CARAT : A diamond's weight is expressed in carats, but since most diamonds weigh less than one carat, a carat has been broken down into points, with one carat being made up of one hundred points, much as a dollar is equivalent to one hundred cents. So a diamond that is exactly one-half carat weighs fifty points. Remember that because of rarity, a one carat diamond will cost more than twice as much as a one-half carat diamond of comparable quality. Buying a diamond based upon weight alone is a big mistake. Often you'll end up with the lowest quality instead of the best value. The diagram to the right shows the relative size of various carat weights.

CLARITY : Clarity refers to the presence of inclusions in a diamond. No two diamonds will have the same inclusions. A diamond's clarity grade will depend on the number, size and location of its inclusions. Keep in mind that diamonds varying from the flawless grade down to the SI2 grade will appear identical even to the expert's eye without the aid of magnification. It is only when the clarity grade drops to the I1 grade that the inclusions become apparent to the unaided eye.

COLOR : Refers to the degree to which a diamond is colorless.  Color refers to the body color of a diamond, and is not to be confused with a diamond's dispersion of light into the spectral colors. Diamonds vary from colorless to those with a yellowish, or even brownish body color. After being mounted, most people seem to begin to notice a diamond's color at the K color grade. A diamond's color grade is completely independent of its clarity a flawless diamond can be yellow, while an imperfect diamond can be colorless. This color chart represents the color grades of a diamond. This color chart is representative of the color grades of a diamond.

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Colorless

Near Colorless

Faint Yellow

Very Light Yellow

Light Yellow

Yellow

CUT : Cut refers to the angles and proportions to which a diamond has been fashioned. The way a diamond is cut will determine how much sparkle and brilliance it will possess. A diamond has facets that allow light to enter it, reflect within the diamond and refract out in a rainbow of colors. An ideal cut diamond does that the best, with a minimum of light leaking out the bottom of the diamond. Diamonds of comparable weight, clarity, and color can vary up to 35% in value because of cut.