Four Things to Check When Choosing a Diamond

When you compare two diamond pieces, you are comparing four things: cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. Knowing them is enough to understand why two stones that look alike are priced differently. Cut matters most, because it decides how light bounces inside the stone. A well-cut diamond sparkles more than a larger one cut carelessly. Colour is graded in letters from D, pure white, downwards; G and H look completely white to the eye in a white gold setting. Clarity describes the tiny inclusions inside a stone, and VS means they can only be seen under a loupe. Weight is measured in carats, one fifth of a gram. On bracelets and rings with many stones, the weight given is the total for all of them, so read it that way.