When deciding on a diamond ring the primary consideration should be the cut. The rating of a diamond's cut will determine the best bargain, when you are looking at two comparatively priced diamonds. The ability of a diamond to reflect and refract light, making it sparkle, is determined by the precision of every cut in the diamond.

A poorly cut diamond, which is one cut too deeply or too shallow, will allow light to escape through the opposite side or through the bottom of the diamond before it can reflect the light back to the surface. Allowing light to bounce off all sides without escaping is a end result of a diamond being well-cut and displaying the correct number of facets and angles in the correct proportions.

When people talk about something having a 'good' color, they normally think about bold, and vivid ones, but this is not true with diamond rings. With diamond rings, it is the colorless stones that are the most valuable and the least common. The opposite end of the spectrum is home to the more ordinary and inexpensive known as yellow diamonds.

The clarity, or inner characteristics of a diamond, can only be established with a jeweler's microscope. Flaws within a diamond and known as inclusions include specks, ripples and indentations. A diamond that has less inclusions will be more expensive, but, if you choose a stone with a good color and cut, a slightly included stone will look just as attractive as a diamond that has no imperfections at all.

Diamond weight is calculated in points and carats, with 100 points making up a carat. Diamond prices for a bunch of smaller diamonds equaling one carat, will be much less than the price of a single stone weighing one carat. Knowing the 'per carat cost' of a diamond will allow you to know the actual diamond price, however, it is important to bear in mind that that even though large diamonds with a high carat weight are impressive in size. The clarity, cut, and color of a diamond will have to be analyzed in order to determine a diamond's actual value, with a large carat weight being of secondary concern.