There are few things more scary than buying expensive diamond jewelry pendants without fully knowing what the whole process is all about.

You measure diamonds in Carat Weight. In short, one carat weighs 200 milligrams.

When people say that a diamond is four grains, they mean that the diamond they are looking at is a one carat diamond.

The word "Carat" is derived from the word "carob". Yes, you guessed it - it is named after a bean that grows on trees in the Mediterranean area of Europe. A long time ago, if a diamond weighed the same as a carob bean, it would be called a one carob diamond, or a one carat diamond. Take atrip over to the Far East now and you will find no Carob trees growing. As a result, the locals will use rice to measure their diamonds' weight.

So a one carat diamond is the equivalent of a diamond that weighs four grains of rice.

Most diamond are bought as 1/3 of a carat diamonds.

Beware when buying jewelry pendants that include diamonds that are already set or mounted. If more than one diamond is used in the piece, the tag on the jewelry will give the CTW or Carat Total Weight.

What that means is that it doesn't refer to the carat weight of each stone in your jewelry pendants.

You will have to ask your jeweler for the total carat weight of the largest diamond in each of the jewelry pendants to truly know exactly what you are buying.

If don't know how much your diamond is worth, then you could always pay an expert to appraise it. Be aware though that the appraisal may not be completely accurate.

Before reaching the retailer, all diamonds must travel from the mine to the cutter and polisher, then on to the independent grading company, and then on to the primary market. In the process, things might get a bit blurry.

You may be better off obtaining a certificate through GIA, the Gemological Institute of America. Give the information on the GIA certificate to a diamond expert and ask him or her to use a cutters guide to accurately determine what your diamond is truly worth.

I trust that this makes a few things a little clearer for you. Hopefully, now you can feel a great deal more confident when out shopping for those beautiful diamond jewelry pendants!

Karen Fernando is a Freelance Writer for a well known online e-commerce store that promotes jewelry pendants. She offers advice and helpful tips for purchasers of online jewelry pendants, incorporating everything from diamond pendants through gold pendants to silver pendants and beyond.