The very first stones that were found were mined in India and Africa well over two thousand years ago. As you can imagine, all the stones we find today are really old. Most of all diamonds are 900 million years old or more with the oldest diamond known being over three billion years old. No diamond will ever be identical they are all different and no two diamonds will ever be the same they have inherent flaws that, like fingerprints make them unique.

There are numerous things that one needs to keep in mind when trying to buy a precious stone. Everywhere around the world jewelers use the 4 C's to determine and present the value of a diamond. If you are going to buy diamonds then you need to learn about the 4 C's and know what they are and how they work.

The first "C" stands for the cut of a diamond, which is how well the stone cutter cut the diamond and made it shine and sparkle as light passes through it. A well cut stone will be worth a high price but a less quality with less shine and color to it will be of far less value.

The second "C" is the clarity of a stone, which is how clear the stone is when looked through. Even though flawless stones are almost never seen in a lifetime others have maybe seen one but there are only few flawless stones most have flaws and inclusions within the stone itself. Just look for cloudiness, dark spots and other irregular things in a diamond that would not make it perfect.

The "C" that many are familiar with is carat! This refers to the weight and consequently the size of the stone. A bigger diamond is always going to cost more even if the smaller one may weigh more and look heavier. A single carat stone will be more of value then a bunch of little stones equaling that weight. This is because bigger stones are harder to find and are going to be priced higher than smaller stones.

Whatever color you may want is a matter of personal choice to you but color is the 4th "C" that is considered when deciding the value. The most valuable stones are indeed the regular white diamonds and the larger the more value they will hold. Every diamond comes in a different color or shade and many other shapes as well.

Other than knowing the 4cs you will need to learn about the certificates of authenticity. This is given out to a real stone and it either is flawless or has few flaws. If your jeweler does not want to give you one of these then it is obviously not real and is low in value.