The engagement ring is an expensive commitment to your future. Buying a diamond can be daunting, but one area professionals advise to enjoy the process. It should be a happy time, not a labor. Do not allow yourself to be pressured or pushed in any way when shopping for an engagement ring. The professionals are there to assist in making a well-informed purchase. Don't be afraid to ask questions, jewelers are in the business of diamonds and rings and a good one will be happy to answer any and all of your questions when involved in the decision-making process.

Professionals emphasize the importance of the stones, most commonly the diamond, in the engagement ring. They suggest focusing on the quality of the diamond before the setting, which can always be changed at some point down the road. When searching for the perfect diamond, a good place to start is with the 'Four C's': Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat. These four items will help you in understanding what to look for in a diamond as well as what is important to you and your fianc?-to-be.

Cut: The visual beauty of a diamond is largely determined by the cutter and polisher when they transform the rough, naturally-occurring crystal into the faceted, refined gemstone seen in the jewelry store. Ideally, the best cut will reflect the maximum amount of light back to the viewer. This reflection, called brilliance, is most important in determining the value of the stone.

Cut also refers to the shape of the diamond. The most common shapes are round, princess, pear, emerald and heart. The shape of the cut contributes little to value. It is the quality of the cut that counts.

Color: To the untrained eye, the common diamond is somewhat colorless. However, most diamonds have a tinge of yellow, brown or gray. The completely colorless diamond is very rare and extremely valuable. But if a more obvious hint of yellow appeals to a couple's tastes, they get more diamond for their money. In addition to the colorless diamonds, there are rare and valuable 'fancy stones', diamonds with definite color instead of just a shade or tinge. Yellow, red, green, blue, canary and brown are some of the colors that make 'fancy stones' valuable.

Clarity: Diamonds are formed deep in the earth from a single mineral - carbon. As the carbon crystallizes into a diamond, imperfections make each crystal unique. Internal and external spots and lines form, lessening the clarity of the diamond.

A flawless diamond shows no surface blemishes (black or gray specs) or interior inclusions (tiny diamonds or other crystals trapped inside the diamond when it is formed) when examined at a 10x power magnification. Generally, the more irregularities there are, the lower the value of the diamond. However, all diamonds, except flawless diamonds, have these inclusions. Depending on the placement of the inclusions, one could still have a very high quality stone. Value is also affected by those imperfections which may interfere with light passage through the stone.

Carat: The weight of a diamond is expressed in carat fractions and points: 1 carat equals 100 points; ? carat equals 50 points, and so on.

The weight of a diamond is not the most important factor when determining its value. The three other C's mentioned above - cut, color and clarity - play a much greater role when computing a diamond price. If cut, color and clarity are equal, a 1 carat stone will be more valuable than a ? carat. But a ? carat diamond with a better cut, color or clarity can easily cost more than a 1 carat stone.

Regardless of the cut, style, size or type of gemstone you and your fianc? are interested in, the most important item to consider is Confidence. The wisest couples will choose a jeweler in which they have confidence. The reliable jeweler will speak honestly and freely about the diamond the couple wants to buy and the price they are looking to pay.