Color

A perfect diamond is nearly colorless. However, diamonds are found in a range of colors. the Gemological Institute of America has developed a grading system for color. It ranges from D-Z. The further away from the letter D, the more yellow the diamond.

Cut

Shallow Cut	Excellent Cut	Deep Cut

A well-cut diamond will be symmetrical in Table size, Crown angle, Pavilion depth, Total depth and Griddle thickness. The closer the diamond is to perfect symmetry, the more valuable the diamond.

How a diamond has been cut, polished, and to what proportions and symmetry, are of utmost importance since these factors determine the life, brilliance and dispersion of the diamond. If these cutting factors fall below standard, the appearance of the diamond will be adversely affected.

Carats

Carat:
	0.02	0.25	0.30	0.40	0.50	0.70	0.90
Carat:
	1.00	1.25	1.50	1.75	2.00	2.50	3.00

This might be the most obvious of the four C's. The larger the diamond, the greater it's weight. A carat is .2 grams. Typically, the bigger the carat the bigger the price tag.

Clarity

Internally Flawless	Very Very Slightly Included		Very Slightly Included
Free from internal blemishes visible under 10X magnification (small external details tolerated).	Inclusions and/or external blemishes very difficult to locate under 10x magnification		Inclusions and external blemishes difficult to locate under 10x magnification.
Slightly Included	Imperfect	Imperfect	Imperfect
Inclusions and external blemishes easy to locate under 10x magnification.	Inclusions and external blemishes hard to locate with naked eye.	Inclusions and external blemishes easy to locate with naked eye.	Heavy inclusions very easy to locate with the naked eye.

Clarity literally means "clearness" and refers to a diamond's ability to allow light to pass through without obstruction. The Gemological Institute of America uses a scale for determining clarity ranging from flawless to imperfections seen with the naked eye.