As the name suggests, shape (round, princess, radiant, etc.) describes a diamond's form. The beauty of the individual shapes is a matter of personal taste.
This is the term with which people are most familiar, but bear in mind that carat is specifically a measure of a diamond's weight.
A diamond's color grade refers to the lack of color. Diamonds that are white, containing little or no color, receive higher quality grades than those with visible color.
The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance. Put simply, the better a diamond is cut, the more sparkle it will have.
Almost all diamonds have tiny imperfections. Diamonds with few or no imperfections receive the highest clarity grades.
All DDG diamonds have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in the funding conflict.