=21","title":{"rendered":"Diamond Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Diamond education<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know what you\u2019re picking<\/em>.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The four Cs, the ten shapes, and natural versus lab-grown \u2014 the plain-English version, so you can choose with confidence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The four Cs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cut, color, clarity and carat<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Labs grade every diamond on four things. Together they decide how a stone looks \u2014 and what it costs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cut<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How well the facets send light back to your eye. Cut has the biggest effect on sparkle, so it\u2019s the last place to save.<\/p>\n\n\n

Ideal<\/span>Excellent<\/span><\/div>Top<\/span><\/div>
Very Good<\/span><\/div>Strong<\/span><\/div>
Good<\/span>Fair<\/span><\/div>Fair value<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Best<\/span>Lowest<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

Labs give a full cut grade mostly to round diamonds. For other shapes, look at polish and symmetry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Color<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How colorless the stone is, from D (icy white) down the alphabet to warmer tones. Once set, most people can\u2019t tell G or H from colorless.<\/p>\n\n\n

D<\/span>E<\/span>F<\/span><\/div>Colorless<\/span><\/div>
G<\/span>H<\/span>I<\/span>J<\/span><\/div>Near colorless<\/span><\/div>
K<\/span>L<\/span>M<\/span><\/div>Faint<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Best<\/span>Lowest<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Clarity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How many tiny inclusions the stone has, and how easy they are to see. Plenty of VS2 and SI1 diamonds look perfectly clean to the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n

FL<\/span>IF<\/span><\/div>Flawless<\/span><\/div>
VVS1<\/span>VVS2<\/span><\/div>Very very slight<\/span><\/div>
VS1<\/span>VS2<\/span><\/div>Very slight<\/span><\/div>
SI1<\/span>SI2<\/span><\/div>Slight<\/span><\/div>
I1<\/span>I2<\/span>I3<\/span><\/div>Included<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Best<\/span>Lowest<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Carat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Weight, not size: one carat is 0.2 grams. Shape and cut change how big a stone looks, but for a well-cut round diamond:<\/p>\n\n\n\n