This article was generated to help you select the shape and quality of diamond you are looking for whether you're choosing a diamond for the perfect engagement ring, anniversary gift such as earrings, diamond pendant, diamond bracelet, diamond necklace or just to express the love that it will symbolize.

 
Diamonds, rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets and necklaces can be found in a range of prices. In establishing the price of a diamond, diamond suppliers take into account a diamond’s shape, color, clarity, cut and carat weight. There are no laws that regulate how diamonds are graded. This combined with the other aforementioned characteristics often results in subjective diamond pricing. For that reason the potential buyer needs to prioritize each of the aforementioned characteristics when considering a diamond.
 
Shape
 
Diamonds come in several different shapes. Determine the shape you desire. The major shapes are round, princess, emerald, radiant, asscher, oval, marquise, heart, pear and cushion.
 
While each shape has its own style, these shapes have become traditional and for good reason, they are absolutely stunning and show the highest reflective attributes of a diamond. You may hear of ‘fancy-shaped’ diamonds, this refers to all diamond shapes other than round or round brilliant.
 
The first step in selecting a diamond is to select one of these shapes. This is strictly dependent upon personal preference. It is important not to confuse diamond shape with diamond cut.
 
Cut
 
The sparkle of a diamond is often called the 'fire' because of the colorful bursts of light that refract from a cut diamond’s facets. Cut refers to the angles and proportions of a diamond. A well-cut diamond that was cut using scientific formulas will internally reflect light from one mirror like facet to another and disperse and reflect it through the top of the diamond (‘fire’). A diamond that is cut too shallow with respect to its width will allow too much light to pass straight through the diamond, causing the diamond to lose fire and brilliance. Conversely, a diamond that is cut to deeply will allow light to escape from the sides of the diamond, making it to also appear dark and dull.
 
Diamond cut is identified as Ideal, Premium, Good and Fair.
 
An Ideal cut is rare. It reflects nearly all light that enters the diamond and creates the maximum fire and brilliance. A Premium cut reflects almost as much light as the Ideal cut, but for a lower price.
 
A good cut reflects most light that enters the diamond, but not as much as the Premium cut diamond. This cut is less expensive than the Premium cut.
 
A Fair cut diamond is not as brilliant as a good cut diamonds but still is a good quality diamond. This cut is the least expensive of the three types of cut.
 
Color
 
Although a diamond is primarily composed of carbon, a diamond usually includes traces of other elements. The presences of these elements, during the diamonds formation give the diamond its color. Often, color variations are extremely subtle and can go unnoticed by the untrained eye. Diamond color is identified using the capital letters D through Z. Diamond color has a significant impact on its value.
 
D-F:    Diamond Colorless; D is absolutely colorless, the highest color grade, which is extremely rare. E has minimal traces of color that can only be detected by an expert gemologist. F has slight color, which can only be detected by an expert gemologist, but still considered a “colorless” grade.
 
G-K:    Diamond Near Colorless; G-I has noticeable color when compared to diamonds of better grades, but these grades offer excellent value. J-K color is slightly detectable.
 
L-N:    Diamond has Noticeable-Color; Color is noticeable to the untrained eye.
 
0-S:    Diamond has Noticeable-Color; Color is more pronounced than the color of diamonds in the L-N category.
 
T-Z:    Diamond has Noticeable color; Color is pronounced and highly visible to the naked eye. 
 
Carat
 
The last of the 4C's, carat weight, is the easiest to understand. A Carat Weight is the unit of measure, which the jewelry industry uses to weigh diamonds. One carat equals 1/5 of one gram and is divided into 100 points. So, when you discuss a 3/4 stone you could say that it weights .75 carat, or 75 points. Do not buy into the belief that the larger carat weight is the more valuable the diamond.
 
Clarity
 
When gemologists inspect diamonds for overall quality, they must painstakingly determine the clarity of the diamond. A clarity profile determines the unique characteristics of each diamond, much like a fingerprint. These distinguishing marks are called "inclusions", which develop during a diamond's formation. Gemologists put diamonds into one of the following classifications based on their inspection:
 
FL: Diamond is Flawless; No internal Flaws: Very rare and very expensive.

IF : Diamond is Internally Flawless; No internal flaws. Also diamond is very rare and very expensive.

VVS1-VVS2: Diamond is Very, Very Slightly included; Extremely difficult to see inclusions under  10x magnification. It is rare and expensive.

VS1-VS2: Diamond Very Slightly Included; Inclusions are not visible to the unaided eye. High quality.

SI1: Diamond is Slightly Included; Diamond has inclusions that visible under 10x magnification. SI2  Good quality.

I1-I2-I3: Included; Diamond contains inclusions and flaws visible to the naked eye.

Please note that while an ideal cut diamond will optimize how light is used, creating fire and brilliance inclusions can hinder how the light reflect, lessening the brilliance and prismatic effect of color in the diamond.
 
Hopefully this article will allow you to reach the 5th "C" referred to as “CONFIDENCE” in selecting a loose diamond, diamond ring, diamond earrings, diamond bracelet, diamond pendant or a watch with diamonds. Good luck and may you find the perfect diamond selection for the occasion.