A Gem-Wise Guide To Buying a Diamond
by: Richard W. Wise
Who doesn't love a diamond? Known as the traditional gemstone for an engagement ring, diamonds have steadily risen in popularity since the early 1940s, when Harry Openheimer the president of the De Beers cartel visited New York to meet with Gerold M. Lauck the president of N.W. Ayer, a leading advertising agency.
The value of diamond sales had declined 50% by the end of World War I and Openheimer was determined to do something about it, Lauck?s suggestion; manufacture a tradition.
So successful was the campaign that in 1967 De Beers hired J. Walter Thompson to create a similar ?tradition? in Japan, a country with absolutely no history of diamond giving.
As a result, today over 90% of all Japanese women receive a diamond engagement ring.
Although everyone loves a diamond, few people know how to wisely choose one when standing at the jewelry counter. Here are five tips on how to buy your perfect diamond:
1.
Diamonds are graded using the 4 Cs.
Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat
weight but they are not of equal importance.
2.
Cut is the first C.
Very well cut round diamonds are called ideals.
Diamonds are cut for weight.
They have no color and no nutrititional value.
Diamond is all about sparkle.
Fine cutting delivers the sparkle.
3.
Never buy a clarity grade above VS2.
Diamonds are graded using a 10x magnifier.
A diamond graded Flawless and one graded SI1 (slightly included) are visually identical.
The first and last time you will use magnification is the day you buy the stone.
4.
Diamond color is based on tonal variations of the color yellow on
a scale of D-Z.
There is no A, B, or C.
The more yellow the lower
the grade.
The first four colors D-G show no yellow when viewed face-up. Want to save money?
Think about a G.
5.
Look for moderate blue flourescence.
About 1/3 of all diamond flouresce blue in ultraviolet light.
While we can't see unltraviolet we can see its affects.
Blue is the complement of yellow.
Thus, blue flourescene will cancel out yellow and make the diamond appear whiter and more beautiful as well.
A flourescent H may look like a D.
About The Author
Richard W. Wise is a Graduate Gemologist and President of R.W. Wise, Goldsmiths, Inc. His early interest in gemstones led him to write extensively about precious stones. For more information visit his website at http://www.secretsofthegemtrade.com.
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Using Palladium in White Gold Jewelry Means No More Allergic Reactions
Using Palladium in White Gold Jewelry Means No More Allergic Reactions
by: Jill Renee
White gold jewelry (http://www.danforthdiamond.com/jewelry/index.php) can cause allergic reactions in some people. This is due to the fact that the majority of white gold jewelry is manufactured using alloys containing nickel as the bleaching agent and a percentage of the population is allergic to nickel. For these individuals, contact with nickel can result in dermatological problems that range from a mild skin rash to severe open sores and permanent scaring. In Europe, there are laws governing the use of nickel in jewelry. The European law is known as "The Nickel Directive" and states that no nickel can be used in a material that sits in an open wound, such as after piercing, until healing is complete.
What is a jewelry buyer to do when faced with this information? First of all relax,...
Using Palladium in White Gold Jewelry Means No More Allergic Reactions
Gold ring > Using Palladium in White Gold Jewelry Means No More Allergic Reactions
Lindsey Jacobellis: The End Of Snowboarding Innocence
Lindsey Jacobellis: The End Of Snowboarding Innocence
by: Terry McDermott
Lindsey Jacobellis flew into the frigid Italian atmosphere as a celebrated and admired snowboarding superstar but, after an adrenalin-fueled grab at her board in mid-flight, she returned to earth in a meteoric flameout destined to make her a lock for membership in the sports Bonehead Hall of Fame. But her gaffe also represents a watershed moment for a sport once typified by such actions.
Snowboarding is a serious sport populated by serious athletes. Participants in competitions throughout the world work and train and sacrifice to race and win and be recognized as the best in their sport. But the ascension of snowboarding from a wild, rebellious and carefree winter activity to a corporately-sponsored, mainstream, Olympic-level competition has resulted in attitudes and expectations that are radically divergent from the once-radical personality that dominated the sport....
Lindsey Jacobellis: The End Of Snowboarding Innocence
Gold ring > Lindsey Jacobellis: The End Of Snowboarding Innocence
Using Palladium in White Gold Jewelry Means No More Allergic Reactions
Using Palladium in White Gold Jewelry Means No More Allergic Reactions
by: Jill Renee
White gold jewelry (http://www.danforthdiamond.com/jewelry/index.php) can cause allergic reactions in some people. This is due to the fact that the majority of white gold jewelry is manufactured using alloys containing nickel as the bleaching agent and a percentage of the population is allergic to nickel. For these individuals, contact with nickel can result in dermatological problems that range from a mild skin rash to severe open sores and permanent scaring. In Europe, there are laws governing the use of nickel in jewelry. The European law is known as "The Nickel Directive" and states that no nickel can be used in a material that sits in an open wound, such as after piercing, until healing is complete.
What is a jewelry buyer to do when faced with this information? First of all relax,...
Using Palladium in White Gold Jewelry Means No More Allergic Reactions
Gold ring > Using Palladium in White Gold Jewelry Means No More Allergic Reactions
Fashion Directions for 2006
Fashion Directions for 2006
by: Mary Bailis
Fashion styles are forever changing. What do this year's changes bring forth? Fashion is up and down and all around this year. Accessories are going to sizzle this summer, hemlines are going down a bit, pants waistlines are going up, necklaces are going down, scarves are fluid, earrings are dangling, handbags get soft, and belts are back. Feminine, sexy and sultry styles will keep those heads turning. Sheers, crocheted lace, silky satin and flowing gauze will be everywhere. Comfy cool and sexy, sounds like a great year for women!
Accessories are fabulous this year and are leaning in the arts & craft direction. We will start with necklaces. They are beady, long and plentiful. Where a single large beaded strand with artful beads or pair them up with several.
Long is where they are at as well as big and with interesting beads. Plastic, glass, wood, handmade, crocheted, and metal beads in all...
Gold ring > Fashion Directions for 2006
Man Made Diamonds ? Save Big Money And Avoid Mined Diamond Scams
Man Made Diamonds ? Save Big Money And Avoid Mined Diamond Scams
by: Robert Joseph
High quality man made diamonds are a bargain at about $80 per carat, and they do not increase in price exponentially as carat weight increases.
For example, a one-carat synthetic diamond costs about $80; a three-carat man made diamond would then sell for $240.
A one-carat mined diamond that sells for $3000 would go for $45,000 in a three-carat size, all things being equal, which with mined diamonds is never the case.
Perplexing comparative evaluations, exponential price growth, consumer confusion, and the reality of diamond industry antics is why the mined diamond business is awash in dirty tricks.
Here are descriptions of the most sneaky and pervasive mined diamond scams:
THE BLUE-WHITE SCAM:
A jeweler tells you, "This is a blue-white diamond."
This is a very old term.
The dealer will probably tell...
Gold ring > Man Made Diamonds ? Save Big Money And Avoid Mined Diamond Scams