Cut
How well a diamond’s facets are proportioned and polished. Cut has the biggest effect on sparkle — a well-cut diamond returns more light to the eye.
Diamond Education
A clear, practical guide to how diamonds are graded and how to choose one you’ll love. Terra is happy to walk you through real diamonds side by side in the studio.
Color
Graded from D (colorless) through Z. D–F are colorless, G–J are near colorless and look white face-up in most settings, especially yellow or rose gold.
Clarity
Tiny natural inclusions graded from Flawless to Included. VS and SI grades are often “eye-clean”, meaning inclusions aren’t visible without magnification.
Carat
A measure of weight, not size. Shape and cut affect how large a diamond looks — elongated shapes like oval and pear tend to look larger face-up.
Diamond shapes
Shape is a diamond’s outline seen from above. It sets the ring’s personality — and changes how large a stone looks for its weight.
Photos show each shape in a representative ring; Terra can show you real stones side by side.
Brilliant cuts
Many triangular and kite-shaped facets that break light into sparkle.
Round
The most brilliant cut; timeless and versatile in any setting.
Oval
Elongated and flattering on the finger; looks large for its carat weight.
Cushion
Soft square corners with a romantic, vintage glow.
Pear
A teardrop that blends round and marquise; elegant and elongating.
Radiant
Brilliant sparkle in a rectangular outline with cropped corners.
Princess
Square and crisp with lots of sparkle; protect the corners with prongs.
Step cuts
Long, parallel facets for a clean, mirror-like look that shows clarity more.
Emerald
Step-cut facets create a clean, hall-of-mirrors look; clarity shows more.
Asscher
A square step cut with Art Deco character.
Common questions
- Which of the 4Cs matters most?
- Cut usually matters most for beauty, because it controls sparkle. Many buyers balance color and clarity to put more of their budget toward cut and carat.
- What color grade looks white?
- Most people see G–H diamonds as white in a ring, and I–J can look white in yellow or rose gold settings.
- Does a bigger carat always look bigger?
- Not always. Carat is weight; a deep, poorly cut diamond can look smaller than a lighter, well-cut one.
Ready to choose? Open the Engagement Ring Designer, or read Lab-Grown vs. Natural Diamonds and Diamond Shapes & Carat Sizes.
See diamonds in person
Compare diamonds side by side with Terra at the Scranton studio.