Archive for the ‘Buying Diamond Jewellery’ Category

Shopping for Fashion Diamonds: What to Lookout For

October 12th, 2009

Fashion diamonds, whether presented on engagement rings (which is the commonest presentation of them), or on any other form of jewellery are basically shopped for with aesthetic appeal as the most important shopping consideration. The idea is to come out with truly fashionable diamonds. Of course, the term ‘fashion’ is a highly dynamic one, so that what is considered fashionable today may not be that fashionable tomorrow. Now while it is true that what is considered ‘in’ fashion or ‘out’ of fashion with regard to fashion diamonds tends to change less often than what is considered ‘in’ or ‘out’ of fashion with regard to other main clothing items, this is not to say that fashion diamonds are absolutely immune to such time to changes.

 

Then again, what fashion diamonds lack in terms of what may be referred to as ‘time dynamism’ (fashion changes caused by simply the passage of time), they definitely make up for in terms of what may be referred to as ‘individual dynamism’ – that is, what various individual buyers of the fashion diamonds consider fashionable and what they consider unfashionable. One person’s idea of fashion diamonds, for instance, might be that of ‘big’ carat diamonds, so that any small diamond is definitely ‘out’ – with another person considering the small so-called ‘cute’ rocks to be the essence of fashion diamonds.

 

What is essential when shopping for fashion diamonds is to take a little time, and look beyond the aesthetics, because although the aesthetics are what define fashion diamonds, they are nonetheless not the only consideration one would need to make when shopping for diamonds (or any piece of jewellery for that matter).

 

One of the essential things that one might do well to look at, removing the eyes from the aesthetics for a moment, is the genuineness or otherwise of the fashion diamonds in question. Not everything that glitters is gold (and someone might add that not everything that sparkles is diamond). There have been innumerable cases of people focusing their attention on aesthetics alone when shopping for fashion diamonds, to the exclusion of other essential attributes, like the genuineness of the rocks. This can turn out to be a terrible and expensive mistake, when you reach home, only to learn that what you got were cleverly cut pieces of glass. Indeed, when shopping for fashion diamonds, and any other type of jewellery, one should first take steps to ascertain its genuineness before even starting to think of factors such as aesthetics, because if a jewel does not make the mark as far as genuineness goes, there would be no point going any further with other shopping considerations for it. That is, unless, it is ‘replica’ fashion diamonds you happen to be shopping for, of course.

 

As alluded to earlier, too, it is important when shopping for fashion diamonds to go for a product that by virtue of its cut, styling and so on, can withstand the test of time (especially if it is something you are looking to be wearing on a day to day basis). This is because when all is said and done; fashions can be very dynamic and prone to very sudden changes.

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Why Pink Diamonds are So Greatly Valued

September 11th, 2009

Few people who understand the workings of the diamond trade can argue with the fact that pink diamonds are among the most greatly valued diamonds. Indeed, wherever premium diamonds are mentioned, one can almost always be sure that the phrase ‘pink diamonds’ will be mentioned when the speaker gets to the particulars of the premium diamonds in question. But just why are pink diamonds so greatly valued?

Well, for one, the pink diamonds are rare to get. Of course, it is possible to take diamond pieces of any color, paint them pink and pass them off as pink diamonds. But where it is the naturally occurring pink diamonds that one is speaking of, getting a hold of them becomes a much trickier affair; because diamond – in the few places in occurs on the globe – hardly occurs in its pink form. This rareness naturally makes the pink diamond highly ‘exclusive’ as the different people who desire to have it have to compete through money (effectively bidding for the pink diamond); so that the diamond ultimately ends up going with the ‘highest bidder.’ This is in keeping with the well know fact in economics that whenever a valuable thing happens to get rare, its prices are naturally expected to go up.

 

Of course, it is worth reiterating that this only applies when it is naturally pink diamonds that are in question. When it is diamonds that were originally of other colors but which were painted pink, then the dynamics change – though not as drastically as one would expect, because even these ‘artificially’ pink diamonds still get to enjoy some of prestige that the naturally pink diamonds enjoy – especially keeping in mind that it is often diabolically hard to differentiate the naturally pink diamonds from the artificially pink diamonds.

Rareness aside, pink diamonds are also greatly valued for their ornamental value: keeping in mind here that pink has come to be seen as the color of feminity – and also keeping in mind that the greatest application of diamonds in the jewelry has tended to be in the making of engagement rings. Given that pink is taken to be the color of feminity – a color that women are said to love – it would not be hard to see why most men who want to give their women engagement rings that they will love opt to go for rings made from pink diamonds. Matters are not made any easier by the fact that in the traditional way of doing things, it is only the men who give women the engagement rings, and where almost every man is keen to give his woman an engagement ring made from pink diamond, it follows that the pink diamond becomes very dear indeed.

Feminine love and pink engagement rings aside though, very few people would argue with the fact that pink diamonds do look cute by their own right; even where the pink diamonds are to be used  for other applications besides making the engagement rings.

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How to Buy an Engagement Ring

August 18th, 2009

If you have fallen in love with someone so deeply that you are considering spending the rest of your life with them, then chances are that you could find yourself shopping for an engagement ring sooner or later; to signify your commitment to the relationship.
The task of shopping for an engagement ring is not as easy a task as it would first seem. It is a highly nuanced process, and your choice of an engagement ring (in terms of things like color, material and shape) is sure to be interpreted in different ways by your loved one, who is surely bound to be someone you would be trying to impress.

In an ideal situation then, it is best to go shopping for engagement rings with your loved one, because this way – if you work at a consensual shopping experience – there will be no risk of the engagement ring you opt for coming to be viewed as ‘your idea.’ Nonetheless, if you cannot manage to be with your loved for your engagement ring shopping, there are still some things you can do to ensure that you get a ring that is as close to the ideal as possible.

The best guide to shopping for an engagement ring for your loved one in their absence is keeping in mind their preferences all along the process. One is bound to ask, on reading this, how it is possible to judge a person’s preferences in terms of an engagement ring when you have never gone shopping for one with them before. But as it turns out, while it is true that you are likely to never have gone shopping for rings with your loved one, chances are high that you would have spend time together discussing your interests, and it is from the information that you would have gathered from such discussions that should give you hints to what your love one’s preferences in terms of an engagement ring would be.

If your loved one, for instance, is someone with a love for history, tradition and classic things, an ‘antique’ engagement ring (like the old mine cut diamond engagement ring) would surely be a good option to thing about. If on the other hand your loved one is a person who has shown preference for things modern – with very little attachment to things sentimental, a more contemporary engagement ring like the oval modern cut or better still the cushion cut would probably be something better to think about.

While still thinking of your loved one’s preferences when shopping for an engagement ring, it is important to make an effort to remember what colors they seem to have a liking for (about which you can get a hint from their choice of clothing, for instance) as well as what material she would prefer, as there is a person who will simply not look at ‘anything less than diamond’ when thinking of an engagement ring choice, with yet another person who will tend to consider such diamond as a bit too extravagant and therefore uncomfortable to ‘flash around.’

Having made up on a choice of an engagement ring, the next step in the shopping process will naturally be to go visiting the various outlets (both online and offline, if you want the widest variety to choose from), where you can get the engagement rings on offer, and get one that is as close to that ideal you have come up with – of course within the confines of your budget. If you opt for a high end engagement ring, ensure you get it from a reputable store to avoid a situation where you end up with an embarrassing counterfeit.

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Choosing Radiant Cut engagement rings over other engagement rings

August 14th, 2009

The saying ‘A diamond is for ever’ is true in the real sense of the term. When we speak of diamond cuts, there are many cuts to choose from. Some of them are cushion cut diamonds, princess cut diamonds, emerald cut diamonds and Asscher cut diamonds. But when it comes to Radiant cut diamonds, there is no other cut to match it.

Radiant cut diamonds came into existence in the year 1977. It was specially created by Henry Grossbard. The radiant cut engagement rings are class above the other diamonds. They have the perfect combination of both round cut as well as emerald cut. When you talk of diamonds, they are available in varied shapes, sizes and colors. Fancy diamonds are specially cut in the abovementioned shape. Some attractive pink diamonds and fancy yellows are cut to give this shape and they look very attractive and eyecatching. They are classified under the category of costly diamonds.

Radiant diamonds come in rectangular cuts and wonderful squarish shapes. There are many other fancy shaped diamonds which are available at the jeweler shop. There are diamond connoisseurs who specifically look out for this shape and totally devoted this shape due to its sheer elegance and beauty.

Radiant cut diamonds were introduced some twenty years ago and nowadays many fancy cut diamonds take their inspiration from these diamonds. It is truly the ‘Father of fancy diamonds’. Radiant cut diamonds were the innovators of rectangular cuts. It emits a kaleidoscope effect and has many points of light which are reflected inside the diamond as compared to other cuts.

Radiant cut diamonds have either square cuts or straight edged rectangular cut corners. There are about 70 facets and it causes confusion sometimes, since many of us mix it up with Quadrillions or princess cut diamonds. These diamonds are also easily distinguishable due to the specific cut it carries. It also accelerates its brilliance. They are mainly used as centre stones in pendants and necklaces since they look ravishing and beautiful. They also look great when set with tilliant cut stones, trapezoid and half moon set.

Check out the color grades before buying Radiant cut diamonds. Any grade below J would make the colors at the corners more visible. Every individual has a preference regarding the cut of the diamonds. Some of them prefer rectangular, some may prefer square. If you have chosen a squarish shape, then 1:1:10 length-width ratio is ideal. If it is rectangular in shape then 1.20-1.50, length-width ratio is preferred.

The Radiant cut diamonds have a large facet pattern and hence it becomes important to choose the right color. The clarity ratings of the diamond need to be taken into consideration before buying these diamonds.

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Platinum, White or Yellow Gold?

July 17th, 2009

A decision many of us face when buying diamond jewellery, which one do we choose, will it be platinum? white gold? yellow gold?  Here is some information to help you decide.

Firstly price, platinum is the most expensive, you can expect to pay around twice as much for platinum vs gold – depending on the gold purity (more on this later).  Platinum is more heavy than gold,this is fine if it is a diamond ring you are buying, but this maybe be a factor to consider if buying a large bracelet or necklace, the heavier weight may feel uncomfortable.

The cheapest is yellow gold – cheap being a relative word here as gold is not cheap!  The purity of gold is also a factor, typically 9 ct, 18 ct, or 24 ct.  Absolute pure gold is 24 ct, but it is a soft metal, so it is not often 24 ct is used in jewellery.  For many people the choice of yellow gold is its familiar colour, one glance at the yellow gold bracelet or ring, and you see it as gold right away.

Then there is white gold.  This is normally where yellow gold has been plated to look like platinum. you need to take care of this type of white gold as the surface plating can wear off with time revealing the yellow gold beneath (although it can be re-plated).  White gold can also be made through mixing with alloys, this creates a very similar colour to platinum, and there is no need to worry about the colour wearing away.  Rolex is one company that use this type of white gold. 

So, there is a brief summary of platinum, white and yellow gold.  Hopefully this will be of help when going to buy your diamond ring!

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