Carat Weight:

Everyone wants to know, how big is the diamond, this is the carat weight of a diamond. Here is an image to give you an idea of the difference between diamonds of various carat weights. (these images are relative, actual sizes may vary)

Clarity:

Clarity refers to the number and size of tiny inclusions, scratches, minerals, or crystals that are found inside a natural diamond. Almost every diamond will have some amount of inclusions within the diamond, many of which are microscopic and can only be seen with a microscope. It is important to note that all BrookCurtis Loose Diamonds are come with a diamond certificate to ensure the clarity grade of your diamond. Here is information on what types of clarity grades a diamond will have:

FL, IF Diamonds: Flawless: No internal or external flaws. Internally Flawless: No internal flaws. Very rare and beautiful diamonds.

VVS1, VVS2 Diamonds: Very, Very Slightly Included: Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. An excellent quality diamond.

VS1, VS2 Diamonds: Very Slightly Included: Inclusions are not typically visible to the unaided eye. Less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.

SI1, SI2 Diamonds: Slightly Included: Inclusions are visible under 10x magnification, and may be visible with the unaided eye. A good diamond value.

I1, I2, I3 Diamonds: Included: These diamonds may have inclusions that are visible to the naked eye without 10x magnification.

Color:

The color of a diamond refers to amount of yellow or brownish hues that can be seen in a diamond. Typically, diamonds graded from D through J are designated as colorless and near-colorless, the color difference between these diamonds is nearly undetectable to the unaided eye. Here is a list of the color grades a diamond can receive and how they affect price:

D: Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade, which is extremely rare.
E: Colorless. Only minute traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. A rare diamond.
F: Colorless. Slight color detected by an expert gemologist, but still considered a "colorless" grade. A high-quality diamond.
G-H: Near-colorless. Color noticeable when compared to diamonds of better grades, but these grades offer excellent value.
I-J: Near-colorless. Color slightly detectable. An excellent value.
K-Z: easily perceptble color

A word about Fluorescence: Some people seek diamonds that produce this unique effect, while others definitely avoid it. The visible effects of fluorescence grades of faint, inert, negligible, and medium, can only be detected by a trained gemologist. A fluorescence grade of strong or very strong can make a diamond with a near-colorless grade look even whiter yet in some instances give the diamond a slight hazy or oily appearance. Diamonds with a strong or very strong fluorescence are priced slightly lower than other diamonds.

What Color grade is best?

For the purist, look for a colorless diamond with a grade of D-F and a fluorescence rating of faint, inert, none, or negligible.

For an excellent value in a diamond with no noticeable color to the unaided eye, look for a near-colorless grade of G-I, and a fluorescence grade of medium or strong blue.

Or, if you'd rather not compromise on color but would like to stay on budget, choose a diamond with a good cut, SI1–SI2 clarity, and consider going with a strong fluorescence. It will still be beautiful to the unaided eye and you may prefer the unique effect of a strong fluorescence.

Cut:

The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance. There is no single measurement of a diamond that defines its cut, but rather a collection of measurements and observations that determine the relationship between a diamond's light performance, dimensions and finish.

Diameter: The width of the diamond as measured through the girdle.
Table: The largest facet of a gemstone.
Crown: The top portion of a diamond extending from the girdle to the table.
Girdle: The intersection of the crown and pavilion which defines the perimeter of the diamond.
Pavilion: The bottom portion of a diamond, extending from the girdle to the culet.
Culet: The facet at the tip of a gemstone. The preferred culet is not visible with the unaided eye (graded "none" or "small").
Depth: The height of a gemstone measured from the culet to the table.

Cut Grades from BrookCurtis Loose Diamonds:

Ideal cut (ID): Represents roughly the top 3% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects nearly all light that enters the diamond. An exquisite and rare cut.

Very good cut (VG): Represents roughly the top 15% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects nearly as much light as the ideal cut, but for a lower price.

Good cut (G): Represents roughly the top 25% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects most light that enters. Much less expensive than a very good cut.

Fair cut (F): Represents roughly the top 35% of diamond quality based on cut. Still a quality diamond, but a fair cut will not be as brilliant as a good cut.

Poor cut (P): This includes all diamonds that do not meet the performance standards of a fair cut. These diamonds are generally deep and narrow or shallow and wide and tend to lose most of the light out the sides and bottom.

Polish and Symmetry: Polish and symmetry are two important aspects of the cutting process. The polish grade describes the smoothness of the diamond's facets, and the symmetry grade refers to alignment of the facets. The polish and symmetry grades are clearly listed in each diamond detail page and within the GIA or AGSL diamond grading report. For the most beautiful diamond, look for a symmetry grade of excellent (EX), very good (VG), or good (G) for a GIA graded diamond, and ideal (ID), excellent (EX), very good (VG), or good (G) for an AGSL graded diamond.

Gold comes in a number of different colors offering consumers a wide choice when buying this lustrous precious metal:

Yellow Gold The most frequently seen gold type that displays a timeless color. Usually alloyed with silver and copper.

White Gold Harder than yellow gold with a bright lustrous white color, white gold is most commonly alloyed with palladium. Palladium, a rare and expensive precious metal, increases the value of white gold to above that of yellow gold.

Rose Gold Mostly alloyed with copper, this increasingly popular gold type has a striking pink to reddish hue.

Sixty times rarer than gold, platinum is only found in a few locations worldwide - Russia's Ural Mountains, South Africa's Merensky Reef, and a few small mines in the U.S. and Canada.

Platinum purity is expressed differently than gold. Instead of expressing purity in ratios of 24 parts like gold, platinum standards are expressed as units of a 1,000 parts. The most common platinum purities seen are:

950 Plat - 95 percent pure platinum.
900 Plat - 90 percent pure platinum.
850 Plat - 85 percent pure platinum.

Sterling silver is the standard for beautiful high-quality silver jewelry and other objects d'art. It is 92.5% pure silver, and is alloyed with secondary metal(s) for added strength and durability. Unlike gold, but like platinum, silver purities are expressed as units of a 1,000 parts. The most commonly seen silver purities are:

958 - 95.8 percent pure silver, known as Britannia Silver.
925 - 92.5 percent pure silver (also expressed as 92.5 and .925), known as sterling silver.