You have often heard the saying that diamonds are a girl's best friend and that diamonds are forever. These words reflect the awesome power that diamonds hold and their absolute attraction for jewelry buyers due to their glamour and brilliant shine, not to mention their value.

Diamonds are know for their toughness and are not stones that break, chip away or crack easily. They can of course be broken by a single blow. About 90 percent of the world's diamonds today come from the diamond mines of Africa, while rest of the diamond contribution comes from the mines of Australia, Canada, Russian and South America.

Before you go out to buy diamond jewelry, you need to be aware of the four C's of diamond jewelry evaluation. The four C's stand for the diamond's cut, color, clarity and carat weight.

A diamond's cut informs about the level of light reflected by the diamond, it' dimension as well as its finish.

When looking for a diamond, check to see that it is colorless, as a diamond with colors is not considered of high value. Furthermore, colors can diminish a diamond's brilliance. Diamonds are graded in a color scale based on alphabets D-Z. 'D' stands for colorless diamonds which are also very rare. 'E' also denotes colorless diamonds, but with a slight trace of color that is only visible to the expert eye of a gemologist. The grade 'F' follows E in the scale except, the trace of color is a little more than what's found in 'E' grade diamonds. Diamonds graded 'G' or 'H' are near colorless and are of good value. Similarly the grade 'I' and 'J also indicates near colorless diamonds. The grades K-Z are for loose diamonds that have a slight or light yellow color. It' best to buy diamonds that fall in the G-I grade because they are of the best value, but finding one in the D-H grades is most optimal.

Most coveted diamonds are the ones with hardly any flaws or inclusions. A diamond's clarity reveals the number, type, size and location of such inclusions in the diamond.

Carat is the weight measurement for diamonds with large diamonds having an exceptionally large carat value.

Information about the four C's of a diamond is specified in the diamond's grading report. Be sure to have a look at the copy of this report before purchasing your diamond jewelry. The certificate is a proof of the diamond authentication and informs the buyer that it has undergone an unbiased examination by a professional diamond evaluator.

Diamonds are available in a variety of shapes for diamond lovers and collectors. You will see spectacular center pieces in round, emerald cut, heart, marquise, oval, pear, princess, radiant, and trillion shapes. Diamond jewelry can be maintained by gently brushing with a solution that's a mixture of water and ammonia. Avoid exposing diamonds to lotions, perspiration and other household cleaners as they can make the surface very dull. Store them in original velvet boxes to avoid scratching on the surface.