Posts Tagged ‘diamonds’

GIA Diamonds Re-Examined

September 29th, 2009

More and more diamond vendors are increasingly flaunting their wares (diamond items) as ‘GIA diamonds.’ What they mean when they pass their wares off as GIA diamonds, of course, is that their wares have been certified by GIA, GIA itself being an acronym for the Gemological Institute of America, which is widely regarded as the most authoritative body on diamonds and gemstones in the world.

In order to understand why many vendors are increasingly invoking the name of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) when trying to sell their wares, by branding them GIA diamonds, it is important to get a little background to the trend.

As it turns out, diamond is one of the rarest and most sought after materials in the world. The most distinguishing features of diamond that make it so desirable are mainly its strength (being the strongest material in the world), as well as its exquisite beauty – being one of the most beautiful stones in the world as well. Diamond, especially the higher grades of it, is mainly used in making jewelry, such as rings and necklaces; where it is its beauty that makes it ideal for this particular use. The lower grades of diamond, the dregs of it as it were, are used in making drills bits and similar materials where hardness is called for, where it is diamond’s strength that is the most valued quality.

Unfortunately, diamond is also one of the most imitated materials in the world. Indeed, it is not unheard of someone getting a thick bright piece of colorless glass, cutting it to look like diamond (which typically has a very unique shape); and then passing off the piece of glass so cut as diamond – and often selling it off at hefty prices to unsuspecting people who might never get to know that they have been taken for a ride.

Due to instances like the one described above, where people have been duped to buy what can only be described as crap, it became necessary to come up with a body that would be responsible for certifying what is genuine diamond and what is not – a bill that fitted the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) very well, since GIA was known to be home to some of the best brains in the gemology, the science through which we can work out what is and what is not really diamond.

So what the vendors of diamond products who flaunt their products as GIA diamond are implying is that their products are GIA certified. And indeed, if what is being sold as GIA diamonds turns out to be diamond that has passed through the GIA’s extensive tests (which typically involve stringent tests for color, diamond cut, diamond carat weight and its clarity), then they would indeed be great diamonds worth purchasing.

It is important, of course, to know what constitutes genuine GIA certification and what doesn’t, because in spite of the existence of GIA, there have still  been the occasional instances of fraudsters passing off all manner of diamond-like stuff as ‘genuine GIA diamonds.’

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Necklaces with Diamonds

September 25th, 2009

Women love diamonds and when it comes to wearing a necklace, diamond necklaces are adored.  Necklaces with diamonds look elegant and add a touch of sophistication and style.  Diamonds are a long term investment and are worth buying.  There is a variety of diamond necklaces to choose from and if you are a first time buyer, then you would go crazy looking at the styles and designs which the jewelry stores offer.

A diamond necklace complements a woman’s wardrobe. If you intend buying a necklace with diamonds, you need to follow certain tips. These tips enable you to identify and check out the authenticity of the diamonds.

A necklace with diamonds accentuates a dress with a deep neck line. Women who have a long neck should go in for a fitting necklace with diamonds since it adds to the charm and personality of the wearer. If you do not have a very great neck, long chains and attractive diamonds pendants is the right option.

When purchasing diamond necklaces, it is important to consider the setting of the diamond stones and the metal used for making the diamond necklace. Gold which is of 22 carat gold or platinum is the ideal option since diamonds can be set perfectly in these metals.

The 22 carat gold is tougher as compared to lower carat gold. If you want to get your diamond necklace designed by your jeweler, you should opt for colorless and clear diamond stones, since they would gel well with any type of attire. Colorless diamonds blend perfectly and beautifully on all personality types.

In the olden days, possessing a necklace with diamonds was considered the prerogative of the richer class. But with the increasing number of diamond mines and other techniques, diamonds have become affordable. Make sure you select your diamonds after proper research. Possessing a diamond necklace is still considered a status symbol and the person wearing it is held in high esteem. If you have the money to gift your beloved diamonds, then go in for a diamond necklace. She would appreciate this gesture and would remember it lifetime. Diamonds are perfect expressions of love and wearing necklaces with diamonds lends style and adds to the persona of the woman wearing it.

Women love diamonds, be it a necklace or an earring. Diamonds are known to accentuate the beauty and lend style to a woman’s personality. It can make heads turn. When we speak of a wedding or an engagement ceremony, a diamond is the first thing which comes to our mind.

When buying diamonds, the 4Cs need to be considered. They are Color, clarity, cut and carat. The price of a diamond goes higher depending on the carat weight.

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Vintage Diamonds – Priceless

September 21st, 2009

It is truly said that Diamonds are forever. This is a punch line which is used in many TV advertisements and many poster slogans displayed at the jeweler store. When it comes to buying vintage diamonds, this slogan fits aptly.

The fashion industry keeps coming with new ideas in dresses, jewelry, accessories etc. The designs and styles which were famous during the past years have against come back with a bang. This is so true for vintage diamond jewelry. Vintage diamonds are passed on to the next generation so that the heirloom is maintained. They are entrusted to the near and dear ones of the family, so that the family tradition continues.

When it comes to buying vintage diamonds, the design, size, color and cut play an important role. The older the diamond, the better is its quality and the expensive it is. A vintage diamond ring carries a sentimental value more than the monetary value. The greater the intricacy, the costlier is the engagement ring.

Some woman have a liking for vintage rings. You could get them made at your jeweler. Replicas of the designs of the vintage diamond ring can be made so that you are satisfied.

If you are particular on vintage diamonds, then you should be ready to shell out a good amount of money since vintage diamonds are truly expensive. It is important to get the documentation right when you buy these diamonds. This is important so that you are thoroughly sure about the genuinity of the vintage diamonds. Women who would love to continue the family tradition and legacy are attracted to vintage diamonds.

Make sure you do your research when buying vintage diamonds so that you do not end up buying fake diamonds. The websites provide complete information on vintage diamonds in different styles, colors and designs. Depending on your budget, you could select your vintage diamonds. Make sure the jeweler gives you the complete paperwork and certificate of authenticity.

Just like any other diamonds, when buying vintage diamonds, you need to take care of the 4Cs.

- Cut: the cut of the vintage diamonds is important. The cut decides the brilliance of the diamonds.

- Color: Diamonds come in various colors like white, blue, orange and little yellow. There are diamonds which are colorless.

- Clarity: While buying vintage diamonds, ensure that clarity. Clarity implies how clear and perfect the diamond is from inside as well as outside. Request your jeweler to give you his loupe so that you are able to check out the diamonds.

- Carat: Carat is the unit of measurement when it comes to diamonds. One carat makes 100 points. The greater the carat weight, the better are the diamonds.

When you take care of all the 4Cs, the vintage diamonds would truly be priceless and worth every penny you have spent.

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What men should know about silver diamonds?

September 16th, 2009

Men should know for a fact that buying jewelry for woman is important whether it is for their girlfriend, wife, mother or daughter. The fact is women loves jewelry. The latest trend in jewelry is purchasing the ones made from silver. They have the same beauty with gold but the difference is they cost less. Jewelries made from silver diamonds are the best gift to give because there is no need to worry about having a similar piece in her jewelry collection. The truth is only a few women own silver diamonds. Take note of the fact that you can save a lot of money by choosing a set rather than individual items. There are many jewelry retail stores that sell silver diamond set from necklace, bracelet, earrings and ring.

Silver diamonds are definitely striking and appealing. Women can wear it in an elegant evening or casual day. There are brides who select wearing silver diamond on their wedding day which is a change in the wedding industry. When buying silver diamonds, it is best to be careful in your selection. There are some imitations that look so similar. You don’t want your girl to discover that she is wearing fake silver diamonds. Be also careful of the fact that some women may be allergic to silver. If you notice that she doesn’t have any silver jewelry, it is best to ask subtly. You may ask her friend to ask if she is allergic to them.

Silver jewelry comes in variety of styles. Indian made is the most popular ones. They are made with great detail. Aside from rings, they come in earrings, pendant, bracelet and necklaces. Silver diamond rings can look so elegant. There are also some pendants that are perfectly handcrafted. The designs are intricately embedded that you don’t see everyday. There are millions of designs available. If you have one in mind, there are jewelry stores that offer customization. All you need to do is just give them details.

Silver diamonds never go out of style. It gives off timeless appearance so you don’t need to worry that it would go old fashioned. As a man, you only need to know one thing and that is to find time looking for the right pieces that can reflect personality and style of the receiver.
For a man who is considering buying jewelry for his woman, take into consideration getting jewelry with silver diamond in it. This is an opportunity to get something that is unique. Select jewelry that can last for a long time without really breaking your bank account. There are so many silver jewelry styles that you can select from. It is best to find something that can fit her style.

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Behind the Allure of Watch Diamonds

September 15th, 2009

The making of watches is, in many industry analysts view, the second biggest application of diamonds in the jewelry industry; after the making of engagement rings. Of course, the idea of mentioning the use of diamonds in making watches as one of the metal’s applications in jewelry might sound a bit odd in many people’s view; because watches are sure not ornaments in any sense of the word – or are they? Turns out, however, that while the practical low-cost watches people wear for the sake of keeping are certainly not ornaments, the types of watches that are typically crafted out of metals like diamonds (real diamond, that is), are usually worn more for their ornamental value than for their practical time keeping value.

 
 At its core then, the watch is both a time-keeping tool and well as a dressing accessory or ornament, as it were. Go to any fully stocked clothing store, either online or the brick and mortar variety on the streets, and chances are that they will typically have a section dealing in watches: bearing witness to the fact that watches are as much of clothing accessories as time keeping tools. If the watch had nothing to do with clothing, then surely, it would have no place in the clothing stores. Indeed, it would seem that the modern watch is worn more for its clothing accessory role than its time-keeping role. After all, for the time keeping role, the average person living today has a quite a wide variety of other gadgets they could use like their mobile phones – living as we are, in a point in time when there are more people in the world who have mobile phones than those who don’t have them!

 
 It is at this point that the watch diamonds we had mentioned earlier make their re-entry into the discussion; having established that the modern watch is worn more for its ornamental value than for its time-keeping value (since there are so many better substitutes to it at the time-keeping task). It turns out that in diamond mining and trading circles, the watch diamonds (the types of diamonds that are suitable for making watches) are highly valued; and are indeed the second most highly valued diamonds after the ring diamonds – that is, the types of diamonds that are used for making rings.  Watch diamonds are defined by their cut, size and color, as diamonds that fit certain definitions in these terms tend to be more suitable for the watch making role than others.

 
 The watch diamonds – like other types of genuine diamonds, are of course not very easy to get a hold of, a fact that has led to the proliferation of numerous counterfeits. Indeed, thanks to the rareness of watch diamonds, chances are usually that at least one out of every two things being sold as diamond watches are nothing of the sort, but rather imitations of the same. Again, thanks to the rareness of watch diamonds, wherever genuine diamond watches happen to be indeed on sale, they tend to be quite dear.

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What is fascinating about emerald diamonds?

September 7th, 2009

Emeralds are somewhat synonymous to Cleopatra. Since then, people are attracted to Emerald. Because of this, emerald diamonds are so popular. A real emerald diamond is truly breathtaking. It is one of the best next to diamond, ruby and sapphire. Aside from the fact that it is a birthstone for the month of May, it also used when celebrating 35th wedding anniversaries.

Emerald diamonds comes mostly from Colombia, Brazil and other South American countries. There are emerald mines that can be found in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Zambia. There are different kinds of emerald diamond. Its name is gotten from where it is found. There is a Columbian emerald and Brazilian emerald.

There are different colors of emerald ranging from blue green to yellow green. The most famous one is the grass green emerald. The price of the stone varies from how intense its color is. The cost of Emerald diamond can also be dependent on its size. The truth is emerald diamonds have flaes which makes them fragile. However, those ones that are not enhanced are quite expensive.

Emerald diamonds are common in earrings and rings. The color range of emeralds enables them to cluster in a necklace, pendants, and bracelet. Emerald diamonds work well with white gold and platinum. Emerald jewelries are often accented by diamonds. It can also work well with other gemstones like ruby and sapphire. If you don’t have enough cash, then you can combine it with other semi precious stones like garnet and amethyst.

Remember if you are planning to clean emerald diamond, it is best to do it with ultrasonic cleaner. Sometimes there are flaws that can come about during the cleaning procedure. You should avoid cleaning the jewelry using soap water. This liquid may erode some fillings of the stone. Emerald diamonds are hard however the flaws of the stone make it susceptible to breakage.

There are many jewelry retailers that are selling emerald diamond. You can purchase them online. It is best to be careful when you decide to invest on them. Ask for a certificate of authentication. This needs to be done especially if the jewelry retailer is claiming that is real. Emerald diamonds could be quite expensive. If you plan to go for an artificial one, ask the method of the stone was created.  When buying online, it is best if they can provide you with certificate as well as some money back guarantee. This can ensure that you are purchasing an authentic one. Be aware that there are some dealers who are just after your money. It is best to careful especially when purchasing online. Emerald diamonds are surely fascinating jewelry. There are lots of reasons to love them.

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Fake or real diamond?

July 24th, 2009

Many people will have heard of someone who has mistaken a fake diamond for a real diamond.  There have also been some articles published where after many years of marriage, the partner dies, then the widow or widower finds out the diamond they purchased all those years ago was a fake . 

Real diamonds have been created naturally over  millions of years.  Carbon under extreme pressure over millions of years creates what we see today as the diamond we admire so much.Real diamonds are also unique, a bit like a finger print, they have imperfections, and when they are cut for your ring, bracelet, or other piece of jewellery, they acquire more uniqueness.  The imperfections can be measured and recorded as a fingerprint for the diamond, a company called GemPrint was established to do just that, record a “gem print”.

Moving onto fake diamonds, typically these are crystals such as Moissanite.  These “fake diamonds” will appear very pure, and it would be very easy for a diamond expert to tell the difference.  However from a distance most people would not be able to see the difference, a bit like a fake handbag, you would not let anyone examine it closely to find out that you are passing off a fake as the real thing. 

Then there are man-made diamonds.  These are not fake diamonds, but equally they do not have the character of real diamonds.  It is a bit like hand made chocolates or machine made chocolates … most of us prefer the luxury of hand made chocolates.  The man-made diamonds tend to be perfect in structure, so whilst the real thing in terms of crystal structure, they simply do not have the character of a real diamond, a character that has evolved over millions of years.

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Cut – Clarity – Colour – Carat

July 17th, 2009

The diamond cut, clarity, colour and carat are commonly referred to as the 4 Cs.  knowing a little about the 4 Cs is fundamental when buying a diamond or diamond engagement ring.  So here is a brief overview of the 4 Cs.

Cut – this is how a diamond is cut to form both its shape such and to create maximum sparkle. Of the many shapes such as Princess, Pear, Marquise, Asscher, Cushion, it is the Round (Brilliant) cut that reflects the maximum light and thus sparkle.  But even with each shape there are good and bad in how the diamond is cut to maximise reflected light.  Sometimes diamonds are cut shallow, thus looking down you see a bigger diamond, but you lose the sparkle and value.

Clarity – this is all about how pure the diamond is.  Almost all diamonds have imperfections, usually referred to as inclusions.  The more inclusions the lower the value of the diamond.  But its not just the size and number of these inclusions, it is about where they are situated and thus their visibility to the eye.

Colour – this can range from white (clear transparent) through to pink, yellow, brown and blackish colours.  The most popular and most common is white, but there are grades with D being the best, followed by E, F, G, etc, where the diamond starts to take in tints of colour, usually a faint yellow.  That said some coloured diamonds such as bright yellow and pink are very rare and expensive to buy. 

Carat – the weight of a diamond.  As the carat size increases so does the price per carat.  Thus a 10 carat diamond is worth much more per carat than a 1 carat diamond, simply because larger diamond are so rare.  You will also find that diamonds with carat weights of 0.99 or 1.99 (which look like 1 carat or 2 carat to the eye) are very rare, tihs is because the diamond cutters will sacrifice some of the cut characteristics to maximise the weight … on the principle a 2 carat diamond is worth more per carat than a 1.99 carat diamond.

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The Diamond Blog

July 15th, 2009

This is the first post in our blog.  Our blog will focus on diamonds, everything from the history of diamonds through to diamond jewellery, the diamond markets, diamond related news, and of course buying diamonds.

There are so many misunderstandings when it comes to diamonds that it is very easy for people to buy on emotion and pay well above a diamonds true retail value.  Hopefully by reading through our blog our readers will gain much valuable information helping them to make an informed choice about buying diamonds.

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