Buying a diamond ring can be a huge investment and you want to get one with the perfect diamond in it, so you may be intimidated if you are a first time buyer. What do you look for? Is more expensive always the better choice for your diamond ring? The quality of the diamond in the diamond ring will make the difference in the luster and look of the ring. Jewelers have come up with a system of 4 Cs (Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat) to help people understand the different aspects of diamond quality. Before you go ring shopping you should make yourself familiar with each of these factors.

Cut: This is not the shape of the diamond in the diamond ring. It actually refers to the angle at which the diamond is cut to obtain the most brilliance. Sometimes a jeweler will cut a diamond wider and flatter (shallow) in order to make the diamond look bigger. This results in the light going straight through the diamond ring rather than bouncing back to the eye. On the other hand if the diamond is cut too deep (or tall and narrow) the light will escape out the side of the diamond ring. There are a couple of non profit certification systems (GIA and AGS) which rate diamonds on a scale from Ideal to Poor. If you get a diamond ring with a Good or Very Good rating you will probably be very pleased.

Clarity: This deals with the amount of inclusions (or flaws) in the ring-the fewer the inclusions the better. Although there are a few flawless diamonds out there they are very expensive. A rating of I1-toI3 will have visible flaws on the diamond, but anything higher than that you will need magnification to see.

Color: A colorless or pure white diamond is very rare and expensive. But many jewelers cannot even tell the difference between a colorless and a nearly colorless diamond. White diamonds are rated from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). You can also buy diamonds that are other more exotic colors like pink or blue as well but you will pay more.

Carat: This is the size or weight measurement. One thing to remember is that if you drop even a .10 down in size you will save a lot of money and you wont notice the size difference. Take into account the recipients hand size when choosing.