When light enters a well-cut diamond, its proportions help direct that light through the stone and back toward the viewer. This creates the brightness, fire and sparkle associated with a beautiful diamond.

If proportions are too shallow or too deep, more light can escape instead of returning through the top of the diamond.

Cut should not be confused with diamond shape. Round, oval, pear and emerald are shapes; cut describes the quality of the diamond’s proportions and finish.

At Yatkovski, we prioritize diamonds with excellent craftsmanship and carefully evaluate their overall appearance, not simply the grade written on a report.

For white diamonds, less visible body color generally results in a higher color grade. Grades D, E and F are considered within the colorless range, while subsequent grades gradually display more warmth.

However, color should always be considered together with the diamond’s shape, size, setting and metal color. Different diamond shapes can display color differently, and the surrounding jewelry can also influence how color is perceived.

At Yatkovski, our standard for fine jewelry begins at E color, allowing us to maintain a consistently bright and colorless appearance across our diamond selection.

Clarity describes the presence of tiny internal or surface characteristics that are evaluated by gemologists under magnification.

At Yatkovski, we work with VVS2 to VS1 clarity lab-grown diamonds, selected to maintain a clean, refined appearance and a consistently high standard across our jewelry.

Within these clarity grades, characteristics are typically difficult to see without magnification. This allows the beauty, brilliance and overall appearance of the diamond to remain the focus.

Every diamond is carefully selected not only for its clarity grade, but for how it actually looks - because the certificate tells us the grade, but the diamond itself determines our selection.

Carat weight is often associated with diamond size, but the two are not exactly the same.

A diamond’s visible dimensions are influenced by its shape and proportions. A well-proportioned diamond may present its weight differently from a deeper-cut stone of exactly the same carat weight.

Different shapes also create different visual impressions. For example, elongated shapes such as oval, pear and marquise diamonds can appear larger across the finger than some other diamonds of similar weight.

For this reason, we recommend considering carat weight, measurements, proportions and shape together rather than choosing a diamond based only on the carat number.

The 4Cs provide the foundation, but a beautiful diamond is about how those qualities come together.

At Yatkovski, we carefully select diamonds for their overall beauty, proportions and brilliance, helping you choose a diamond that looks exceptional beyond its grading report.