Decide on a budget:
First things first, when you decide to buy a piece of diamond jewelry, be it a ring, a pendant or a bracelet, decide on how much you are willing to spend on it. Or else, you may be tempted to buy a piece that may be beyond your budget. Who can resist a great collection with great design??

Next, check out the 4 C's ? Carat, Color, Clarity and Cut.

Carat: Carat is the unit by which a diamond is weighed. Each carat is divided into 100 parts called ?points?. So, a one carat diamond has 100 points and so on. Choose the number of carats that you want. Remember, the more the carats, the costlier the diamond.

Color: A perfect diamond is colorless and very expensive. However, colored diamonds a fashion statement these days. Diamonds come in several shades ? you have blue, pink, red, green, orange, purple, violet, yellow, olive, brown and even the color-changing chameleon diamonds. Generally,diamonds carry hints of two colors. there is for example an orange diamond with a hint of pink. Also, not every yellow diamond(or any othershade of colored diamond) will be same as all yellow diamonds. there can be subtle variations in shade in each color.

Clarity: All diamonds have blemishes and inclusions. These are mostly traces of non-crystallized carbon that are invisible to the naked eye. The lesser the number of imperfections, the more expensive the diamond. Since diamonds are graded under 10X magnification, you must think twice before paying a heavy price for imperfections that you can never see with your eyes.

Cut: The cut of the diamond determines its brilliance. The finer the cut, the more light it allows inside. A master craftsman cuts a large piece of stone and works on it to give it the scintillating appeal. A well cut diamond is very expensive.

Pick a shape:
Diamonds come in a variety of shapes. The round brilliant diamonds are the most popular and more than 75% diamonds are crafted in this shape. This shape offers maximum power and brilliance. You can also choose from oval, marquise, pear shaped, heart shaped, emerald cut, princess cut, trilliant, radiant cut and cushion cut diamonds. Your individual taste and your budget can help you decide on the perfect shaped diamond for your loved one.

Choose ?conflict-free? diamonds:
Diamond mining is a lucrative business. But blood or conflict diamonds from some parts of Africa have funded violence, slavery and other atrocities against people. Find out if your diamond dealer has a ?conflict-free? diamond policy before you buy your diamond jewelry.

Buy your diamond at the right place:
Research your jeweler before you decide to go ahead and buy your diamond jewelry. It is better to buy from a trusted, reputed and experienced jeweler who has been in the diamond business for a few generations. Diamond jewelry is an expensive investment and be sure to buy from someone who knows what she/he is selling. That way, you can be sure you've got a brilliant, sparkling stone that will shine bright for many, many years.