Asscher	Cushion	Emerald	Heart	Marquise	Oval
Pear	Princess	Radiant	Round	Trilliant

Colorless diamonds are the most highly valued and are priced accordingly. For value, choose a colorless or near-colorless diamond that has no noticeable color.

The clarity of a diamond refers to how clear, or "clean" the diamond is. The more "clean" the diamond, the higher the price. Most diamonds have "imperfections" in them. The clarity scale is a measure of the severity of those imperfections or "inclusions" as it is known in the trade.

The size of a diamond has the biggest impact on its price. The metric carat, which equals 0.20 gram, is the standard unit of weight for diamonds and most other gems. If other factors are equal, the more a stone weighs, the more valuable it will be.

Do you remember the first diamond you ever saw? It was probably on your mother's ring finger. It sparkled and shimmered with a rainbow of colors much like a stained glass window. The fire of the diamond was what attracted your eye. Diamonds have a mysterious beauty which is wondrously revealed by the human touch of a diamond cutter.

Cut, the often misunderstood and forgotten "C" is what makes a diamond truly memorable. All other "C's" being equal, it is the cut that makes the difference when comparing stone to stone. For hundreds of years, various attempts have been made to try and make a diamond sparkle more. Cutters have tried more facets, fancy shaped facets, larger facets, smaller facets, - the list is endless.

What is the consensus among all of these attempts to improve the brilliance of a diamond? That the best cut diamond can have - the one that will make the diamond the most brilliant - is the one discovered by Marcel Tolkowsky way back in 1898. Tolkowsky's proportions still serve as the standard for the round brilliant cut. Other cuts have come and gone and will continue to do so, but the Tolkowsky cut is still the most revered. Perle Jewelers has a tremendous collection of Tolkowsky ideal cut
diamonds.