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Knowing and understanding the "Four C's"
Though jewelry is often utilized as a basic accessory, jewelry admirers ultimately wear jewelry to characterize and define personal style. These days, there are a plethora of different jewelry styles and collections to suit any budget and discriminating preference. But, regardless if your budget is big or small, value for your dollar remains a huge consideration for everyone...particularly in the way of diamonds!

So, one thing you know is that you know what you like. Unfortunately, like most people, you may not know much else about diamonds. Before you can decide on which diamond to give your significant other, it's important for you to become familiar with the general terms. There are several factors to consider when in the market to purchase a diamond. While your personal preference always prevails, it's important to understand the logistics of diamond selection in terms of getting the most value for your budget.


CARAT
One of the most popular terms in diamond chatter is "Carat". In simple terms, a carat is equal to 200 milligrams. Beyond that, carats are broken down into "points" and there are 100 points in a carat. You may have been to your local jeweler and heard him or her refer to a diamond as a "25 pointer", which is technically a quarter carat stone. It's just an alternative way of referring to the size of a stone. You'll notice that price raises relative to the size of the diamond.


COLOR
Another defining characteristic of diamonds is their color...which is actually measured by the absence of color. While the purest and more desirable (not to mention the more expensive) diamonds are colorless, diamonds range from one end of the color spectrum to the other. Color will depict a stone's brilliance because colorless diamonds allow light to be more effectively absorbed and reflected, giving off a brilliance surpassing any other stone. Essentially, the farther they deviate from snowy white, the less desirable the diamond. Grading a stone's color takes a very detailed knowledge of diamonds and is best performed by viewing the stone in either natural lighting conditions or against a white surface. From the jeweler's determination of the stone color, the diamond is graded with a letter. A diamond lacking color in any condition is graded 'D'. Color grading extends through the alphabet, with every letter designating a more yellowish tine tint.

CUT
The cut of a diamond is commonly referred to the the shape of the stone (and several of those are pictured below), but it is technically how the diamond was "cut" and the cut directly affects the brilliance of the diamond. Coupled with determining the color and clarity, the cut of the diamond is another extremely important factor in determining the value of a stone.




CLARITY
Just as important as color, clarity provides a distinct idea of a stone's value and defines its purity. Much of a diamond's clarity is dependent on the natural environment from which it evolved. These irregularities lead to a less valuable stone and an overall degradation in sparkle. Most diamonds include flaws called inclusions. You'll rarely, if ever, see a diamond that is flawless.

Each of the above components affect just how much you'll spend. Once you're budget is set, determine what your priority is in terms of size vs. quality. Hopefully you won't have to sacrifice either!

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