Diamonds And Precious Gems

One of my favorite books on diamonds is Rachel Bergstein's "Brilliance and Fire". In her book Bergstein covers the journey that diamonds have taken throughout history and she follows the intricate and intimate relationship that we as a society have had with this alluring stone. No author that I know of more aptly expresses the intense push-me-pull-me relationship that exists with this amazing little rock. Diamonds express a wealth of ideas in addition to ideas of wealth. For this reason in spite of the recent advent of lab made diamonds beginning to share the spotlight, diamonds remain the ultimate symbol of value and worth. In my time helping people find a diamond I have seen only limited interest in lab created diamonds. Whether you choose a lab diamond or a natural diamond the shape of the diamond says a lot. I wanted to write a post that allows a diamond seeker to identify which diamonds not only express the beauty we find in the light that diamonds return to us, bu...

  If your heart's desire is to get a pear cut diamond here's what you need to know so you love your ring year after year.   Fancy cut diamonds are what you call any shape that isn't a round brilliant. Pear cut diamonds come in a variety of proportions. Most people gravitate toward a length-to-width ratio that ranges between 1.50-1.75:1. Here are some tips that can help when buying a pear cut diamond . An important thing to check when you are buying a pear cut diamond is to examine the point to make sure it is clear of inclusions and you'll also want to make sure the color isn't too concentrated here.  Check the wings on each side of the point and see if they are symmetrical. The rounded end of course should also be checked to make sure it appears like a semi-circle. As with any long shape such as oval and marquise, pear cut diamonds are also susceptible to the effect known as the “bow tie.” Ideally this effect should not be too pronounced, though avoiding it alto...

   I have long maintained that diamonds play a central role in society and are thoroughly entrenched in popular culture. Those who think that diamonds have had their day have nothing else to replace them with. To the writer of fiction the diamond can signify many things. Coercion, bribery, generosity, gullibility, romance, kindness, crime, furtiveness, shock, confusion, extravagance, tackiness, style, lack of style, so many things can be implied in the same sentence where a diamond ring is featured. Just take a look at these sentences and see what I mean. There are some real interesting ones here. Before I jump into the compilation (that took me all morning to put together and format below) just let me put in a plug for the best places to buy diamond rings which took me a heck of a lot longer to put together. Anyway, here is what I had time to put together today as far as mentions of  diamond rings in fiction:   The Tattooist of Auschwitz Bonnier Publishin...

There are over 1000 romance novels in our house. Maybe two thousand. My wife also borrows a stack from the library every time we go there. If ever I am tasked with returning the books myself I make sure the librarian understands that it wasn't me who borrowed them. This always gets a laugh. As if they'd care who reads what. Anyway here is my tribute to romance novels, and for the wonderful escape they provide to women around the globe. And men too, I'm sure. I've started collecting mentions of diamonds in romance, fantasy, and other pulp fiction. This is of course a gargantuan task but I actually had a lot of fun seeing the weird and wonderful phrases that include various types of diamonds. Today's post will include the phrases or paragraphs that mention a "one carat diamond".     A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion Hansen Ron ..On Ruth’s twentieth birthday, Albert gifted her with a box of chocolates and she discovered inside a little jewelry box and a ...

I grew up in a family that seemed to always be just scraping by. I remember on several occasions, before I was ten, when I had to give my parents the little money I had saved up, just so they could buy groceries for us, or make up the shortfall in the rent. My parents were hard working but with a big family there simply was never enough to go around. I learned from a young age not to waste things. Fast forward to today and I can probably live on the smell of an oily rag, though luckily I don't have to. I now advise people on how to save money when shopping for a luxury item I would have never seen growing up: diamonds. I received my first accreditation with the Gemological Institute of America in 2012 and soon began to understand that there were plenty of ways someone could save money when buying an engagement ring, or any diamond jewelry for that matter. The fascinating thing (for me, anyway) was that the ways to save money were not that obvious. Some people think that if you ...

A more in depth answer can be found at How do You Read An ASET Diamond Image Q: hi, I want to buy a diamond and have been looking at diamonds online and am wondering if you could shed some light on the images that are red and green. I see that they are labeled ASET, but I don't know what that means? Do you have anything on the topic? I know I can search online but I figured it would be better to ask someone that knows about diamonds. I like your way of explaining things very simply. All the jargon kind of is confusing so I need something simple to explain what it means. I get that it is something to do with showing how good a diamond is but when i look at the ASET photo I don't know when it shows that a diamond is a good diamond and when it is a bad diamond. Maybe you can help me in this problem? T.K. A: Hi there TK, Congratulations on taking the first steps to buying a diamond. I know it can be a little daunting and many people find that a little nudge in the right directi...

A pair of diamond earrings (studs) is something that is an essential part of anyone's wardrobe.  They can be worn at any special occasion. They are even great for everyday use. Classic yet striking, always versatile. What could be more perfect. They are appropriate both for every day and for a special occasion. That sparkle will add to even an understated of outfits or balance out that fancy dress. People do a lot less research when buying diamond studs. They are seldom researched to the extent that a diamond engagement ring might be. But there are still some important considerations that are worth bearing in mind. When it comes to buying any diamond it pays to know what's what. Ensure that you are getting precisely what you expect Always buy certified diamonds. This will give you the assurance of expert evaluation. The basic criteria apply here. The most important of the 4 Cs is diamond cut. Just a remi...

Simple, elegant and always beautiful – diamond stud earrings These are a classic gift choice. Whatever the occasion, diamond studs are a great gift. It doesn't matter what age. They are welcome gifts at any age. You've got to agree with me that diamond earrings are an essential and versatile part of any woman’s collection. Men's too for that matter. They always fit the occasion – and uplift any mood – from denim to dinner parties, from boardroom presentations to an evening at the symphony, and everything in between. Diamond earrings are worn so close to the face. This give a person's appearance a genuine enhancement . The flash of a precision-cut stone will complement and enhance the wearer's appearance. And when you choose diamond earrings set Signature Diamonds, you know that you’re getting diamonds cut to the highest quality Signature diamonds are the top of performance standards in the industry – diamonds that sparkle with brillian...

Lab grown diamonds have been called by many names: sometimes synthetic diamonds, man made diamonds, artificial diamonds, manufactured diamonds, foundry diamonds and even cultured diamonds. All have been used. In July this year (2018) the Federal Trade Commission ruled that the terms lab grown diamonds, man made diamonds, and foundry diamonds are ones to be used to qualify the term cultured diamond. While the term synthetic should not be used when talking about lab grown diamonds, specifically when marketing lab grown diamonds. Up until this point the Gemological Institute of America has been using the term synthetics when referring to lab grown diamonds, so I guess we'll see what happens. But I'm guessing they will not have much choice but have to update their synthetic diamond grading terminology. The FTC also ruled that cultured diamond should not be used on its own when referring to lab grown diamonds as the term does not distinguish itself sufficiently from mined diam...

Carbon on its own cannot form into diamonds even deep below the surface of the Earth. There are a few things that have to happen in just the right way. First of all the subsurface carbon is located about 150 km below the Earth's crust has to be subjected to immense heat and pressure. Coal and diamonds are both composed primarily of carbon. Their chemical structures have marked differences. Coal is formed from highly impure carbon. This carbon generally contains  the following elements: oxygen, selenium, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. Diamonds on the other hand require an absolutely pure source of carbon. If there is any defect in purity the diamond will generally change color or become too included to be worked by diamond jewelers. When carbon sources which are very pure such as carbon dioxide are trapped deep under the Earth’s surface, conditions are ideal for the formation of diamonds. 725,000 PSI is about the level of pressure needed to compress the carbon into a di...

The emerald cut diamond is an oblong cut diamond with truncated corners. Emerald cut diamonds are also referred to as "Cut-Cornered Rectangular Modified Brilliant." It is an ideal shape for showing off the warmer tones of a stone. There are other shapes which are better suited for displaying elements such as sparkle, fire, and brilliance. The shape of emerald cut diamonds show off both the color and the clarity of a diamond. It is a little harder to to avoid seeing the inclusions in an emerald cut diamond so the higher clarity grades are more highly sought after when an emerald cut is purchased. Ring settings which feature emerald cut diamonds as the main stone often include side stones. This is found to greatly enhance the center diamond. An interesting feature of emerald cut diamonds is that they look bigger for their carat weight than a great deal of other types of cuts. People who want a big rock, and would rather have less sparkle than a traditional round cut bril...

Every individual diamond is unique. Every individual person is unique. Diamonds are graded by individuals. So it could easily be assumed that the same diamond, if graded by two different people, would receive two differing grades. This can be the case, though some more widely recognized laboratories have a greater degree of consistency across the board than smaller laboratories. In June 2013, the Rapaport Diamond Trading Network (RapNet)  got back the results from 10 diamonds graded by half a dozen different brands of diamond grading laboratories. The degree of variance between grading laboratories was not always extreme though one thing was clear: some laboratories are stricter. The GIA labs ranked as the ones demanding the highest quality for a diamond to receive a high grade. An article on RapNet's analysis was published here: http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=43417 There was a surprise, though, in that IGI labs were almost on par...

What shape diamond are you going to get for the engagement ring? Round? Square? Oval? Pear? Heart? They're all so nice! It can be difficult to choose. You could be after a shape that is popular or maybe you want to try something a little different. Some diamond cutters have created their own improvements and sell these diamonds directly. This is called a Signature Cut. The way these diamonds look are pretty impressive and very dazzling. Diamonds are already quite hypnotic, but signature cuts particularly super ideal cut diamonds are just unbelievable.   If you look at the statistics on a site like mega diamond seller Blue Nile you'll see that most people end up choosing round diamonds. The reason that round shaped diamonds, (technically called round brilliants ) are such good sellers is because they are known to be designed in such a clever way that a larger proportion of light bounces back through the top of the diamond giving it a superior sparkle. Becau...