Cut
Cut describes how a diamond’s proportions, symmetry and polish affect its interaction with light. Brightness, fire and scintillation contribute to its appearance.
GIA’s overall cut grade applies to standard round brilliant diamonds in the D-to-Z color range. Its five grades are Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Do not assume the same overall cut-grading system applies to every diamond shape.
Cut quality and shape are different. Shape describes the outline, such as round, oval or pear. Explore the Diamond Shapes section below.
Color
Color describes the presence of color in diamonds graded on the D-to-Z scale. GIA groups this scale into five categories:
Colorless: D–F
Near colorless: G–J
Faint: K–M
Very light: N–R
Light: S–Z
Fancy-color diamonds are evaluated differently. Color preference is personal. For the color grade and available options of a particular stone or piece, consult its product details and any accompanying grading report.
clarity
Clarity describes internal characteristics called inclusions and surface characteristics called blemishes. GIA clarity grades are assessed at 10× magnification:
Flawless (FL)
Internally Flawless (IF)
Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1–VVS2)
Very Slightly Included (VS1–VS2)
Slightly Included (SI1–SI2)
Included (I1–I2–I3)
“Eye clean” is an informal description, not a GIA clarity grade. A clarity grade alone does not guarantee that no characteristic will be visible without magnification. Review the individual stone, its images and any grading report before choosing.
carat
Carat weight is the standard unit of measure for the weight of a diamond. One carat equals 200 milligrams, or 1/5 of a gram. One carat is divided into 100 "points", and may be expressed as a decimal (like 1.25 carats) or as a fraction like (1 1/4 carats).
Carat (sometimes abbreviated as "ct") usually refers to the weight of a single stone, whereas Carat Total Weight (often abbreviated as "ctw") refers to the sum of carat weights of all the diamonds in a piece of jewelry.
At Cirelle Laurier, we offer a variety of carat weights across our loose diamonds and popular jewelry styles.
diamond grading
A diamond grading report records the characteristics assessed by the issuing laboratory. Review the report for the individual stone, including its origin disclosure, measurements and the grading information provided.
A grading report is not a warranty or an appraisal. Terminology and report formats can differ by laboratory and diamond type.
Before ordering, confirm whether your chosen stone or piece includes a report, which laboratory issued it, and what it covers. Do not assume that every stone in a finished piece has an individual report.
