ENDURING: One of the most precious objects in the world, diamonds have a rich and amazing history. At the center of some of the greatest love stories ever told, there is a tale behind every diamond. Found in their rough form, diamonds are cut, shaped and polished by experts who go through a vigorous training process in order to handle such fine stones with the greatest of care and precision.

SHAPES AND CUTTING: Generally speaking, there are eight principle diamond shapes for jewelry: Round, Princess, Marquise, Pear, Emerald, Radiant, Asscher, Cushion. (See these diamonds)

Cut and cutting style work in harmony to create a diamond's brilliance. Cutting style is categorized into three basic types: step-cut, brilliant-cut and mixed-cut. The difference between these three types is the number of facets in each cut. A facet is an edge that is cut into a diamond. A 58-faceted diamond with have 58 edges or planes cut and polished into it.

THE 4 C's: CUT, COLOR, CARAT, CLARITY: The 4Cs are used throughout the world to classify the rarity of diamonds. Diamonds, with the combination of the highest 4C ratings are more rare and also more expensive. Light is the element that ignites a diamond's brilliance and fire. Its interplay with each of the 4Cs will help explain why one diamond can appear even more amazing than another. There's no need to buy the rarest diamond, just find one whose beauty speaks to you.

CUT: Refers to the angles and proportions a skilled craftsman creates in transforming a rough diamond into a polished diamond. Based on scientific formulas, a well-cut diamond will internally reflect light from one mirror-like facet to another and disperse and reflect the light through the top of the stone.

COLOR: Diamonds are found in almost every color of the rainbow, but white colored diamonds remain most popular. Diamonds are graded on a color scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) which ranges from D (colorless) to Z.

CARAT: Carat is often confused with size even though it is actually a measure of weight. Sometimes, you might think a larger diamond appears more brilliant than a smaller one. This is because light must travel a greater distance through a larger diamond. The result is a prism effect that your eye registers as more brilliance and fire.

CLARITY: When light enters a diamond, it is reflected and refracted out. If anything disrupts the flow of light in the diamond, such as an inclusion, a proportion of light will be lost. As a result, brilliance could be diminished.