Choosing a Diamond
by Karl Needan
Diamonds are a girl's best friends, they say. A diamond is the perfect token for both men and women on special occasions, an engagement, a birthday, or just because you want to. But before you go and buy the big rock, there are things you will need to know. There are four things to look out when buying diamonds commonly referred to as the four C's of diamonds. They assist you in verifying the quality and beauty of the stone as well as the value.

The cut of the diamond is what brings out the natural luster of the stone especially when set in a ring, necklace or bracelet. A popular technique nowadays is cutting the stone so that it reflects light and sparkles when viewed from many angles. This stone is bound to turn heads.

Now, examine the color of the diamond! examining hues is not a strange as it sounds. It's a good indicator, in fact of
the quality! the clearer it is, the more perfect. In fact at the right price, a considerable one at that, you can get an absolutely clear diamond! a perfect one. But tinges of color are not visible sometimes, so you can get them at much better rates.

The carat weight of the diamond refers to the size. Bigger is not necessarily better especially if you have small fingers. In fact a smaller carat diamond looks better on a small finger. If your fingers are thicker, you can go for a higher carat diamond.

Clarity, to complete the quartet, refers to the flaws that naturally exist in the diamond! they existed when the diamond was formed. Most diamonds contain flaws, but they are difficult to distinguish, unless you are highly experienced and know what to look for. But if you can find a diamond you are sure is nearly flawless, it will end up costing you an arm and a leg.

When you're choosing diamonds, you may want to factor in all of these categories in order to purchase a diamond that is just right for the recipient. If you are on a limited budget, you may want to find a diamond whose clarity and color are less than perfect in order to be able to purchase a larger carat weight. The beneficiary will be too thrilled to bother about all these details anyway. The truth worth of a diamond however, lies in its quality and not size or cut.