Diamond Carat: A diamond's weight is measured in what is known as a carat, which is a small unit of measurement equal to 200 milligrams. The carat weight of a diamond is an extremely important determining factor in its value, however, it is not the only factor that determines a diamond's value. In other words, bigger does not necessarily mean better. All four Cs - Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight must be balanced in order to arrive at a diamond that fits your budget. None of the 4Cs is mutually exclusive, nor is any one more important than the others.

A million diamonds must be mined to produce a single one-carat, polished diamond. During the cutting process, a diamond will loose 40 to 60 percent of its original size.

Diamond Shape: Any diamond shape other than a round-cut is called fancy. To many diamond lovers, fancy-shape stones are a breath of fresh air. Compared to round-cuts, fancy-shape diamonds retain more weight in the cutting and polishing processes. In determining which shapes to cut, diamond cutters consider market demand and the characteristics of each diamond in the rough