Archive for the ‘Diamonds’ Category
Colored Diamonds
Fancy colored diamonds are all the rage these days. Gemologists have developed new ways to create versions that are affordable for the average person – by treating less desirable diamonds. These less desirable diamonds are treated with irradiation followed by intense heat. This turns brown and yellowish diamonds into beautifully colored diamonds that you can afford. This produces stunning greens, blues, yellows, reds, purples and other colors. These colors are considered permanent, but there is a possibility they could change during repairs if a high heat is used.
Treatments like irradiation make it possible for more people to own these vividly colored diamonds. Most natural colored diamonds are rare and also extremely expensive. When shopping for colored diamonds you need to assume that any affordable fancy color diamond has been treated. Ask about the stones origin and request to view a lab certificate to verify authenticity.
Synthetic colored diamonds are another option if owning a colored diamond is something you desire but cannot quite afford. They are real diamonds, but they are created in a lab.
Natural fancy color diamonds get their coloring from different trace elements present in the stones, such as nitrogen, which produces a yellow diamond. Diamonds can be colored by exposure to radiation during its creation. An example of a diamond affected by radiation is a Green diamond.
Another way that a natural colored diamond gets color is by its inclusions. Regarded as flaws and undesirable in a colorless diamond, inclusions give unique tones and brilliant flashes of color in a fancy color diamond. Remember that Natural fancy colored diamonds are very expensive, any colored diamond labeled to be sold as natural should be accompanied by a certificate from a respected grading lab.
A “fancy” diamond is a natural diamond that has color. These colors vary from red, green, purple, violet, orange, blue and pink – and most shades between. Fancy color shades vary from faint to intense.
The most famous diamonds in the world are Color diamonds. The Tiffany Diamond, which is yellow and the Hope Diamond which is blue are colored diamonds. Color diamonds have an amazing financial track record. The value has never decreased on wholesale level in more than 30 years. Blue and pink diamonds have doubled every 5 years of a strong economy. In the 1970’s you could have bought a very high quality blue diamond for about 50K and today the very same stone would be worth between 2 and 3 million.
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Choosing The Cut of A Diamond
There are many different cuts of diamonds to choose from. The cut essentially refers to the shape that the diamond is cut into – unless you are in the diamond or jewelry business, but this shape has a great impact on the much the diamond sparkles.
The most popular cuts are heart, marquise, oval, pear, princess, round, trillion, and emerald cuts. The shape has an impact on how much the diamond sparkles, but the actual cutting itself – when the diamond cutter actually cuts the diamond into a particular shape – also matters a great deal. If the diamond is poorly cut, it will lose its sparkle.
However, in the diamond industry, the cut of a diamond doesn’t refer to its shape at all. Instead, this is a reference to the stone’s depth, width, brilliance, durability, clarity, and other aspects of the diamond. Common cutting problems include a missing or off center culet, misalignment, a diamond that is too thick or too thin, cracks, or broken culets.
When shopping for a diamond, you should of course choose the shape that you like the best, but then look at several different diamonds of that shape to find the one with the best cut – the one that sparkles the most, in all types of lighting.
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Buying Diamonds Online
With all of the potential for scams concerning diamonds, buying diamonds online almost seems unthinkable! However, you actually can purchase diamonds online, without any problems – as long as you are careful.
First, think about your reasons for wanting to purchase the diamond online, as opposed to making a purchase from a local jewelry store. The most common reason is price. Due to low overhead costs, online jewelers and wholesalers are able to offer lower prices. However, you must be careful – sometimes a price that is too low is a sure indication of a scam.
One of the best things about purchasing online is the unlimited selection. When shopping offline, you are limited to the selection in the stores in your general area. Online, there are no limits. But again, you must use a great deal of care and consideration before handing your money over to someone that you cannot see and have never met!
Before shopping, learn as much as you can about diamonds – especially cut, color, clarity and carat weights. When you are knowledgeable about diamonds, it will be harder for a con artist to rip you off. Once you know more about diamonds, you will be ready to start shopping.
Take your time. Don’t purchase the first diamond that you see that interests you. Instead, look for similar diamonds for sale. Do some comparison shopping to find the lowest prices. Once you have found the lowest price, start doing your investigation. You know about diamonds, you’ve found a diamond that you love, and you’ve found the lowest price – but you are still quite a ways away from actually purchasing that diamond!
Ask about the seller’s credentials, such as professional jewelry associations that they belong to. View and print the seller’s return, refund, and upgrade policies. Also inquire about additional services, such as settings and mountings, sizing, and free shipping. Do a search for customer reviews on this particular company around the Internet. Also check with the BBB Online to see if there have been any complaints.
Ask for a diamond grading report from an independent laboratory such as GIA, HRD, EGL or AGS. You should see this before making a purchase. Finally, use a reputable escrow service for high dollar diamonds – preferably one that will have the diamond appraised while it is in their possession. The seller sends the diamond to the escrow service, and you send the money to pay for the diamond to the escrow service. The escrow service has the diamond appraised, sends the diamond to you, and sends the money to the seller. This is the surest way to protect yourself…again, make sure that you use a reputable escrow service!
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Bonded Diamonds
Before you start shopping for diamonds, consider dealing with a bonded jeweler. Bonded jewelers sell bonded diamonds, and there are very few bonded jewelers in the world. In fact, out of all of the jewelers in the world, only about 5% of them are bonded. Buying a bonded diamond will cost more than buying a non-bonded diamond, but when you look at what you get with the bonded option, you will see that it is well worth the extra expense.
First, bonded diamonds have a buy back policy for the life of the diamond. No matter how long you have had the diamond, you can take it back to the bonded jeweler and sell it back to him or her, for a 100% refund. If a jeweler does not offer a 100% buy back guarantee, for the life of the diamond, then you should take a closer look at the diamond to see what is wrong with it.
Bonded diamonds also have a breakage policy. If the stone breaks or chips, the bonded jeweler will replace it with a new one one time. No jeweler would ever offer such a policy on any stone that was not 100% natural, so just the offer of such a policy should give you piece of mind concerning the quality of the diamond. Bonded diamonds are natural and untreated.
Bonded diamonds increase in value, with a fixed appreciation rate that is designed to keep up with inflation. This means that a diamond that is worth a certain amount of money today will be worth more in the future, as the price of diamonds continues to rise. This generally does not apply to buy backs, however. It typically applies to trade-ins.
Alternately, by purchasing a bonded diamond, you are protected against the possibility of a market crash. If a market crash occurs, the value of diamonds will drop. However, the bonded jeweler guarantees to refund you the difference between what the diamond is now worth and what you paid for it before the market crash.
It may be difficult to find a bonded jeweler in your area, but if you can, this is who you want to deal with, as opposed to dealing with an un-bonded jeweler. Specifically tell the jeweler that you are only interested in bonded diamonds. You can find a bonded jeweler in your area by using various online resources, or by calling the local jewelry stores.
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The Man Made Diamond – How Exactly Is A Diamond Created
‘Man made diamond’ is also known as synthetic diamond and this ‘man made diamond’ or the ‘lab created diamond’ undergoes a chemical and physical process in the diamond mines. The main difference between ‘Man made diamond’ and the natural diamond is the composition of three dimensional carbon crystals. The ‘lab created diamond’ or the ‘man made diamond’ are known by various names such as manufactured diamond, artificial diamond, industrial diamond or the cultured diamond. ‘Man made diamond’ is manufactured either from the silicon carbide or the cubic zirconium.
History of the Lab Created Diamond
The first ‘man made diamond’ was manufactured in Sweden in 1953 by Quintus and by an engineer Anders Kampe. This lab created the diamond manufacturing process, bulky and huge machines were used which were designed by Baltzar Von Platen. But this feat was not known to many people. After one year General Electric took a giant step in manufacturing the ‘man made diamond’. This step encouraged the many young aspirants and the ‘man made diamond’ industry came into existence in the nineteenth century. The main industrialist in lab created diamond or the ‘man made diamond’ was the GE Super abrasives and the De Beers Industrial Diamonds.
In and around 1980 some additional ‘man made diamond’ industries were formed in Korea. Later on the Chinese became the pioneers in the lab created diamond process. GE Super abrasives later on sold their ‘lab created diamond’ unit to Little John and this was named the Diamond Innovation Company of 2003. During this same time De Beers Industry was divided into two different ‘man made diamond’ industries and the second industry was known as Element Six.
At present, there are many ‘man made diamond’ industries available around the globe and some are well known diamond industries such as Sumitomo Electric Hard Metal, Smith Mega Diamonds and the United States Synthetic Diamond industry. Today the ‘lab created diamond’ has a market of one billion dollars and produces around three billion carats of the Man made diamonds in a year. Out of these three billion carats only 130 million carats are used in the manufacturing gems.
Manufacturing Process Of Lab created Diamonds
To create a diamond, there are basically two methods that are used now days. One of the methods is high a pressure, high temperature method and commonly known as HPHT method in the ‘man made diamond’ manufacturing arena. As the production cost is less in this process, making it a more popular method used world wide. The main accessory used is a heavy press that provides a pressure of 5 GPA and the temperature that is formed due to this pressure is around 1500 degree Celsius. The diamond better known as ‘man made diamond’ is created by all these procedures inside the earth’s crust. In this process there are two types of presses used and they are a belt press and a cubic press.
Another method used in ‘Lab created diamond’ is the Chemical Vapor Deposition which is also called the CVD method. In this method carbon plasma is formed on the top where the tiny carbon atoms are made form a ‘Man Made Diamond’. In this CVD various gases are used to energize the suitable conditions for diamond growth on the top layer. This method of Chemical Vapor deposition was introduced in 1980.[ReviewAZON asin="B000MFD9RY" display="inlinepost"]
Diamond Watches The Choice Of A Discerning Jewelry Enthusiest
Diamonds are beautiful jewels and are used in many types of jewelry from diamond necklaces to diamond rings to diamond watches. They are becoming more and more popular with both men and women due to the fact that they do not have to be too flashy. Both men and women continually look for new ways to use diamonds. Diamonds are not a rarity by any means. They are very easy to find and purchase.
The diamond watch is becoming more and more popular. They have become less expensive. It is also easier for consumers to find diamond watches. Diamond watches are something that both men and women can wear. The diamond watches are made in many sizes, shapes and styles. The prices of diamond watches vary just about as much as the styles do.
There are diamond watches that can be worn by women out on the track. These diamond watches are a way of showing that women can wear the diamond watches even when they are active. This type of diamond watch functions just like any other sport watch, but it has the diamonds and looks a bit nicer than the typical sport watch.
Women still wear the classic style of diamond watch. This type of diamond watch is typically worn for a nice evening out on the town. Some of the popular brands that make the classic style of diamond watch include Rolex, Seiko, Citizen, Omega, Bulova, and Cartier.
Men are sporting diamond watches more and more. The diamond watch for men is distinguished and beautiful at the same time. Many of the same dealers that make women’s’ diamond watches also make men’s diamond watches. So men’s diamond watches are just as readily available as women’s diamond watches. The dealers do not make men’s diamond watches to look the same as women’s diamond watches, though. The men’s diamond watch is larger and more masculine looking. They look more powerful looking than a woman’s diamond watch.
When purchasing a diamond watch it is important to know what you are getting. You want to know the quality of the diamonds in the diamond watch you are purchasing. Price and quality do not always match when it comes to diamond watches. Purchasing a more expensive diamond watch does not necessarily mean that you are purchasing high quality diamonds. Instead of looking at the price of diamond watches, be sure to purchase your diamond watch through a reputable dealer.
Whether you are a man or a woman you can find a diamond watch to fit your personality and lifestyle. A diamond watch is sure to be in style as long as man continues to exist. Diamond watches step a wardrobe up a notch from ho hum to ooh nice. It does not matter how much money you make, you can find a diamond watch from a reputable dealer that will fit into your budget. Go out and shop for your diamond watch. Watch and see for your self how a diamond watch can enhance your wardrobe step up the excitement in your life.[ReviewAZON asin="B000VC7RD0" display="inlinepost"]
How to Tell If A Diamond is Fake
A diamond is a girl’s best friend! It is a beauty and unique nature makes it easy to admire. Diamond purchasing is a great task and an exciting pleasure. There are various types of diamonds so when buying real diamonds, one should learn about fake diamonds so that you will be able to distinguish between the fake vs. real diamond. Nowadays the best fake diamond is in great demand. Here are some of the simple solutions or the methods that will enable you to find out the difference between the fake vs. real diamond. The best way to know about the precious diamond is to acquire knowledge from a diamond professional. If possible take the diamond along with you to the shop and get all the details from the jeweler. The best fake diamond looks so similar to the real diamond that even a professional diamond jeweler may get confused and may have hard time to finding out whether it is a fake or the real diamond. In case you are not satisfied with the views regarding the real diamond from the professional, here is a way to find out which is a real diamond and which is a fake diamond.
The first method is to check the diamond with the help of diamond tester as it will help you to differentiate between real diamond and best fake diamond. It is an electronic tester that can check all the diamonds except the moissanite stone for which the diamond tester is not reliable. The best fake diamond is the cubic zirconia and the weight of this diamond is around 50% more than a real diamond of the same size and shape. This weighing test also can find out the difference between fake vs. real diamond.
Another method for checking the best fake diamond is the transparency test in which the diamond is placed up side down on the news paper and if the written matter from the newspaper is legible then be sure that the diamond is not the real one and it can be a best fake diamond. One of the disadvantages of this method is that some of the stones may appear to be a real diamond due its fine cutting. In this case, one needs to be sure about the cutting methods of the stones. This method is very common and enables you to find the real diamond from the best fake diamond.
The third method that helps you to differentiate between fake vs. real diamond is the fog test. Hold the stone or the diamond and blow some air from your mouth on to the stone, if the fog appears on the stone and stays there for next few seconds then it shows that the stone is a best fake diamond because in case of a real diamond, the heat disappears instantly. The oily layers and dirt on the stone might create some problems to differentiate fake vs. real diamond. Thus, before carrying out a test for best fake diamond, clean its surface properly.
The ultra violet test is another method that will enable you to find out the real diamond from the best fake diamond. The real diamond projects blue color light if put under the ultra violet light or the black color. There are two options, if the blue light does not appear, it can be best fake diamond or can be a high quality diamond.
All of the above tests can satisfy all the test conditions to differentiate between a best fake diamond and the real diamond.
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All About The Diamond Simulant Industry
The material that is similar in look to the diamond is known as diamond simulant. At present it plays an important role in the diamond simulant industry.
The diamond simulant has the same characteristics of a real diamond. With the diamond simulant or the manufactured diamond, the simulant can be made of artificial material. It can be a natural or it can be combination with both. The diamond simulant is different from the synthetic diamond and the major difference is the material properties. In the case of a synthetic diamond, the properties are same as the natural diamond. The diamond simulant has dispersion and hardness properties like natural diamonds and their properties help in imitation. The differences in a diamond simulant and in synthetic diamond can be found by diamond professionals only.
The common simulants that are used in the manufacturing of a diamond are the leaded glass and the cubic zirconia. Leaded glass is also known as Rhinestones. The other materials that are used rarely in manufacturing diamond simulant are strontium titanate and the synthetic retile. But today, the moissanite plays an important role in manufacturing of a diamond stimulant even though it is costly when compared to leaded glass and the cubic zirconia.
The following properties must be possessed by the diamond simulant to have a great look and fine craftsmanship.
• The diamond simulant should look like a natural diamond.
• The diamond simulant properties should be similar to a diamond.
• The diamond simulant should cater for non-destructive testing otherwise the fine finishing will not be achieved.
• It should match the durability and the density test as per the standard laid down process.
• There should not be any scratches on the diamond simulant, other wise it will be distinct from the natural diamond.
• The diamond simulant should be hard in nature comparing to other gems.
• The manufactured diamond should have crisp and sharp edges to provide a sparkling look.
• They should be flawless and should cater for fine polishing.
• The diamond simulant should pass the window panel test.
• The specific gravity of the manufactured diamond should be around 3.5, so that it resembles the natural diamond.
• The diamond simulant should be of same weight with that of real diamond.
• The diamond simulant should match the optics and color properties with that of the natural diamond.
Artificial simulants
Nowadays the simulants of the diamonds are carried in large masses to cater the needs of the diamond simulant industry. Due the improvements in various technologies it has become very easy to manufacture diamond simulants and these simulants look more original than the natural diamonds.
At present there are two distinct methods to manufacture the diamond simulant. One of the method is the high pressure and high temperature and commonly known as HPHT method. In this method, two presses are used to maintain the constant temperature and pressure. The two presses are the belt press and the cubic press. This is one of the cheapest methods to manufacture a diamond simulant.
The second method that is used is the chemical vapor deposition, which is also called as CVD method. In this the energy used to create plasma in which the gases are broken down to form the diamond on the top and the diamond simulant is provided with fine shapes and is cut into required sizes.[ReviewAZON asin="B000J4J1LQ" display="inlinepost"]
Are Diamonds Really Rare?
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 [ReviewAZON asin="B0031PXA9E" display="inlinepost"]knowing that it truly is one in a million!
All About the Clarity of Diamonds
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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