Before you start to shop for diamonds use this guide to help you learn and understand the meaning of the "four C's". Diamonds are graded using a system that judges the stone of its cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. The four C's method is a way to evaluate your diamond. Diamonds that are high quality are often sold as "certified diamonds". Certified diamonds comes with a certificate which proves the stone's value. Non-certified diamonds should be evaluated using the method of the four C's. Every diamond has its own unique and beautiful look. The more flawless the diamond is the rarer and expensive it is. When purchasing a diamond you will need to know about your four C's. It will help you know what diamond has the best prices for its quality. Diamonds are also the perfect gift to someone you love or to yourself. After reading through this guide, you will learn about the four C's and how to choose the right diamond. In conclusion, it takes a diamond expert to actually know how to look and grade a diamond, but knowing about your fours C's will help you make a good decision when selecting your diamond.

Cut

A diamond depends on its roundness, its width, and depth. The cut of a diamond has the most effect on its sparkle. If a diamond does not have the perfect cut, but have the perfect color and clarity it can make the diamond look dull. A diamond with the perfect cut (width and depth) has facets that allow the light to enter and exit in beautiful colors of the rainbow. The cut of a diamond refers not only to the number of facets and the shape of a diamond, but also to the quality.

Color

Diamonds are graded on a color scale ranging from D to Z. D being absolutely colorless and Z with the most color. The less color the diamond has the more valuable it is. Most diamonds appears colorless but in fact have slight tones of brown and yellow. Diamonds also comes in variety of different colors, such as blue, green, red, and yellow. A diamonds color is determined and compared to the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) color scale.

Clarity

Diamonds clarity is graded determined by the location, number, size, and the type of inclusions found in the diamond. Clarity is also graded on a scale ranging from FL to I3. Inclusions are known as slight imperfection. The less inclusion the diamond has the more valuable it is. The most important thing about clarity is that the inclusion should not be noticeable to the naked eye.

Carat Weight

The weight of diamonds and any gemstone is measured in carats. The more carats a diamond has the more valuable it is (not in all cases). Diamond prices rises extremely with carat weight. If some jewelry has more than one diamond it may be defined as total carat weight (TW).