From the Greek - Adamas - refers to it's hardness - unconquerable.  There is nothing comparable to it in hardness it is therefore nearly imperishable.
				We offer a large selection of loose diamonds in all shapes and sizes at extremely competitive prices.

Diamond Facts The quality of a Diamond is assessed in 4 ways: The 4 C's

Cut	Of all the 4C's, cut is the one most directly influenced by man.  The other three are dictated by nature.  Diamonds are cut into a number of shapes, depending on the nature of the rough stone.

	The cut or make of a diamond will dramatically influence its fire and sparkle, for it's the cutter's skill that releases its beauty.

Many people confuse cut with the shape of a diamond.  The Shape is largely a matter of personal preference and is only limited by the skill and imagination of the craftsman.  These are the six most popular shapes for diamonds of a carat or more.

Color

Although the majority of gem diamonds appear to be colorless, others can contain increasing tinges of yellow or brown, some of which are referred to as champagne diamonds.  It is a totally colorless diamond that allows white light to pass effortlessly and be dispersed as rainbows of color.  Rare stones of exceptional color - green, red, blue, pink or amber - are known as "Fancies".

	Colorless Near Colorless Faint Yellow Very Light Yellow Light Yellow

	D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

	Color grading scale from totally colorless to light yellow.  The differences between one grade and another are very subtle, as can be seen by the number of grades within any one category.

Clarity

Almost all diamonds contain minute traces of non-crystallized carbon or small non-diamond crystals.  Most are not discernible to the naked eye and require magnification to become visible.  Called inclusions, they are nature's fingerprint and make every diamond unique.  Minute inclusions neither mar its beauty nor endanger its beauty; however, the fewer they are, the rarer the stone will be.

	Carat-Weight
			As with all precious stones, the weight - and therefore the size of a diamond is expressed in carats.  The carat originated as a natural unit of weight: the seeds of a carob tree.  Diamonds were traditionally weighed against these seeds, however, the system was later standardized and one carat was fixed at 200 milligrams (1/5 of a gram).
		One carat is divided into 100 "points" so that a diamond of 25 points is described as a quarter of a carat or 0.25 carats.  Size is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond, but two diamonds of equal size can have unequal prices, depending on their quality.  And diamonds of high quality can be found in all size ranges.