The ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splinters of stars fallen to the earth. It was even said that they were the tears of the Gods.

Diamonds, formed billions of years ago are rare in that only a few survived the hazardous journey from the depths of the earth to reach the eath's surface. A diamond is judged by four distinct factors that combine in a number of ways to arrive at its value.
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These factors are known as the 4C's:

CARAT WEIGHT
As with all precious gems, the weight, and therefore the size of the diamond is expressed in carats. The word carat originated in a natural unit of weight: the seeds of the carob tree. Diamonds were traditionally weighted against these seeds until the system was standardized and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams. One carat is divided into 100 points, so that a diamond of 25 points is described as a quarter of a carat.

CLARITY
Almost all diamonds contain minute traces of non-crystallized carbon, the element from which they were born. Most are not discernible to the naked eye and require magnification to become apparent. Called inclusions, they are nature's finger print and make every diamond quite unique. However, the fewer of these inclusions there are, the rarer the diamond will be. Clarity, therefore, is the term that is used to indicate the extent to which the diamond you purchase is free of these natural phenomena.

COLOR
It sometimes surprises people to learn that diamonds can cover the entire spectrum of colors. The majority, however, range from those with a barely perceptible yellow or brownish tint, up to those that are very rare and are described as colorless.

CUT
Of all the 4C's, cut is the only one directly influenced by man. The other three are dictated by nature. The cut or make of a diamond will dramatically influence its fire and sparkle, for it is the cutter's skill that releases its beauty.

The G.M. Pollack & Sons "Fifth C"

CONFIDENCE
When you are ready to choose your diamond, come into one of our locations and see one of our Certified Diamontologists. They will be happy to explain the differences between the various qualities of diamonds and how these differences affect the price. G.M. Pollack & Sons...Quality, Integrity & Tradition.