Diamonds are so special they can make the heart flutter. Be it for the expectations implied or for the very beauty and exquisiteness of their possession. However, purchasing a diamond can test the nerves of even the most astute buyer - what do you look for? What do the terms mean? What makes one diamond worth more than another?

Diamond Jewelry

Here is a short aide-memoir for the vital points in diamond grading. Knowing some of the terminology will assist you when you discuss with the diamond dealer exactly what you want, and this should ensure that you get the best value for your money.

When assessing the value of a diamond, the dealer will look at four principal qualities. These qualities are contained within the four aspects of cut clarity carat and color.

Gemstone Jewelry

These things are important if the diamonds are going to used for a pendant.

The CUT

When referring to the cut of a diamond there are two things to be considered. The first refers to the quality of the cut - affecting the brilliance of the diamond - the other refers to the actual shape of the diamond. Diamonds are available in many shapes.

Some of the more common are; round, oval, pear (teardrop shaped), heart, princess (square shaped), Emerald (rectangular shaped), marquise (football shaped) and round. It’s the round diamond that will radiate the most brilliance. The brilliance of the diamond is directly related to its ability to reflect light.

A quality cut diamond will have facets angled to reflect the greatest amount of light. Be cautious of a cutter who places carat weight above that of brilliance.

The CLARITY

Most diamonds, by far the majority in fact, contain flaws and scratches. A diamond without such characteristics is called flawless and is the rarest kind. While these flaws are often not visible to the naked eye, they affect the light reflecting qualities of the diamond which affects the overall brilliance.

Diamond Ring

The notation for the clarity of the diamond follows these gradings: Flawless, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, SI3, I1, I2 and I3.

The CARAT Weight

A carat is the measure of a diamond’s weight. One carat may also be referred to as ‘100 points’. This means that a half carat would be listed as ‘50 points’ and so on.

Clearly the larger the diamond the more expensive it will be. In truth large diamonds are quite rare and therefore this has an impact upon their cost and their value. A single diamond weighing one carat will cost much more than a number of smaller diamonds weighing one carat in total.

The COLOR

An alphabetical scale from D to Z is used to rate a diamond’s color. A typical ‘white’ diamond should be as colorless as possible - a rating of ‘D’ being the rarest and most desirable. The more yellow the diamond the less its value, so when choosing a diamond go for one as white as possible or as colorless as possible which you will find in the range D to J.

‘Fancy’ diamonds (diamonds with a rating over Z) come in a variety of shades and include some famous diamonds such as the Blue Hope diamond. When purchasing a diamond it is important to remember that each of the 4 Cs are of equal importance in an appraiser’s eyes.

Inevitably there has to be compromise and therefore it is important to decide which of the four characteristics is the most important to you.

In summary - these are some of the things to remember:

• Does the supplier have a good reputation?
• Do you feel confident to buy diamonds without professional help?
• Do you want a single diamond or a bunch of loose diamonds?

When a jeweler creates eternity rings, he may not incorporate diamonds, but the knowledge is still important. In any event, any piece of diamond jewelry should be a work of art, and very special.