A Guide from Bouquet Fine Jewelry
When choosing a diamond—whether for an engagement ring, wedding band, or timeless piece of jewelry—it helps to understand what makes one stone more rare, beautiful, or valuable than another. That’s where the 4 C’s come in: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. These are the globally accepted standards used to evaluate diamonds and guide pricing.
At Bouquet Fine Jewelry, we believe the 4 C’s aren’t just technical specs—they’re tools to help you find a stone that reflects your story, your taste, and your values.
Who Grades Diamonds—and Why It Matters
The 4 C’s are only as meaningful as the standards behind them. That’s where trusted grading labs come in.
The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) developed the International Diamond Grading System™—a global benchmark for evaluating diamonds based on Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. It’s the gold standard, adopted by leading institutions and respected throughout the industry.
But they’re not the only trusted name in grading.
The International Gemological Institute (IGI)—another major authority in gemology—was the first lab to officially grade lab-grown diamonds using the same 4 C’s framework. Today, IGI grading reports are widely accepted and used across the fine jewelry industry.
GIA vs. IGI: What’s the Difference?
In our experience—and across much of the modern diamond world—GIA and IGI grading reports are considered equally valid, consistent, and reliable. GIA is the go to for natural, and IGI is typically the go to for lab.
That’s why most of our lab-created diamonds come with IGI certificates. They provide the same transparent detail on cut, color, clarity, and carat, and can be used for insurance, resale, or simply peace of mind.
1. Cut: The Spark of Life
Contrary to what most people think, cut isn’t about shape—it’s about how well a
diamond has been faceted. A well-cut diamond reflects light in a way that creates brilliance, fire, and scintillation—the sparkle you see when it moves.
We often tell clients: you can have a flawless diamond on paper, but if the cut is poor, it simply won’t shine.
Cut Grades range from:
- Ideal - Precision-cut for maximum brilliance and fire. These diamonds reflect light flawlessly and exhibit perfect symmetry.
- Excellent - Exceptional sparkle with beautifully balanced proportions. A refined choice for those seeking optimal light performance.
- Very Good - Impressive brilliance with strong polish and symmetry. Slight variances in proportion may be visible under magnification.
- Good - Respectable sparkle with fair polish and symmetry. These stones reflect light well but with less intensity.
- Fair - Noticeably less brilliance and symmetry. Some light leakage is visible, resulting in a muted appearance.
- Poor - Limited sparkle, uneven symmetry, and a dull overall look. Often lacks the refinement expected in fine jewelry.
Want a deeper dive? Read our guide to Diamond Cut →
Round Cut Diamonds: The Gold Standard of Sparkle
Round brilliant diamonds are the most precisely engineered of all diamond shapes. With 57 or 58 facets arranged for maximum symmetry, they are the only shape eligible for an Ideal Cut grade. That’s because their structure follows strict proportions designed to reflect and refract light in the most brilliant way possible.
For clients seeking top-tier sparkle and a classic aesthetic, round diamonds deliver unmatched light performance—and remain the most popular shape for engagement rings.
Fancy Shapes: Distinctive Cuts with Character
Diamonds like oval, emerald, pear, radiant, and cushion fall under what the industry calls fancy shapes. These cuts feature different facet arrangements, which makes them more complex to evaluate—and more unique in their appearance.
While fancy shapes don’t receive an “Ideal” grade, many earn Excellent ratings for polish and symmetry, which are key indicators of quality craftsmanship. When carefully selected, fancy shaped diamonds offer their own kind of brilliance, often with elongated silhouettes and distinctive optical effects that feel personal and refined.
For those looking for something a little less traditional but equally stunning, fancy shapes offer incredible beauty—and often greater visual size per carat.
How Fancy Shapes Are Graded
Round diamonds are graded with rigid mathematical criteria, making cut grades highly standardized. Fancy shapes, however, require a more nuanced approach. Gemologists assess each stone based on proportion, light performance, symmetry, and how the shape has been executed overall.
At Bouquet Fine Jewelry, we don’t rely solely on certificates. We compare diamonds side by side, in natural light, so you can see the difference in how each one moves, catches light, and feels to the eye. Especially with fancy shapes, visual performance matters more than numbers on a page.
What Makes a Diamond Sparkle?
Regardless of shape, a diamond’s beauty comes down to four key qualities:
-
Brilliance: The white light reflected from within the diamond.
-
Fire: The flashes of rainbow color created when light disperses through the stone.
-
Dispersion: The scientific process that splits white light into spectral colors, creating fire.
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Scintillation: The sparkle you see when the diamond moves—the dance between light and shadow.
When these four effects come together—especially in a well-cut stone—the result is that captivating, irresistible sparkle that diamonds are known for.
Ideal Cut
An Ideal Cut diamond is all about precision. It's cut to exact proportions that reflect back nearly all the light that enters the stone—maximizing brilliance, fire, and overall presence.
Getting there takes real craftsmanship. Everything—from the table and depth percentages to the crown and pavilion angles—has to be dialed in. When it’s done right, the result is a diamond that looks sharp, bright, and often larger than it actually is.
Some Ideal Cuts also show a pattern known as Hearts and Arrows: hearts visible from the bottom, arrows from the top. It’s a visual cue of symmetry—and a subtle, romantic detail if you’re into that kind of thing.
Understanding the 4 C’s of Diamonds
A Guide from Bouquet Fine Jewelry
When choosing a diamond—whether for an engagement ring, wedding band, or timeless piece of jewelry—it helps to understand what makes one stone more rare, beautiful, or valuable than another. That’s where the 4 C’s come in: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. These are the globally accepted standards used to evaluate diamonds and guide pricing.
At Bouquet Fine Jewelry, we believe the 4 C’s aren’t just technical specs—they’re tools to help you find a stone that reflects your story, your taste, and your values.
Who Grades Diamonds—and Why It Matters
The 4 C’s are only as meaningful as the standards behind them. That’s where trusted grading labs come in.
The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) developed the International Diamond Grading System™—a global benchmark for evaluating diamonds based on Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. It’s the gold standard, adopted by leading institutions and respected throughout the industry.
But they’re not the only trusted name in grading.
The International Gemological Institute (IGI)—another major authority in gemology—was the first lab to officially grade lab-grown diamonds using the same 4 C’s framework. Today, IGI grading reports are widely accepted and used across the fine jewelry industry.
GIA vs. IGI: What’s the Difference?
In our experience—and across much of the modern diamond world—GIA and IGI grading reports are considered equally valid, consistent, and reliable. GIA is the go to for natural, and IGI is typically the go to for lab.
That’s why most of our lab-created diamonds come with IGI certificates. They provide the same transparent detail on cut, color, clarity, and carat, and can be used for insurance, resale, or simply peace of mind.
1. Cut: The Spark of Life
Contrary to what most people think, cut isn’t about shape—it’s about how well a
diamond has been faceted. A well-cut diamond reflects light in a way that creates brilliance, fire, and scintillation—the sparkle you see when it moves.
We often tell clients: you can have a flawless diamond on paper, but if the cut is poor, it simply won’t shine.
Cut Grades range from:
Want a deeper dive? Read our guide to Diamond Cut →
Round Cut Diamonds: The Gold Standard of Sparkle
Round brilliant diamonds are the most precisely engineered of all diamond shapes. With 57 or 58 facets arranged for maximum symmetry, they are the only shape eligible for an Ideal Cut grade. That’s because their structure follows strict proportions designed to reflect and refract light in the most brilliant way possible.
For clients seeking top-tier sparkle and a classic aesthetic, round diamonds deliver unmatched light performance—and remain the most popular shape for engagement rings.
Fancy Shapes: Distinctive Cuts with Character
Diamonds like oval, emerald, pear, radiant, and cushion fall under what the industry calls fancy shapes. These cuts feature different facet arrangements, which makes them more complex to evaluate—and more unique in their appearance.
While fancy shapes don’t receive an “Ideal” grade, many earn Excellent ratings for polish and symmetry, which are key indicators of quality craftsmanship. When carefully selected, fancy shaped diamonds offer their own kind of brilliance, often with elongated silhouettes and distinctive optical effects that feel personal and refined.
For those looking for something a little less traditional but equally stunning, fancy shapes offer incredible beauty—and often greater visual size per carat.
How Fancy Shapes Are Graded
Round diamonds are graded with rigid mathematical criteria, making cut grades highly standardized. Fancy shapes, however, require a more nuanced approach. Gemologists assess each stone based on proportion, light performance, symmetry, and how the shape has been executed overall.
At Bouquet Fine Jewelry, we don’t rely solely on certificates. We compare diamonds side by side, in natural light, so you can see the difference in how each one moves, catches light, and feels to the eye. Especially with fancy shapes, visual performance matters more than numbers on a page.
What Makes a Diamond Sparkle?
Regardless of shape, a diamond’s beauty comes down to four key qualities:
When these four effects come together—especially in a well-cut stone—the result is that captivating, irresistible sparkle that diamonds are known for.
Ideal Cut
An Ideal Cut diamond is all about precision. It's cut to exact proportions that reflect back nearly all the light that enters the stone—maximizing brilliance, fire, and overall presence.
Getting there takes real craftsmanship. Everything—from the table and depth percentages to the crown and pavilion angles—has to be dialed in. When it’s done right, the result is a diamond that looks sharp, bright, and often larger than it actually is.
Some Ideal Cuts also show a pattern known as Hearts and Arrows: hearts visible from the bottom, arrows from the top. It’s a visual cue of symmetry—and a subtle, romantic detail if you’re into that kind of thing.