Diamonds are Gal's best friend

Learn the 4Cs -Which diamond is right for you?

Cut - The cut determines its brilliance (how sparkly it is!).

Clarity - The degree to which the diamond is free from internal flaws. This is what determines the price.

Gems with no inclusions, or superficial blemishes, are called flawless (FL) or internally flawless (IF) and are extremely rare.

Most gems have a flaw of some sort. The level of flaws - their number and visibility - is graded.

V V S1 and V V S2 are grades for very, very slightly included diamonds. V V S2 diamonds have fractionally more inclusions than V V S1.

VS1 and VS2 are very slightly included gems. Diamond with a V in the clarity grade are good stones.

Diamonds graded SI1 and SI2 for slightly included and I1, I2 and I3 for included stones are stones with obvious inclusions. These are not quality stones.

Colour - When used in relation to white diamonds, the more colourless the stone the better the quality.

The colour grading scale begins with D, the best colourless stone, and ends with Z. Good stones range from D through I.

A jump in grade from one letter to the next can mean a difference of thousands of dollars in the price.

If you are wondering why the scale begins with D, it is because it replaced a grading scheme with three rungs : AAA, AA and A.

Carat - The weight of the stone, which determines its size. 1 carat is about the size of a small pea.