A carat is a unit of measurement for the weight of a diamond. One carat is equivalent to 200 mg, or 0.2 grams, also known as 100 points. Since larger diamonds are harder to find than small, goes the price of diamonds with respect to their carat weight up exponentially.

The purity indicates how free from inclusions and external brands the diamond is. The inclusions usually consist of foreign mineral crystals and small cracks or fractures. On the surface of the diamond, one can find small areas from the raw crystal is called "naturals" but even small voids or scratches.

Diamond's proportions and symmetry are the factors that are most important for the stone's brilliance. The brilliance is the play of light that occurs as a result of internal reflection of the diamond. Dispersion is the stone's ability to break up the light into rainbow colors.

The color scheme of white diamonds starting from completely "colorless" diamonds, those expensive, to the pale yellow diamonds.

The color of a diamond highlights from chemical impurities in its composition. The whiter, colorless diamond will reflect more light because all light is reflected back from the stone.