SearchThe 4 C's of diamonds: the chart, and the grades our engagement rings carry
From the counter at TraxNYC, 47th Street.
The short answer
- The 4 C's of diamonds are cut, color, clarity and carat: the four grades that describe a diamond's quality.
- Cut is how well the stone was faceted and proportioned. It decides how much light comes back to your eye. Color is how little tint the stone shows, graded by letter from D, colorless, down to Z.
- Clarity is what sits inside and on the stone, graded under 10x magnification from FL down to I3. Carat is weight, not size: 1 carat is 0.2 grams, or 100 points.
- Our case, counted September 25, 2026: of our engagement ring center stones that state a grade, F is the most common color at 45% and VS1 the most common clarity at 29%. The median center weighs 2.00 carats.
Choosing a stone? Talk to a personal jeweler: call 212-872-9692 or send a text, seven days.
The 4 C's of diamonds chart
Diamond quality guide: what each C measures, and what our case holds
Diamond guides print the first three columns. The last column is ours: the center stones of our live engagement ring listings, as shares of the centers that state a grade, counted September 25, 2026.
The scales were written by GIA, the Gemological Institute of America, and the trade reads the same letters. A share is what our case holds, not advice about what you should buy.
| The C | What it measures | The scale | What our engagement centers state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut | How the facets are placed and proportioned, and how the stone returns light | Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor (GIA, for round brilliants) | Not counted in this census |
| Color | How little tint the stone shows | D to Z. D, E, F colorless; G to J near colorless; K to M faint; N to R very light; S to Z light | F 45%, E 24%, G 19%. About seven in ten are D, E or F |
| Clarity | Inclusions inside the stone and blemishes on it, seen under 10x | FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, I3 | VS1 29%, VVS2 16%, SI1 14% |
| Carat | Weight | 1 carat = 0.2 grams = 100 points | Median 2.00 carats. 31% are 3 carats and up |
1. Cut: how the stone returns light
Cut is the C that comes from a person's hands. The color and the marks inside come with the stone. A cutter decides the angles, the depth and where every facet sits, and that work decides how much light comes back out of the top of the stone.
Three words describe what a good cut does:
- Brightness: the white light the stone sends back.
- Fire: the flashes of color, light split into the colors of the spectrum.
- Scintillation: the sparkle, the pattern of light and dark when the stone or your hand moves.
Cut is not shape. Round, oval and emerald are shapes. Cut is how well any of them was faceted. Polish, the finish on the facet surfaces, and symmetry, how exactly the facets line up, are part of the work.
| Cut grade | What it means in plain words |
|---|---|
| Excellent | The top grade. The stone returns light as well as a round brilliant can. |
| Very Good | One step below the top. A strong return of light. |
| Good | A fair share of light comes back, less than the two grades above. |
| Fair | Clearly less light comes back. |
| Poor | Light leaks out the sides and bottom. The stone looks dull or dark. |
GIA's cut scale was written for the round brilliant. On an oval, a pear or an emerald cut, look at the stone itself, in person or on video, and let your eye judge the light.
What our case holds on cut: we have not counted it. Our count of September 25, 2026 read color, clarity, carat, origin and shape, and left cut out. When the cut grade matters to you, ask the desk before you decide: text or call 212-872-9692.
2. Color: the absence of tint
The color scale starts at D, not A: D is colorless, and each letter down the alphabet shows a little more yellow or brown.
Color: the share of our engagement centers at each letter
What is the best to worst diamond color chart?
Best to worst on the GIA scale: D, E and F are colorless; G, H, I and J are near colorless; K, L and M show faint color; N to R show very light color; S to Z show light color, a little more with every letter. D is the best letter.
One thing the chart cannot tell you is how a letter looks on your hand, in your light, in your setting. That is a question for the stone itself, not the page.
3. Clarity: the marks inside and on the stone
Inclusions sit inside the stone, blemishes on its surface. A trained grader looks at the stone under 10x magnification and grades the marks by how many there are, how big they are, where they sit and how easy they are to see.
| Grade | What it means in plain words | Share of our centers that state it |
|---|---|---|
| FL (Flawless) | No inclusions and no blemishes seen under 10x. | None counted |
| IF (Internally Flawless) | No inclusions under 10x. Only small marks on the surface. | 1% |
| VVS1 | Very, very slightly included. Marks so small a grader has a hard time finding them under 10x. | 2% |
| VVS2 | Very, very slightly included, one step below VVS1. | 16% |
| VVS, no number | The listing says VVS without the 1 or the 2. | 6% |
| VS1 | Very slightly included. Small marks a grader finds with some effort under 10x. | 29% |
| VS2 | Very slightly included, one step below VS1. | 13% |
| VS, no number | The listing says VS without the 1 or the 2. | 13% |
| SI1 | Slightly included. Marks a grader sees easily under 10x. | 14% |
| SI2 | Slightly included, one step below SI1. | 4% |
| SI, no number | The listing says SI without the 1 or the 2. | 2% |
| I1 | Included. Marks obvious under 10x that can change how the stone looks. | 1% |
| I2 and I3 | Included, more so with each step. | None counted |
Shares are of the engagement centers that state a clarity grade, counted September 25, 2026. A listing that gives a range, such as VS1 to VS2, is counted at its first grade. A listing that writes VS, VVS or SI without a number is counted as written, not guessed.
By family, more than half of those centers are a VS grade, nearly a quarter are VVS, and about one in five is SI.
Clarity is graded under magnification. What you see with your own eye, at the distance you hold a ring, is a different test. Ask to see both: the grade on paper and the stone with your own eye.
Clarity, sourcing and shine. TraxNYC on what to know about a diamond: its clarity, where it comes from, and how it shines. 150,000 views on YouTube, read September 26, 2026.
4. Carat: the weight
A carat divides into 100 points, so a 0.50 carat stone is a 50 point stone. Two stones of the same weight can face up at different sizes, because the shape and the cut decide how that weight is spread.
Carat: the share of our engagement centers in each weight band
The median center, the middle one when every stated weight is lined up from light to heavy, is 2.00 carats. Nearly six in ten of the centers that state a weight are 2 carats or more.
Buying diamond studs rather than a ring? Our diamond stud earrings guide covers carat per ear or for the pair, and how big each carat looks on the ear.
Lab-grown diamond or natural diamond: the origin
Origin is not one of the 4 C's. It is where the diamond formed: a lab-grown diamond in a laboratory, a natural diamond, also called a mined diamond, in the earth. Both are diamonds, and on our listings both carry the same kind of grades: a color letter, a clarity grade and a weight in carats.
Of the engagement centers that state an origin, 58% are lab-grown diamonds and 42% are natural diamonds, counted September 25, 2026.
Compare two stones on all four C's and on origin. A lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond with the same letters are not the same price, so a comparison that skips origin is not a fair one.
If a listing does not state the origin, ask the desk before you decide. How to tell the two apart, what a diamond tester can and cannot read, and why a moissanite is not a diamond are all in our lab-grown diamond or natural diamond guide.
A screening machine. It sorts natural diamonds from lab-grown diamonds. 3.7 million views.
Diamond or moissanite. Two stones heated, set on ice and scratched against each other. 42 million views.
View counts on YouTube, read September 26, 2026.
Four engagement rings from our case, read by their grades
Two rings with lab-grown diamond centers and two with natural diamond centers, each with the center grades its listing states.
From the counter
“Start with a beautiful ring on a great band, and think about the wedding bands that go with it. If holding value is not a priority, a lab-grown diamond does the job. If you are making a serious investment, buy a natural diamond with a GIA grading report.”
Shape is not a C
Shape is the outline of the stone seen from above, and a choice of taste, not one of the 4 C's. In our experience, step cuts such as the emerald and the Asscher, with their long flat facets, show the marks inside more openly than a round does, so clarity counts for more on those shapes. Browse our emerald cut engagement rings to see the step cut set in a ring. To see every shape on a ring, read our guide to diamond shapes.
| Shape | What it looks like | Share of our centers that state it |
|---|---|---|
| Round | A circle. The shape the cut scale was written for. | 36% |
| Emerald | A rectangle with cut corners and long step facets. | 11% |
| Oval | A stretched round. | 11% |
| Cushion | A square or rectangle with rounded corners. | 10% |
| Marquise | Long, pointed at both ends. | 9% |
| Pear | Round at one end, pointed at the other. | 9% |
| Radiant | A rectangle or square with cut corners, faceted for sparkle. | 6% |
| Princess | A square with sharp corners. | 5% |
| Heart | A heart. | 1% |
| Asscher | A square step cut with cut corners. | 1% |
| Baguette | A long, narrow rectangle, step cut. | 1% |
| Flower cut | Cut to the outline of a flower. | 1% |
Shares are of the engagement centers that state a shape, counted September 25, 2026.
If the long outline pointed at both ends is the one you want, start with our marquise engagement rings. For that length with rounded ends, see our oval engagement rings.
The fifth C at our counter: the appraisal
What is the 5th C of diamonds?
There is no official fifth C. Guides use the phrase for different things, most often certification. At our counter, the fifth C is the paper you leave with: the appraisal.
In the words of our showroom page: "Every purchase comes with an official appraisal: carat and gram weights, diamond grade and color, current market value, and our corporate seal." The shipping policy, read September 25, 2026, says it too.
An appraisal is not a lab grading report, and nothing on this page promises one with a ring. If a report on the center matters to you, ask the desk about that stone before you decide. The showroom page adds one exception: "Silver jewelry does not come with an appraisal."
Questions we hear at the counter
How to tell if a diamond is high quality?
Read the grades first, then look at the stone itself. The same four steps work on any stone:
- Read the grades on the listing. The color letter, the clarity grade, the carat weight, the cut where it is stated, and whether it is a lab-grown diamond or a natural diamond.
- Ask for what is missing. Text or call 212-872-9692, seven days, or write to our personal jewelers at sale@traxnyc.com.
- See the stone. In person at our counter, or on video.
- Keep the paper. The appraisal puts the grade and color in writing.
How do the 4 C's change a diamond's price?
Each of the four C's moves the price. Other grades equal, the closer a stone sits to D color, FL clarity and an Excellent cut, and the more it weighs, the more it costs. The origin moves it too: whether it is a lab-grown diamond or a natural diamond.
To see what each C costs, use the method we use across the counter. Pick the shape, the origin and the four grades you want, and find the listings that match. Then change one grade at a time and watch the price move.
How much is a 4 CT diamond worth?
There is no single number for a 4 carat diamond. The listing carries the price of the stone in front of you, and that is the number to trust.
In our experience, the price per carat rises as a stone gets heavier, so a 4 carat stone usually costs more than two 2 carat stones of the same grades.
To ask about a stone, text the desk at 212-872-9692 with the grades you have in mind.
To look further, open our Diamond Search page. For a line of small diamonds set side by side, read our diamond tennis chain guide. For the setting, the band and the rest of the ring, read our engagement ring buying guide.
Reviews from engagement ring buyers
What buyers say about the counter is on our reviews page. Here is what four engagement ring buyers wrote on our listings.
★★★★★
“Loved everything about it! Thanks you guys! … Love doing buisness with honest people!”
★★★★★
“My future wife loved it! Just as expected! Would definitely recommend!”
★★★★★
“Amazing customer service. Amazing quality. Dream come true ring.”
★★★★★
“Great quality and customer service. Definitely will shop here again and recommend anyone looking for their next piece of jewelry.”
A few of the five-star reviews buyers left on our listings, chosen by us, quoted as written and trimmed only for length.
Talk to a personal jeweler
Ask for the grades of any stone before you choose.
Our personal jewelers on 47th Street answer by phone and text seven days. Every stone is shown in person or on video before you decide.
Before you decide: returns and resizing
Our refund policy, read September 25, 2026, says: "Eligible merchandise may be returned within fourteen (14) calendar days of confirmed delivery, as determined by the shipping carrier's delivery confirmation." The same policy lists "Custom or personalized items" among the things that cannot come back.
The showroom page adds a line that matters for an engagement ring: "Resizing and other alterations are done for you and are not returnable." Know the finger size before you order. For anything else about a return, ask the desk: text or call 212-872-9692 with your order number, or write to service@traxnyc.com.
Keep reading
More answers from the counter: all TraxNYC buyer's guides.
See the grades at the counter
TraxNYC is at 64 W 47th St, Booth F-1, New York, NY 10036, in the Diamond District, one block off Fifth Avenue. We have been on 47th Street since 2004.
The showroom is open Monday to Friday 11 am to 6 pm ET, and Saturday and Sunday 12 pm to 4 pm ET. Around a holiday, text first.
Bring the grades you have in mind, or bring nothing but a question. The place to start is our engagement rings.