You've arrived at the Gemological Institute of America's special online course, "The Four Cs: A Diamond Primer."

Diamond professionals use these four factors to describe and classify diamonds. When taken together, they help in evaluating the finished diamonds you buy. That's why they are often called value factors.

We've designed this course to be brief and simple, yet convey to you the essentials of the Four Cs. It should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Our hope is that once you've taken our "virtual" diamond buying shopping trip, you'll have a basic understanding of the Four Cs and that you'll be able to make an informed decision when the time comes to purchase your actual diamond.

To learn more about the role of the Gemological Institute of America, click on GIA.

To begin this course, click on the "NEXT" button in the navigation bar along the top of this screen.

To learn how to take this course, click on the "TUTORIAL" button below.