Color is a measure of how white a diamond is. Although diamonds can rarely have other colors, the vast majority are on a spectrum from white to yellow.

Color grades start at D and go all the way to Z, although most "gem grade" diamonds sold for jewelry range from D-J.

The difference between two neighboring colors is minimal. The general rule of thumb is that you need to jump two steps to really notice the difference.

Because of diamond's optical characteristics and bright appearance, the effect of a little color isn't as unsighly as you might think. Plus, the amount of color in most gem grade stones is very slight.

Grades D, E, and F are considered Colorless, with G, H, I, and J considered Near-Colorless.

As always, let you eye be your guide. But, don't be afraid to consider lower colors if they can allow you to get more size or other characteristics you prefer more.

Clarity is a grade assigned by examining the diamond at 10x magnification and mapping the size, type, and location of any inclusions. The scale for this one isn't as straightforward as color, so here is a handy list:

Within the sub-grades, higher numbers are better, so VS1 is better than VS2. Some certs may also have an SI3 grade, but we don't carry those certs and we don't really think you should worry about or consider it.

The sweet spot is VS, it's the right combination of a clean look and reasonable price. VVS is great, and if the stone and price are right, you can't go wrong, but it's not really necessary to limit yourself to that high of a clarity grade.

Most VS stones are great, there are still some things to look out for. VS2, in particular, can still have unsightly black inclusions visible to the naked eye that you might want to avoid. Once you move down to SI, you have to be even more careful. There are clean SI quality stones, it just takes more effort to find them.

When we pick diamonds, regardless of the clarity grade, we are looking for the cream of the crop. Clean stones with no eye visible inclusions, and then some. We want the stone to look clean even under a loupe.

You really need to see the stone to judge clarity. The grade and diagram present on a cert can help you start the search, but viewing the stone under a loupe gives the full story.

Carat weight is the diamonds weight, plain and simple. It also directly affects the diamonds price in a big way. The prices don't scale linearly, a 2.00ct diamond will be much more than double the price of 1.00ct stone.

Larger carat size means a bigger looking diamond. But, since this is a measure of a diamonds weight, it's not the only factor in a diamond's spread or length & width. Depending on the way the diamond is cut, the depth, and the shape, sometimes the spread of the stone can be a bit different than what you might expect from the weight.

Even though carat size is a nice and tidy number, you get the best idea of what this means when you look at diamonds in person. Things look a lot different blown up in a magnified image on a screen than they do in real life.

At the end of the day, carat weights large effect on price means it will be an important element to dial in to find your perfect stone.

Cost is pretty obvious. The type of diamond you get and it's various grades are all part of an equation, and the most important variable is your budget.

The good part is that you get to decide exactly how much you want to spend, and then you can play with the other factors to find a diamond that will really shine. We always work with our customers budget, and we work hard to find the best diamond for you, based on the specific request and budget.

Certificates are important because they confirm the autheticity and quality of the stone.

For Natural diamonds, GIA is the gold standard. You don't need to look anywhere else.

For Lab Grown diamonds, GIA certs are also available, but you can also consider GCAL or IGI.

Regardless of the certificate, diamonds are meant to be seen, so don't buy a stone without having a look at it first. The certificate can say all the right things, but the diamond should speak for itself.

The certificate is important to ensure you are getting a legitimate diamond and that everything is on the up and up.