Diamond Guide
Four things decide what a diamond looks like and what it costs. They are called the 4Cs, and only one of them changes how much the stone sparkles.
Cut — the one that matters most
Cut is not the shape. It is how well the stone's angles and proportions are executed, and it is the only C that determines how much light comes back out of the stone. A poorly cut stone with a perfect colour grade looks dull. A well-cut stone two grades lower looks alive.
If you are deciding where to spend, spend it here. Excellent cut, every time.
Colour — how little colour it has
Graded D (completely colourless) down to Z (noticeably tinted). The scale is finer than the eye is: most people cannot tell D from G side by side, and nobody can tell once it is on a hand.
We stock [[D–F / E–G]]. Anything in that band reads as white.
Clarity — the marks inside
Every diamond has internal characteristics. Clarity grades how visible they are, from Flawless down to Included. The threshold that matters is "eye-clean": you cannot see anything without magnification.
We stock [[VS1–VS2 and better]], which is eye-clean. Paying for VVS you cannot see is paying for a certificate, not a stone.
Carat — weight, not size
Carat is a weight, not a diameter. Two 1.00 ct stones can look noticeably different in size depending on how they are cut — a shallow stone spreads wider and looks bigger, but returns less light.
Prices jump at the round numbers. A 0.90 ct often looks near-identical to a 1.00 ct and costs meaningfully less.
Lab-grown vs moissanite
A lab-grown diamond is a diamond — same carbon, same hardness (10 on the Mohs scale), graded on the same 4Cs.
Moissanite is a different mineral (silicon carbide). It is slightly softer (9.25, still very hard), and it has more fire than a diamond — it throws more coloured light. Some people prefer that; some find it too much. It costs considerably less.
Both are real, both are lab-created, and neither is a fake of the other. Both are on every product page as a choice.
Shapes
Round brilliant returns the most light. Oval and pear look larger for their weight and elongate the finger. Emerald and asscher are step cuts — less fire, more of a clear "hall of mirrors" look, and they show clarity more, so go a grade higher. Cushion sits between round and square. Heart and marquise are statement shapes.