CUT
The cut of a diamond has the most effect on its sparkle, or brilliance. Even if the diamond has perfect color and clarity, a poor cut can make a diamond look dull.

COLOR
Diamonds with very little color are the most highly valued and are priced accordingly. A little color can diminish a diamond's brilliance.

CLARITY
Diamonds with few flaws, or inclusions, are very rare and highly valued. Clarity is graded based on the number, location, size, and type of the inclusions found in a diamond.

CARAT WEIGHT
The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. Since larger diamonds are more rare than smaller diamonds, diamond value tends to rise exponentially with carat weight.

CERTIFICATE
The most important step in choosing a diamond is reviewing the diamond certificate, referred to by diamond grading labs as a grading report. A grading report documents the characteristics of a diamond, like the four Cs. Before purchasing a diamond, review a copy of its grading report, as this is your guarantee of quality for that diamond.