When buying a diamond, an industry rule of thumb is two month’s salary. At Kantor Diamond Company we stress purchasing what is comfortable for your budget and you can feel proud presenting. Please take a moment to read about diamond grading and rest assured a professional Kantor Diamond Company diamond broker will be happy to answer all of your questions in one of our showrooms or by phone: 1-888-CARATS-1.

A diamond’s appearance and value are determined by the Four C’s of diamond grading: Carat, Cut, Clarity and Color.

Carat Weight is the actual weight of the diamond as measured by the unit carat, abbreviated ct. One carat is the equivalent of 200 milligrams. Carat weight is most often expressed as fractions, a one half carat would be expressed as .50 carat, 1.50 ct equals 1 1/2 carats. Sometimes when a diamond is close to a certain weight, either above or below it may be referred to as heavy or light. For example, a diamond weighing .96 carat may be termed a “light” carat, conversely a .78 carat could be called a “heavy” 3/4 carat. Occasionally you may hear the term “pointer” used when describing the weight of the diamond. It is a short hand version of expressing a diamond’s weight. For example, a diamond weighing 1/10th of a carat or .10 carat would be termed a “10 pointer.” A diamond weighing .53 carat could be called a heavy 1/2 carat, a “point five-three carat” or a “53 pointer.”

Cut is not only the shape of the diamond, but how well the diamond is proportioned. The proportion of a diamond will help determine it’s brilliance. Simply put, the better the cut, the more brilliant the diamond. Generic and trademarked names exist regarding the “preferred-cut” diamonds. The greatest research on diamond brilliance relates to the round brilliant-cut diamond. A good rule of thumb here is the “60-60 rule.” If the round diamond has around a 60% total depth and a 60% table it will have “preferred proportions,” allowing for more brilliance.