THE 4C'S of DIAMOND

CARAT weight

A unit of measure equal to 1/5 of one gram (31 grams to the ounce) historically based on the weight of the carob seed. Carat measurement is broken down into "points" each equal to 1/100 of a carat.

CUT

How well or poorly a diamond is faceted, polished and proportioned. The "first look" characteristics that establish overall beauty and light reflection. The brilliant or round cut is the most popular but other exquisite cuts such as the marquise, pear, oval, emerald, heart shapes and others are also highly prized.

COLOR

The amount of body color perceived by the trained eye using proper illumination of balanced white light and "master" diamonds of predetermined color.

CLARITY

Refers collectively to the size, number, nature, color and position of internal characteristics visible to the trained eye at 10x as well as external characteristics.