Our diamond guide

Picking the perfect diamond can be tricky as there are a number of criteria to take into account. While our team is happy to guide you through this process, let's first get you acquainted with the basic understanding of diamonds.

The 4C's

Step 1 - Shape

Diamonds are cut in different shapes. The first step is to pick your preferred shape.

The brilliant is the classic round shape that offers the most sparkle due to its 58 facets. All other shapes are called fancy shapes. The most common are the princess, marquise, oval, heart, pear, emerald and cushion cuts.

Once you have picked your shape, we evaluate the 4C's upon which diamonds are graded; carat, color, clarity and cut. Our goal is to find the best compromise between beauty, quality and budget.

The 4C's

Step 2 - Carat

How many carats are you looking for?

The weight of a diamond is expressed in carats. 1 carat corresponds to 0,2g.

The perceived size of the diamond is partly affected by the carat weight, but other criteria come into play.

The 4C's

Step 3 - Color

Are you looking for white or colored diamonds?

Classic white diamonds range from colorless to slightly yellow and are expressed alphabetically from D to Z.

However, we at Edès also love the uniqueness of fancy colors. Fancy colored diamonds are available in yellow, champagne, brownish, pinkish, orangy and everything in between. Let's guide you in finding your unique sparkle!

The 4C's

Step 4 - Clarity

How clean should your diamond be?

Diamonds endure a formation process of thousands of years underneath the surface of the earth. As a result, they can present signs of history. We evaluate diamonds upon their impurities, ranging from none (loupe clean/internally flawless) to (very) small inclusions (VVS1-SI2). At Edès we value clarity and we always recommend to pick diamonds with inclusions invisible to the naked eye (VVS1-SI2).

The 4C's

Step 5 - Cut

How should your cut be?

Rough diamonds are cut and polished before they are set in jewelry. The quality of this cut determines the overall beauty of the diamond.

We measure this along 3 criteria: proportions, polish and symmetry. At Edès we always opt for Excellent and Very Good criteria.

Edès collection pieces

For any alterations or bespoke pieces, we will happily guide you through the above-mentioned steps to find the best diamonds suited to your needs. Starting from 0.30ct, we are happy to work with GIA or HRD certificates.


For all collection pieces, Edès works with the following grading criteria:

Color: D-F in white diamonds & fancy colors

Clarity: VS1-SI2

Cut: Excellent to Very Good

Discover our collections here