Follow the easy guidelines below to help make it easy to choose the right diamond Cut: Not the shape of the stone, cut refers to how well a diamonds facets are proportioned and aligned to maximize brilliance. According to Tiffany, an excellent diamond cut might sacrifice as much as 62 percent of a stones total weight. Color: A lack of diamond color is a sign of quality, indicating fewer impurities. Diamonds lower in quality can look very faintly yellowish to a well-trained jewelers eye. Clarity: Virtually all diamonds contain minute flaws, called inclusions, that diminish diamond clarity. Those judged flawless(rated FL) show no visible inclusions under 10X magnification. Good-quality stones may also be rated IF (internally flawless with only minor surface inclusions), VVS1-VVS2 (very, very slightly included), or VS1-VS2 (very slightly included). Carat Weight: One carat weights 0.20 grams, with each carat equal to 100 points. (A 50-point diamond, for example, could also be said ...more