There is a wealth of information about the 4 C’s of diamonds (cut, clarity, colour, carat respectively), but rarely are they evaluated in terms of which one should be focused on to achieve the best apperance. There a number of reasons for this, one is that because all of these factors influence a diamond’s apperance there has to be a reasonable degree of each in order to make a desirable diamond. However, when it comes to buying rings clarity and cut need to be explained and the trade-offs weighed up in order to help you decide whether to focus on one, or strike a balance.
Firstly, clarity, the measure of internal imperfections within a diamond. This is ranked from Internally Flawless to Included. While an Included diamond will not look good there is definitely an oppurtunity to trade-off a IF rating for a better cut. A rank of VVS, VS, or SI will still look largely flawless to the naked eye and will not detrementally affect the apperance of the diamond too drastically. A VS1 diamond will not appear to the naked eye to be included and the diamond will still appear to sparkle brilliantly.
Diamond cut, on the other hand, cannot be down graded so easily. There will be notable visible difference between a good cut and an excellent cut diamond. We also believe that cut is the most important C, and if you have to lower another C to allow a higher cut grade, then we recommend you do so. An excellent or ideal cut diamond will sparkle more, and will appear to have greater fire and brilliance. This is especially the case with an excellent hearts and arrows diamond.