Carat is a unit of measurement for weighing diamonds. The more carat weight a diamond has, it will be rarer and more expensive. 1 Carat = 0.2 grams or 0.007 ounce.

There are many gemologists that believe the quality of the cut is the most important diamond characteristic. This is because even if a diamond has perfect color and clarity, a dimaond with a poor cut will have reduced brilliance. Some people confuse cut with shape. Cut refers to the quality of the proportioning, polish, and symmetry of a diamond.

• Diameter: The width of the diamond as measured through the girdle
• Table: The flat top and largest facet of a gemstone
• Cown: The top portion of a diamond extending from the girdle to the table
• Pavilion: The bottom portion of a diamond, extending from girdle to the point of the stone
• Culet: The facet at the tip of a gemstone. The preferred culet is not visible with the unaided eye (Graded "medium" or "none")
• Depth: The height of a gemstone measured from the culet to the table

Diamonds with no color like D, E, F, are very rare and are more expensive than near-colorless (G, H, I, J) diamonds. Stones with a faint tinge of color (K, L, M, N, O) are more affordable. For those who want a larger diamond within a certain budget, selecting diamonds with a lower color grade may be the best option.

The clarity of a diamond refers to how free a diamond is from any birthmarks or generally microscopic imperfects that make each diamond unique. Clarity grades are based on what can be detected with ten-power mangnification. Most internal features (inclusions) and external features (blemishes) in the diamond have little or no effect on brilliance and fire.

A report is a diamond certificate from an unbiased diamond grading organization, such as GIA, or the Gemological Institute of America, that describes in great detail all the specifications of a specified stone. THese organizations scrutinize over each diamond and perform many hours of testing to make sure that the diamond evaluation is absolutely pricise. It will include in it the diamond's dimensions, cut, clarity, color, carat weight, polish, symmetry and more.