Diamonds And Precious Gems

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...

The Price Of Diamonds Diamond price increases almost exponentially with diamond carat weight. Ok, not really exponentially, but there are huge differences between a 1 carat and a 2 carat diamond. This can be quite shocking to a first time diamond shopper. Larger diamonds are simply rare and it follows that they are therefore more highly prized. Of course sometimes two diamonds of equal carat weight can be sold at completely different prices. This is because the value will be based not only on size but on three other factors: Clarity, Color, and Cut. Together with the weight in Carats these make up the four defining  characteristics of diamonds, referred to throughout the diamond trade as the 4 C's. Magic Sizes Some weights are referred to as "magic sizes" : half carat, three-quarter carat, and carat.  There's little difference visually between a 0.99 carat diamond and one that weighs a full carat. Even a 0.92 ct diamond can look pretty m...

Looking at a jeweler's display window with all those sparkly diamonds in all different types of settings you could be forgiven for thinking that diamonds are pretty common. But once you realize how that diamond got to the jeweler, you may find it quite unbelievable that even one of those diamonds was found. There is a huge amount of work that is done before a diamond is ready for sale to the general public. Imagine a pile of one million diamonds. In that pile is one lonely diamond that is decent enough to be worked into a nice shape by the diamond cutter and then set into a ring by a jeweler and finally sold to a young man looking to propose to his girlfriend. However this young man wants a two carat diamond. For this we must look in another pile. This pile is much bigger than our first pile of one million diamonds. As a matter of fact it is more than twice as big. More than three times as big. Even more than four times as big. Yes, in order to find a usable 2 c...

A diamond certificate is also known as a Diamond Grading Report. This report comes from a laboratory where trained gemologists examine diamonds and other precious gems. They then write a report for the jewel and this gets included with the jewel when bought or sold. One of the most respected labs is the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). While most dealers refer to the reports as "Certificates", they are not certificates. They are Grading  Reports .  GIA issues Diamond grading reports for stones 1 carat and over. Smaller stones can also get inspected and have a report made. These smaller stones will get a Diamond Dossier, which excludes the map of the stone marking where any visible crystals and other inclusions are in the diamond. With a diamond grading report or dossier, you can verify the color, cut, carat, weight, and clarity of the diamond. You don’t have to worry about a diamond dealer telling you anything less than the truth, because the repo...

When it comes to buying diamonds , here are a few scams to be on the look out for. Most scams seem minor, but   if you are on the receiving end of a scam you will definitely wish you had been pre-warned. There are some major ones that come up from time to time concerning the buying and selling of diamonds.  Scams occur simply because most people who buy diamonds – for whatever reasons – don’t know that much about diamonds. Most people don't think they can easily be fooled. Unfortunately  some people make it their business to be convincing.  And on the part of the victim it's usually greed that shuts down common sense. Everyone wants a good deal, but it's good to remember that we often get what we pay for. Is something too good to be true? If you start getting all jittery and over excited because you start thinking this is an extremely rare opportunity and are being told you have to make a decision on the spot this is usually a tactic to get you to gra...