Bassali Ethiopian Opal Pendant

There is a lot to consider when choosing a diamond, with each decision impacting the diamond's sparkle, size and price. At Barsky Diamonds, we subscribe to GIA's 4C philosophy. The 4C's stand for:

Cut: It's important to know that "cut" doesn't mean shape. The cut refers to the reflective quality of the diamond, sometimes called "fire", "sparkle" or "brilliance" by the GIA. Typically cuts are represented as "Excellent", "Very Good" and "Good".

Clarity: Clarity represents the imperfections or blemishes in or on the diamond. Most flaws aren't visible to the naked eye and diamonds with the smallest imperfections achieve the highest scores. Below are the scores you'll see for diamonds:

• FL, IF = Flawless and Internally Flawless – these diamonds are exceedingly rare and would command high prices
• VVS1, VVS2 = Very Very Slightly Included – this type of imperfection is very difficult to see unless magnified at least 10x
• VS1, VS2 = Very Slightly Included – not usually visible to the untrained eye
• SI1, SI2 = Slightly Included – these imperfections are visible under 10x magnification
• I1, I2, I3 = Included – these diamonds have imperfections which are visible to the eye. Barsky Diamonds does not sell or stock these diamonds.

Color: The color of a diamond determines its whiteness. Jeweler’s grade diamonds on a scale from D to Z with D being the highest possible color rating. Diamonds which are rated from D to I will show virtually no color to the untrained eye. Diamonds that are rated from J to M will have a very faint tinge of yellow to them.

Carat Weight: The carat of the diamond simply refers to its weight. One carat is equal to 2.0 grams. One carat is also made up of 100 points so if you want to purchase a ½ carat diamond then you would look for one with 50 points.