Diamonds Four C's 
Below you will find some information you will need to know when shopping for diamonds. A friend shared this with me and I am passing it alone.
What are the "four C's"?
The four C's are the color, carat (weight), cut of the stone and clarity. They are described below:
1. Color: Color is rated on a scale such AGS has a similar to 0-10 scale the lower the number the better, and GIA which is the alphabetical D-Z the lower the letters means less color.
D, E and F are considered "Colorless". G, H, I and J are "near colorless". K, L and M are faint yellow or "top silver" and N to Z are very light or light yellow. Z+ grades are considered "fancy yellow". Most stones you will find will be in the E-F to the J-K range.
2. Carat: This is the weight or ponts of the stone. There are 100 points to a carat. A 50 point stone is .50 carat. "Carats" represent the weight and not the physical size of the stone. The corresponding gradings are listed below:
3. Clarity: Use a ratings scale such as this:
| GIA | AGS |
| FL | 0 ......Flawless |
| IF | 1 ......Internally Flawless |
| VVS1 | 1 ......Very, Very slightly included |
| VVS2 | 2 ......" " to a less perfect degree |
| VS1 | 3 ......Very slightly included |
| VS2 | 4 ......" " to a less perfect degree |
| SI1 | 5 ......Slightly included |
| SI2 | 6 ......" " to a less perfect degree |
| I1 | 7-8 .....Included |
| I2 | 8-9 ....." " to a less perfect degree |
| I3 | 9-10 ....Severely Included |
Inclusions are imperfections within the stone. Ratings from VVS1 to SI2 represent inclusions that are not visible with the naked eye. Inclusions range from bits of carbon (black spots) to slight cracks (white "feathers" within the stone).
4. Cut: All diamonds are cut, when cutting a stone all dimensions are given as a percentage of the width at the girdle. This allows cuts to be numerically similar for different sized stones. There are a few accepted ideal cuts, which have all of the proportions within a few percentage points of a optimum mathematical model. The optimum model provides the most brilliant reflection of light through the top of the stone.
| 
