The commercial asks "How else can two months salary last forever?" Think about it. If you are going to invest in "forever" you should know, at least, a little bit about what you're getting into. Here is a brief summary of the 4C's of diamonds - cut, clarity, color, and carat weight.

CUT

The cut of a diamond gives it a unique sparkle and brillance by allowing light to enter and reflect out of the top again. Cut does not refer to shape, but rather the way the facets, or flat surfaces, are angled. The better the cut, the more brillance.

CLARITY

Clarity is a measure of a diamond's purity. Every diamond has internal inclusions, or birthmarks, that affect its brillance and value. Inclusions are not flaws; they simply become part of the diamond during it formation, contributing to its uniqueness. The fewer and smaller the inclusions, the more rare and valuable the diamond.

Clarity Grading Scale:

F: No blemishes or inclusions when viewed under 10X magnification.
IF: No inclusions and only insignificant surface blemishes under 10X.
VVS1 and VVS2: Minute inclusions that are difficult to see under 10X.
VS1 and VS2: Minor inclusions ranging from difficult to somewhat easy to see, face up, under 10X.
SI1 and SI2: Noticeable inclusions that are easy (SI1) or very easy (SI2) to see under 10X. Clean, face up to the unaided eye.
I1,I2 and I3: Obvious inclusions that are usually visible, face up, to the unaided eye. Distinctions are based on the combined effect of durability, transparency, and brilliance.

COLOR

To the naked eye, most diamonds appear colorless, but there are many subtle shade differences. When it comes to color in diamonds, the general rule is that close to no color is most rare. A single change in color grade can significantly affect a diamond's value. Diamonds with more color or yellowish tinges - due to traces of nitrogen - are usually priced lower.

Diamonds also come out of the ground in vivid "fancy" colors, including a vivid green color, blue (like the world-famous Hope Diamond), pink and red. Fancy colored diamonds are extremely rare.

Color Grade Scale:

D,E,F represent the colorless range. In a white color tray the diamond should appear colorless
G,H,I, J represent the near colorless range. In a white color tray the diamond will appear colorless with very light traces of a yellowish tint.
K,L,M represents the faint yellow range. In a white color tray the diamond should have a light yellowish tint.
N,O, P,Q,R represents the very, light yellow grades. In a white color tray the diamond will have a yellowish tint.
S,T,U,V,W this light yellow range will be progressively yellower still.
Beyond the Z range colors enter the fancy range including the rare canary yellows and other colored diamonds.

CARAT WEIGHT

A carat is the universal measure of weight for a diamond. It's the easiest of the 4C's to determine, but two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values, because the quality of the diamond is based upon the color, cut and clarity. However, if all of these characteristics are equal, then the larger the diamond, the more valuable it is.