Diamonds are found in nature and mined in such places as Africa, Canada and the United States. The diamond is the hardest gem that is known to man; the only thing that can ever cut a diamond is another diamond. That is quite amazing when you compare diamonds to every other type of gem stone. Diamond necklaces are very popular because the diamond seems almost created by nature to be set in jewelry. A diamond, no matter which style of necklace it is in, will sparkle like no other gem in this world.

When looking at diamond necklaces, you will want to remember what is commonly known as the four c's. The letter c refers to cut, clarity, color and carat; although most jewelers will spell carat as "karat". If you keep these four elements in mind, it will help you determine which diamond necklace best suits your needs. It should be noted and remembered that unless you are extraordinarily rich, you should not expect to find perfection in all four elements. After understanding what each really means, you can then decide which elements are most important to you and go from there.

The cut will refer to how the crafter chose to cut the diamond. When diamonds are mined, they will be in many shapes and forms. Professional diamond cutters will study a diamond to decide which type of cut will best suit the diamond. The most common types of cut will be the round cut, the triangle cut, the diamond cut (which is a diamond cut into the actual shape of a diamond), the square cut, the rectangle cut and the heart shaped cut. It is a personal decision as to which cut you prefer best. The diamond cutter already decided which cut was best for the diamond, so whichever cut you choose should have a great diamond as long as the clarity and color meets your standards.

The color of a diamond is not always clear as one would believe. Lesser quality diamonds will be clouded and when looked at, either by the naked eye or under a microscope, will show areas that are not clear. If a diamond looks clear by eye, many people are not concerned about what could be seen only with a microscope.