Carat
The carat is the measure of weight, not size. It is a small unit of measure equal to 200 milligrams. ("Carat" should not be confused with "karat" gold.)  A 1 carat diamond is made up of 100 units called "points". Therefore, a 50 point diamond is a ½ carat or .50 carat.
Cut
The term "cut" refers both to the shape of a diamond and the precise arrangement of its facets. At Haniken Jewelers, you can select the shape you like best from our vast diamond collection: Round Brilliant, Princess, Marquise, Emerald, Oval, and Pear.
A diamonds quality and value are based more on its brilliance and beauty than its size. The term "brilliance" refers to the total amount of light reflected back to the eye from both the interior and exterior surfaces of the stone. Brilliance depends upon a diamonds transparency, facet angles, proportions, and polish.
Color
Color is a major determinant of a diamonds rarity, and therefore its value. At Haniken Jewelers, we use the Gemological Institute of Americas color scale, which measures the amount of body color visible in the diamond when viewed through the pavilion of the stone. Color is classified by letters, ranging from "D" (colorless) to "Z" (fairly yellow).

Colorless: (classified D, E and F) This is the rarest and most sought after "color" for a diamond. There is approximately a 10% to 40% price difference between a D and E graded stones, depending on other factors.

Near Colorless: (classified G, H, I and J) These gems "face-up" colorless, meaning that slight traces of color in mounted gems are visible only to the trained eye.

Faint Yellow: (classified K, L and M) If small, these gems "face-up" nearly   colorless when mounted. Larger gems appear tinted.

Yellow tint: mounted gems rated N through Z will display a yellowish tint even to the untrained eye.

Clarity
Viewed through a jewelers 10-power magnifier (called a "loupe"), most diamonds reveal small natural inclusions (internal) and blemishes (external). The GIA has established a universally accepted grading system, which is based on a scale ranging from "flawless" to "imperfect".

Flawless: completely free from all inclusions and blemishes at 10 times magnification.
Internally Flawless: same as flawless, but with only insignificant surface blemishes.
VVS1 and VVS2 (very very slight inclusions): minute inclusions, ranging from extremely difficult to quite difficult to see.
VS1 and VS2 (very slight inclusions): minor inclusions, ranging from difficult to somewhat easily seen face up at 10 times magnification.
SI1 (slight inclusions-first degree): when a trained eye views the stone at 10 times magnification, inclusions are fairly easy to see.
SI2 (slight inclusions-second degree): when a trained eye views the stone at 10 times magnification, inclusions are quite easy to see.
I1 (imperfect or included-first degree): inclusions are easy to see when viewed at 10 times magnification, and are generally visible to the naked eye when viewed through the top of the stone.
I2 (imperfect or included-second degree): inclusions are easily visible to the naked eye.
I3 (imperfect or included-third degree): prominent inclusions and/or surface characteristics are extremely easy to see with the unaided eye, and may affect durability.

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