Cut. Colour. Clarity. Carat. These four factors famously known as the Four C’s — are the universal language used to assess the quality and beauty of a diamond. Whether you’re choosing an engagement ring, an anniversary gift, or a piece to make a milestone, understanding these four elements can help you make a confident, informed decision.
At Harrogate Jewellers, we hand select every diamond with precision and care. Our centre stones are always fully certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for natural, earth-mined diamonds and or the International Gemological Institute (IGI) for our lab-grown stones — ensuring every piece meets the highest standards of craftsmanship and authenticity.
Cut – The Sparkle Factor
While a diamond's true beauty begins with nature over a billion years ago, it’s actually the cut that defines its brilliance. A well cut diamond captures and reflects light with extraordinary precision, delivering the iconic sparkle we all love. Perfect proportions, symmetry, and polish allow a diamond to refract light from every angle — and that’s where true radiance lies.
At Harrogate Jewellers, we believe the quality of cut is paramount. Each diamond is selected not only for its shape but for the way it performs — ensuring your diamond dazzles, whatever the setting. Cut is often overlooked but we believe it is the most important factor, afterall a beautiful colourless diamond cut badly will result in no sparkle. We only select diamonds with a cut grade of excellent here at Harrogate Jewellers.
Colour – A Spectrum of Purity
Diamonds are graded on a colour scale from D (exceptional white) to Z (light yellow). The less colour a diamond has, the more rare and valuable it is. ‘D’ grade diamonds are prized for their icy brilliance, while those in the D–G range are often considered the sweet spot for beauty and value.
Our selection prioritises exceptional whiteness and purity, offering a clean, crisp appearance that enhances the overall brilliance of each stone. Our preference is to select diamonds within the D-F range, none of our smaller side stones or halo stones will ever feature diamonds warmer than a H, and that's a promise.
Clarity – Nature’s Fingerprint
No two diamonds are alike. Clarity refers to the presence of natural inclusions or blemishes formed deep within the earth — nature’s own fingerprint on your stone. These tiny internal features are often invisible to the naked eye but can affect the way light moves through a diamond.
We carefully inspect every diamond to ensure clarity never compromises beauty. Only stones that meet our strict standards are chosen for our collections. Whilst the majority of our diamonds at Harrogate Jewellers are a minimum or VS1 (very slight inclusions and unable to see with the naked eye) - we do offer some pieces at an Si1 but we promise to never go lower than an Si1 which translates to (slight inclusions).
Carat – More Than Just Size
Carat is often misunderstood as a measure of size — but it actually refers to a diamond’s weight. While a higher carat can mean greater presence, it’s important to balance size with cut and clarity for overall brilliance. In some cases, a smaller diamond of superior quality will sparkle more beautifully than a larger, poorly cut stone.
Whether you're drawn to bold or delicate designs, we’ll help you find the ideal balance of carat weight and craftsmanship.
More Than the Four C’s
At Harrogate Jewellers, we believe in going beyond the basics. While the Four C’s are essential, we value certification, craftsmanship, and confidence just as highly. Every diamond is chosen not just for what it is, but for how it makes you feel — elegant, empowered, and extraordinary.
If you have any questions or would prefer to go into greater detail please reach out to our expert team who would be delighted to help.