Round Princess
D–F: Colorless G–J: Near Colorless K–M: Faint Color N–R: Very Light Color S–Z: Light Color
FL–IF: Flawless & Internally Flawless VVS1–VVS2: Very Very Slightly VS1–VS2: Very Slightly SI1–SI2: Slightly Included I1–I3: Included
0.5 Carat 1.0 Carat 2.0 Carat 3.0 Carat 4.0 Carat
Low - Medium Medium - High Highest
That Magic Factor
Conventional diamond retailers and dealers teach their customers to judge a diamond by “the 4Cs”: Cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. At Solasfera, we strongly believe in going one step deeper to understand what drives a diamond’s “wow” factor. That extra element is light performance: how the facet architecture of a particular diamond captures light, or lets it break free. Light, in the end, is what endows these stones with their unique life and emotion.
Cut
Whatever its size and shape, how a diamond is cut is the single most important factor in determining its fire and brilliance. The precise proportions of the stone and placement of each facet govern how light is reflected and refracted. While diamond cutters have traditionally thought about the path of light in two dimensions, Solasfera founder David So revolutionized the field with a three-dimensional approach, resulting in diamonds with optimal sparkle, luster, and radiance.
Color
Diamonds occur naturally in every color, but we’re concerned here with so-called “white” diamonds. The rarest and most valuable white diamonds are those that appear completely colorless. Light passes most purely through these stones, to be refracted back to the viewer in a shimmering rainbow of spectral color. It’s important to remember that even an extremely rare colorless, flawless diamond can appear cloudy and lifeless if poorly cut; equally, a near-colorless, slightly included diamond with an exceptional cut can appear whiter and brighter than a flawless stone.
A diamond’s color is graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) on a D-Z scale:
- Grades D,E,F: Colorless; the rarest among diamond colors
- Grades G,H, I, J: Near Colorless; when set, these color grades may be difficult to distinguish from colorless even by a trained eye
- Grades K, L, M: Faint Yellow; these diamonds have a yellow tinge and are more common
- Grades M,N, O, P, Q, R: Very Light Yellow
- Grade S-Z: Light Yellow
For personalized guidance on a buying strategy for diamond color, schedule an appointment with an authorized Solasfera retailer.
Clarity
When viewed under magnification, every diamond has tiny specks, ripples and indentations—characteristics that identify a diamond like a fingerprint. These imperfections are known as inclusions, and the degree to which a diamond is free from them determines its clarity grade.
A diamond’s clarity is rated by GIA on an FL to I3 scale:
- Internally Flawless (IF): Very miniscule external imperfections and no internal inclusions. These diamonds are exceedingly rare
- Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1, VVS2): Minute inclusions that are very hard to detect with a microscope
- Very Slightly Included (VS1, VS2): Very small inclusions that are difficult to detect with a loupe by the untrained eye
- Slightly Included (SI1, SI2): Slightly larger and more numerous inclusions, still difficult to see with the naked eye
- Included (I1, I2, I3): Noticeable inclusions that can affect a diamond's brilliance
For personalized guidance on a buying strategy for diamond clarity, schedule an appointment with an authorized Solasfera retailer.
Carat
A carat is the unit of weight measurement for diamonds. Since larger stones occur more rarely in nature than smaller ones, a diamond will become increasingly expensive on a per-carat basis as its size increases (all other things being equal). A single one-carat diamond is much more valuable than a grouping of smaller diamonds which combine for one carat in total weight. A two-carat diamond of the same cut, color, and clarity as a one-carat stone can be worth four times as much.
Within the diamond industry, significant price jumps occur at round numbers: .50ct, .70ct, 1.00ct, 2.00ct, 3.00ct, and so on. Most diamond cutters, driven by profit objectives, reach these weight thresholds at the expense of ideal geometry, undercutting the diamond’s light performance and beauty. Unlike others in the industry, Solasfera diamonds are always cut to maximize beauty, not size.
Light Mastery
Facts and statistics about a diamond’s cut, color, clarity, and carat weight only describe its physical attributes, like a building’s blueprint. The most important question about the diamond still remains: How does it actually perform? How much light can it harness? Fortunately, the industry has tools that can answer these questions objectively. Every Solasfera diamond carries with it proof of unmatched light performance.