A diamond is meant to shine forever. It becomes part of your story, marking milestones, honouring love, and echoing across generations. But eternity doesn’t happen by accident. It begins with a choice. And the most timeless choices start with understanding the 4Cs of diamonds.

At ViXii, we believe that a diamond should feel as eternal as the emotion it represents. Which is why learning the 4Cs to a diamond, cut, colour, clarity, and carat, isn’t just about gemology; it’s about choosing the stone that will stay with you for life.

From interpreting a diamond 4C chart to understanding how the 4C diamond chart shapes value and emotion, this guide will empower you to choose with heart and knowledge.

Uncovering a Diamond’s Journey Through Gemology

Long before diamonds found their way into jewellery boxes and hearts, there was gemology—the ancient art and science dedicated to studying these precious stones. Gemology grew from a timeless fascination into a precise craft that allows us to truly understand what makes each diamond unique.

Rooted in centuries of observation and discovery, from the royal courts of India and Egypt to the laboratories of today, gemology is the lens through which we read a diamond’s journey. It reveals the delicate balance of nature and skill, showing us how light dances within and how subtle details shape its beauty.

Although our diamonds are lab-grown at ViXii, this ancient science remains central. It guides us in evaluating the 4Cs to a diamond, the cut, colour, clarity, and carat, which together determine a diamond’s brilliance and character.

The First C Defines The Sparkle—Cut

Among the 4Cs of diamonds, the cut is perhaps the most vital and the most misunderstood. It’s not merely the shape, be it round, princess, or emerald, but the precise artistry of how each facet is carved and angled to capture light’s flickers. 

A diamond’s cut controls how light enters, reflects, and refracts inside the stone, producing the sparkle, fire, and scintillation that make a diamond come alive. Even a flawless diamond in colour and clarity will lose its brilliance if the cut falls short.

Experts assess cut quality by examining symmetry, polish, and proportions like depth and table size, grading stones from Excellent (or Ideal) to Poor. The best cuts maximise brightness and sparkle, unlocking the diamond’s full potential.

When it comes to lab-grown diamonds, the process is just as thorough. Because these stones share the exact physical and optical qualities of mined diamonds, their brilliance hinges on the precision of the cut. In fact, lab-grown diamonds often benefit from the controlled environments in which they’re crafted, allowing for remarkable accuracy in cutting.

The Second C Colours the Story—Colour

Colour is one of the most essential qualities in the 4C chart for diamonds, shaping a diamond’s character. It refers to the presence or absence of any hue within the stone, typically a subtle yellow or brown tint. The purer the diamond, the less colour it has, allowing it to reflect light with clear brilliance.

Diamonds are graded on a scale from D, which is completely colourless, down to Z, where colour becomes more noticeable. The closer to colourless your diamond, the more it will dazzle with bright, clear fire.

Lab-grown diamonds follow the same strict grading system. Thanks to the controlled conditions under which they are created, lab-grown diamonds often achieve outstanding colour grades, sometimes even surpassing those of natural stones.

The Third C Holds the Secret—Clarity

Clarity reveals the diamond’s inner world, including its natural marks, inclusions, and imperfections, which tell a story millions of years in the making. These tiny features, often invisible to the naked eye, can affect a diamond’s brilliance and value.

Diamonds are graded for clarity on a scale from Flawless, with no visible inclusions even under 10x magnification, to Included, where imperfections are noticeable and may impact the stone’s appearance. The fewer and smaller the inclusions, the higher the clarity grade, and the purer the diamond appears.

Lab-grown diamonds share the exact same clarity grading standards. In fact, lab-grown diamonds often display remarkable clarity, as their controlled growth environment reduces the likelihood of certain natural imperfections.

The Fourth C Measures the Presence—Carat

Carat is the measure of a diamond’s weight and often, its presence. It’s about how the diamond carries itself. A well-cut diamond of a lower carat can shine with more brilliance than a larger one that is poorly crafted.

One carat equals 200 milligrams, and diamonds are measured to the hundredth of a carat. The carat weight influences both the visual impact and the value, but it should always be considered in harmony with the other three C’s of the diamond 4C chart. Bigger doesn’t always mean better; the balance of cut, colour, and clarity defines true beauty.

Lab-grown diamonds are graded using the same carat weight system as mined diamonds. What sets them apart is that they allow you to explore larger, high-quality stones without compromising on brilliance or ethics.

The 4Cs of Diamonds at a Glance

This 4C diamond chart applies to both natural and lab-grown diamonds, ensuring you can assess quality with the same precision and confidence.

Choosing with Confidence, Wearing with Meaning

Understanding the 4Cs of diamonds isn’t all about technical mastery. It’s more about choosing with intention. When you know how a diamond is cut, how colour and clarity affect its presence, and how carat creates balance, you’re no longer just looking at a diamond on its surface. You’re selecting a piece that reflects who you are and what you value.

Whether you’re drawn to the brilliance of a flawless cut or the elegance of a well-balanced carat, this knowledge allows you to move beyond guesswork and towards something more certain, more personal.

At ViXii, we craft lab-grown diamonds that honour every facet of this standard. Sustainably created, ethically sourced, and beautifully made, each piece in our Signature ViXii Collection is an embodiment of modern luxury. Refined by science, perfected by design, and chosen by you.