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Diamonds are a girl's best friend, as they say. So that means the particular diamond one chooses is of the essence. Whether you*re that *girl* searching for your new best friend or the significant other of a diamond-lover, you'll need to know what to look for before you make a purchase.

Pricing and Financing

Before you examine a diamond, be sure that you have the budget or financing to afford this most precious of gems. Although a *great deal* is priority when making some purchase decisions in life, the investment in an exceptional diamond is by no means one of them.

The quality of the diamond should always be paramount; cost should almost be a non-issue. Many jewelers have on-site financing for your convenience, although low or zero percent APR loans or credit cards are fine choices as well. Never pay in cash! If paying out of pocket use a debit card or other traceable finance option for your security and protection.

You may also consider paying a third-party diamond expert to analyze and appraise your diamond. Bear in mind that the ideal time to determine the quality of a diamond is before it is set into a piece of jewelry. Thus, suitable analysis*especially that of diamonds which are already set*may not be possible without access to a jewelry specialist.

Diamond Quality and the Four C*s

Due to what an asset a high-quality diamond is, you must familiarize yourself with the characteristics which set one diamond apart from another. These are known as the four C*s: Cut, Carat, Clarity, and Color. Only by examining these four factors can the value of a diamond be precisely ascertained.

The first of the four C's is the cut. This is the shape of the diamond, and will have an effect on how much sparkle and radiance it emanates. It should shine and twinkle in almost any medium to bright light, not just the special showroom lights in a jeweler's showcase.

Other important things to consider relating to cut include the stone's symmetry which is how perfectly and evenly shaped it is, and the polish which refers to a lack of any haze on the finish.

The carat is the diamond's weight. Carat weight is difficult to measure accurately in a piece of jewelry since other materials (such as gold) also contribute to the item's overall weight. This is one of the characteristics best verified by a professional diamond connoisseur. They often have special equipment to properly estimate carat weight.

A diamond's clarity is just as important as the other aspects. As you'll see next with color, diamond clarity refers to the lack of something*specifically the lack of flaws, blemishes, and other imperfections on the surface or inside of the stone. Ideally, the gem should be professionally evaluated at 10X magnification in order to establish clarity.

Finally, the color of the diamond, or more accurately put, the lack of color in a diamond is prime. The ideal diamond should essentially be clear or very pure white. Any hint of yellows, pinks, blues, or greens diminishes its value to some degree.

Now that you know what to look for, remember that the overall look of the piece is obviously one of the most key considerations of all!