When purchasing a diamond you should understand the 4C's of diamond buying: cut, color, clarity and carat weight.

1. Cut

The cut of a diamond depends on the shape of the stone and how it interacts with the light. If the stone is cut to shallow or to deep the light refracting through the diamond does not give the diamond its optimal sparkle.

2. Color:

DEF: Colorless

GHIJ: Near Colorless

KLM: Faint Yellow

NOPQR: Light Yellow

S - Z: Yellow

3. Clarity (This indicates how many and what sort of internal inclusions or external blemishes the gem has)

F - IF: Flawless, No Inclusions, Internally Flawless (IF)

VVS1 to VVS2: Very Very Small Inclusions

VS1 to VS2: Very Small Inclusions

SI1, SI2, + SI3: Small Inclusions

I1, I2, + I3: Inclusions you can see with naked eye