Diamonds Articles

About Diamond Weights

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 233)
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Diamonds are measured in Carat Weight.

One carat weighs 200 milligrams. If a

diamond is referred to as four grains, this

also means that it is a one carat diamond.

The word Carat comes from the word carob.

A carob is a bean that grows on a tree in the

Mediterranean. In times past, if a diamond

weighed the same as a carob bean, it was

one carob, or one carat.

However, in the far east, where Carob trees

do not grow, rice was used to measure the

weight of a diamond. If a diamond weighed

as much as four grains of rice, it was four

grains - or one carat as we know it to be

now. The majority of diamond purchases

are for diamonds that are 1/3 of a carat.

Beware when shopping for diamonds that

are already set or mounted. If more than one

diamond is used in the piece, the tag on the

jewelry will give the CTW or Carat Total

Weight - it does not tell you the carat weight

of each stone in the piece. You need to ask

the jeweler for the total carat weight of the

largest diamond in the piece to truly

understand what you are buying.

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Are Diamonds Really Rare

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 204)
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When you walk into a jewelry store and see

all the diamonds in all of the various settings

that are for sale, it is difficult to realize that

diamonds are indeed rare. Most people

don't even stop to consider how that

diamond came to be sitting in that jeweler's

case! There is quite a bit of work that is done

before a diamond is ready to sell to the

general public!

For every one million diamonds that are

mined, only one will be found that is a quality

one caret diamond. In order to find a two

caret diamond, about five million diamonds

must be mined. More than two hundred tons

of ore must be mined to find one small

diamond, and even then, more than 80%

of the diamonds that are mined are only

good for industrial use, such as diamond

drill bits.

So, the next time you visit your local jewelry

store, ask to see the one carat diamonds.

You should look at this diamond with new

appreciation - knowing that it truly is one

in a million!

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Diamond Grading Reports

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 212)
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You've been told that having a certificate or

a diamond grading report is important, and

as a responsible consumer, you get one -

unfortunately, you probably won't understand

a word of what is on that diamond grading

report, unless you are a jeweler.

On the color grading scale, D, E, and F

mean that the diamond has no color. G, H,

and I means that it has very little color. J, K,

and L means that the diamond has a slight

yellow color. P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, and X

means that the diamond is a darker shade

of yellow. Z means that the diamond has a

fancy color - other than white or yellow.

On the color grading scale, D is the most

valuable, and X is the least valuable -

however diamonds that get a Z rating are

the rarest and most expensive diamonds

in the world.

There are many aspects to a grading report.

Figuring it all out can be very confusing. You

should talk to a jeweler you trust, and have

them explain everything on the diamond

grading report to you.

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Selecting Diamonds

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 459)
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Diamonds are graded for certification by

laboratories using grading criteria. Four of

these criteria are critical to understand when

making a diamond purchase or investment.

Known as the "Four C's" these criteria are:

color, cut, clarity and carat.

Color is the result of the composition of a

diamond and it does not change. When a

jeweler is describing the color of a diamond

they are referring to the presence or absence

of color in white diamonds. Because a

diamond with no color allows maximum light

to pass through, colorless diamonds are

preferred for their sparkle.

Cut refers to a diamonds reflective quality.

Most diamonds are cut with 58 facets. The

brilliance of diamonds is heavily dependent

on the cut. The different angles and the finish

of a diamond determine its ability to reflect

light and cause its brilliance and fire.

Remember that the cut of a diamond can

have an impact on its durability as well as its

beauty. Some cutting faults can make a

diamond prone to breakage. A diamond

that is cut too thin can also cause light to

leak out of the back and the diamond will

lose some of the sparkle and appear not

to shine. So, as you can see the Cut is

probably the most important of the Four C's.

During the formation process, inner flaws, or

inclusions occur in most diamonds. The

number and size of these inclusions

determine what is referred to as the clarity

of a diamond. Diamonds that are clear

create more brilliance and therefore are rarer

and highly priced. To be considered

"flawless", a diamond must have no surface

or internal imperfections visible upon being

viewed by a skilled diamond grader using

10 power magnifications.

Carat is the unit of weight by which diamonds

are measured. One carat is equal to 200

milligrams. A carat is divided into 100

segments called points. 150 points would

equal one and a half carats.

When you go to the store to make that all

important diamond purchase, do not be shy!

Ask questions, get the answers needed to

make an informed purchase. Shopping for

certified diamonds enables you to make an

informed selection. Knowing the "four C's"

allows you to comparison shop and purchase

the best diamond at a fair price. But, before

making a purchase, shop around and decide

what shapes and styles really appeal to you.

Enjoy your diamond for years to come!

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How Diamond Prices Are Determined

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 507)
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Pricing most products is quite easy.

Determine how much it costs to make the

item, how much it costs to market that item,

and then mark it up by 15 - 30% or more.

Simple, right? Well, pricing diamonds isn't

quite that simple. There are many factors

that are considered when diamonds are

priced.

Diamond prices are determined first by

adding the cost of the rough diamond, the

cost of cutting the diamond, and all other

costs necessary to turn the rough diamond

into a marketable diamond. Depending on

the importance of the diamond, an

independent company may be called in to

certify the grade of the diamond based on

color, cut, clarity, and weight.

At this point, the diamond becomes more

expensive each time it changes hands, until

it finally reaches a retailer, where the price is

raised a bit more. Before reaching the

retailer, however, the diamond must travel

from the mine, to the cutter and polisher, to

the independent grading company, and

then to the Primary market. Once it has

reached the primary market, it will be

purchased by diamond dealers and

wholesalers, and from there it will be sold

to retailers.

As you can see, the earlier you can purchase

a diamond in the process, the lower the cost

of the diamond will be - but not the value.

The value is based on what the diamond will

sell for in the market place - through a retailer.

If you own a diamond, and you have no idea

how much it is worth, you can have it

appraised, but the appraisal may not be

accurate. You will be better off obtaining a

certificate through GIA - Gemological Institute

of America. With the information on this

certificate, you can use a cutter's guide to

accurately determine what your diamond is

worth.

There are also many diamond price

calculators available. These can be found

on the Internet, and many diamond dealers

use these as well. You must realize, however,

that before you can accurately price a

diamond, without a Diamond Grade Report,

you need to know quite a bit about diamonds,

such as different cuts, clarity, color, and weight

- and how each of those aspects adds to the

value of a diamond, or decreases the value of

the diamond as the case may be.

Again, you will be better off if you get a

Diamond Grading Report on the diamond,

and use that information to look up the price

in one of the guides that the diamond cutting

industry uses. This will give you the most

accurate value of the diamond in your

possession, or of the diamond you are

considering purchasing.

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Insuring Your Diamonds

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 470)
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Insuring a diamond takes a bit of thought,

planning, and shopping around. Diamond

insurance isn't like purchasing car insurance.

It is quite different. Depending on the state

that you live in, there are basically three

different types of policies that will cover

diamonds, and all insurance policies that

cover diamonds are considered Marine

type policies.

The first type of insurance policies for

diamonds is an Actual Cash Value policy.

If the diamond is lost or damaged beyond

repair, the insurance company will replace

the diamond at today's market value, no

matter how much you paid for the diamond

to begin with. This type of insurance policy

for diamonds actually is not that common.

The most common type of insurance for

diamonds is Replacement Value insurance.

The insurance company will only pay up to a

fixed amount to replace the diamond that was

lost or damaged beyond repair. This does not

mean that they will pay that amount - it means

that they will pay up to that amount. In most

cases, the diamond can be replaced at a

lower cost.

The third type of coverage offered for

diamonds is Agreed Value. This is

sometimes called 'Valued At.' This type of

coverage is very rare. In the event that the

diamond is lost or damaged beyond repair,

the insurance company simply pays you the

amount that you and the company agreed

upon. This is the best type of insurance to

have, but it is rarely offered. If you can't get

Agreed Value coverage, Actual Cash Value

coverage should be your next choice.

Your rates will be determined by the value of

the diamond, the type of coverage that you

select, and the area that you live in. If you live

in an area with a high crime rate, you can

expect to pay more for your diamond

insurance coverage. It is important to

remember that insurance agents are not

qualified jewelers, and jewelers are not

qualified insurance agents. It is best to get

a certificate for your diamond, and to

provide the insurance company with a copy

of that certificate. This leaves the insurance

company less room for arguments over the

actual value of the diamond.

Don't rely on separate coverage to cover

your diamond. For instance, if you diamond

is stolen from your home, it is probably

covered on your home owner's insurance

policy - but the diamond probably won't

always be in your home, and once it leaves

your home, there is no coverage.

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How To Clean Your Diamonds

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 478)
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Through our day to day movements our

diamonds get smudged and soiled. Even

when we are not wearing them, they collect

dust. Lotions, soaps, our natural skin oils,

can cause film and grime on diamonds

and inhibit their brilliance.

Want to keep that Brilliance and Shine?

Diamonds require cleaning so that maximum

amounts of light can refract fiery brilliance.

Remember that all it takes is a few minutes

and a little care to keep that diamond as fiery

as the day you first saw it.

You can use an small soft brush such as an

eyebrow or lip stick brush and soap and

water to clean your jewelry. Simply make a

bowl of warm sudsy water with a mild

detergent and place your pieces in the

mixture. Then brush the diamonds with the

soft bristles of the brush while they are in

the suds. You will need to make certain that

you rinse them clear of the suds after

cleaning them. You can use a small kitchen

strainer such as a tea strainer to contain

them while rinsing under warm water. Use

a lint free cloth, or a jewelry polish cloth to

pat them dry.

If your diamonds are in need of a stronger

cleansing, you may want to soak them for 30

minutes in a solution of half and half water and

ammonia. Once they have soaked for 30

minutes, remove them and gently brush the

mountings with a small brush. Then replace

the pieces to the solution and swish them

around in the mixture before removing them

to rinse and pat dry.

If you find your self too busy to be mixing

soaps and ammonias, many department

stores sell liquid jewelry cleaners. Most are

kits, with everything you need included. You

need to read the labels to determine the one

that is right for your diamonds and other

jewelry. Read the complete directions and

follow all the precautions.

And if you find yourself more the

"high-tech type", even in your diamond

cleaning routine, there are multiple ultrasonic

cleansers on the market. These machines

use high-frequency to create a cleaning motion.

All machines are not the same, so please read

the instructions before using.

Only you can choose the cleaning method

right for you. But, it is essential to keep

your jewelry clean to keep it brilliant and

sparkling. Between cleaning, try not to touch

your clean diamonds with your fingers or

handle your jewelry by its edges. This will

help maintain its shine and brilliance for

longer periods.

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All About The Clarity Of Diamonds

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 231)
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Clarity is an important aspect of a diamond,

and it is important to know how to grade the

clarity of a diamond before you buy one. It is

actually quite easy to learn how to grade the

clarity of a diamond. There are basically two

things that you must understand: Diamonds

with visual inclusions and blemishes, and

those that are 'eye clean' meaning that there

are no inclusions or blemishes that can be

seen with the naked eye. From there, the

clarity of a diamond is further broken down

into subcategories.

Many people mistakenly think that diamond

clarity refers to how clear it is. This isn't so.

Clarity actually refers to the internal and

external imperfections of the diamond. The

best diamonds, of course get a grade of FL

or IF - Flawless or Internally Flawless -

meaning that it is perfect. A grade of I-1, I-2

or I-3 means that the diamond is imperfect,

with a grade of I-3 being the worst.

Other grades are VVS1 and VVS2, which

means that the diamond is very, very slightly

imperfect; VS1 and VS2, meaning the

diamond is very slightly imperfect; SI-1 and

SI-2, which means that the diamond is

slightly imperfect.

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Diamond Brands And What They Mean

(category: Diamonds, Word count: 224)
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Diamonds are one of the few products that

simply cannot be 'branded.' Even though

there are different cuts, different grades, and

different values placed on each and every

diamond in existence, no diamond is any

specific brand - just as gold is not a specific

brand.

Branding is actually based on who owns the

diamond. For instance, if DeBeers owns the

diamond, it is a DeBeers Diamond - but it is

still just a diamond. If the diamond was cut by

a specific well known cutter, then it might be

branded in that way as well - but it usually

isn't. It is still branded based on who owns it

at the time. So basically, when it comes down

to it - diamond brands mean absolutely

nothing at all.

Do not allow a jeweler to try to talk you into

paying an exorbitant price on a diamond

because it is a specific brand. This is a bit

of trickery used by unscrupulous jewelers

when they know that they are dealing with

people who don't know much about

diamonds. Remember that diamonds are

not actually branded - unless mother nature

has her own brand!

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Diamonds Articles

About Diamond Weights

Are Diamonds Really Rare

Diamond Grading Reports

Selecting Diamonds

How Diamond Prices Are Determined

Insuring Your Diamonds

How To Clean Your Diamonds

All About The Clarity Of Diamonds

Diamond Brands And What They Mean

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