How To Tell If A Diamond Is Real – 5 Ways to Find Out
December 24, 2019
Receiving a diamond is always a special occasion. But do you have a nagging thought at the back of your mind, doubting whether it’s an authentic stone? Not to worry! We have your solution.
Diamond Solitaire Settings
December 22, 2019
What is a solitaire diamond setting?
In short, it’s any jewelry that has one single stone as part of the setting. In rings, a lady’s necklace, engagement rings or any jewelry you may purchase to celebrate someone’s birthday, you’ll often find a solitaire setting.
Let’s talk engagement rings:
Diamond rings are popular ways to showcase love and commitment. Someone kneeling down with a diamond ring in front of a possible future bride creates memorable moments both parties will cherish in future. For the lady, looking at that ring on her finger in years to come, will spark memories of that moment. So, it’s vital that a guy selects a type of ring of which the details suit the lady’s personal taste.
Many couples eventually decide on a solitaire diamond setting for engagement jewelry. When a survey was launched with 7 000 women, one quarter of them confirmed that their partners proposed with solitaire setting rings.
Why is it so popular?
For one thing, a solitaire design doesn’t go out of fashion. It has a certain elegance about it, making it a classic option that works for people with different tastes.
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Secondly, if you want to enjoy looking at your diamond, a solitaire setting will show off the best features of the stone, remarkably well. The good news: a classic approach doesn’t mean boring. You can pick one of many solitaire setting options. But how do you make sure you get it right? We suggest you first consider which shape diamond will be best, because your entire design will be created around this stone. The gem will be the focus of your jewelry.
Not sure what to pick?
A safe choice is what over 50% of engagement ring buyers pick: a round brilliant gem. The specific cut ensures both sparkle and depth. It’s so eye-catching because there’s a lot of light that returns through the top part of the gem.
If you’re in the mood for something different, why not consider these:
Princess
Pear shaped stones
Cushion cut diamond
Your next step is to pick a style for your setting, which refers to what type of look your setting will have while it keeps your gem safely in its place. Let’s discuss a few setting styles. You can pick the modern Bezel style which follows the shape of the gem.
Active individuals are wise to pick this: if your ring will often bump against objects, this setting is more likely than some others to still keep it secure. If aesthetics matter to you most, you’ll probably like the Tension or Prong settings. With the first type, your gem will seem as if it’s floating on top of the jewelry.
The diamond is kept in place by a spring effect and there isn’t any metal underneath the gem. A bonus with this setting is that it’s so easy to maintain, so it won’t start looking dull. With the Prong setting, a type of claw—the prongs are wires connected to the ring band—below the stone secures it. The attractive aesthetics is thanks to the setting allowing for a lot of sparkle and you’re showing off the gem’s dimensions & details.
If you love minimalism and a classic look, this will work for you. One that definitely deserves your consideration is the Tiffany setting: a design with six claws or prongs. It’s been on the jewelry scene for 125 years, and it’s still iconic & often seen in new engagement rings. Or do you want a Cathedral setting where the sides of your gem will be safeguarded by slopes?
The name refers to the fact that the overall look resembles a cathedral’s arched and vaulted ceiling. Which one will it be? One thing is for sure: you won’t go wrong by picking a solitaire diamond setting to impress your loved one!
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Where Are Blue Diamonds Found
December 12, 2019
Perhaps part of the fascination of colored stones is that no two of these diamonds will be 100% similar. They’ll be unique in shade, with different characteristics in each one, but you can be sure they’re all eye catching, scarce and therefore also valuable. With diamonds, the stones belonging to the ‘Blue’ group are particularly hard to find in the market. They fall into the group of second most scarce of all diamonds.
So, they’re not as rare as red ones or violet colored diamonds, but they’re definitely harder to find than pink gems. Taking a closer look at only blue diamonds, the ones with stronger hues are more difficult to find than others.
How rare are they?
A practical comparison is this:
For every 100 Picasso canvases that are available for bidding at auctions, you’ll only find a single blue diamond. That’s rare! An alternative way of explaining the rarity is this: Eden Rachminov’s book "The Fancy Color Diamond Book" states that 0.1% of all diamonds that have the classification of ‘fancy colored’ get the ‘Type IIb Blue’ diamond label.
So, how do these stones get their attractive hues?
Both the colors, the chemical composition AND the stories behind famous blue diamonds are interesting. Let’s dive in.
What’s Behind the Colors?
In most colored stones, hues are the result of impurities inside. This also applies to blue diamonds and you have boron to thank for the particular color. Boron particles absorb light’s yellow, resulting in a blue reflection. As stated, not all blue diamonds are of the same hue, so you can expect various looks:
Paler stones that resemble the sky when it’s clear
Blue reminiscent of steel
A deep sea-blue
Because of the different types of blues, they’re named accordingly to differentiate between them and you’ll find many descriptions on the market, such as ‘royal’ or ‘baby’.
What Type of Blue Diamond can You Expect?
Types refer to a diamond’s grading and you’ll come across:
Type IIb: This refers to exceptional purity, referring to the absence of nitrogen impurities, or there are very few of them.
Type Ia: Here the color is affected by hydrogen and you can expect secondary hues, or modifying colors as they’re referred to, with names like ‘greenish blue’ or ‘gray-blue’. You’ll get these details when you read through a diamond’s gemmological grading report.
Another stone comparison experts make is to see how well gems handle heat & electricity conduction. In this department blue diamonds perform well, being the only diamonds able to do it. This makes it the hardest conductor in existence. Note: if a stone’s color was enhanced it won’t be able to perform this service.
The Origin of Blue Diamonds
Travel to Petra Diamonds’ mine in Cullinan,
South Africa and there you’ll find the place where most of these blue gems are mined.
In this mine, situated close to Pretoria, many impressive stones were found.
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Have you heard of these?
A 29.6 carat blue diamond that was sold, rough, for $25 million. After being polished and being made into a 12 carat stone it was named ‘Blue Moon’. The vivid blue of the gem is quite striking.
An even bigger diamond—the biggest blue ever found—was measured as 122.52ct.
You can also travel to the Golconda mine in India, a place called Lesteng in Lesotho, or Zimbabwe to see where blue stones are mined. According to NCDIA, the latter is the only place you’ll find blue stones that fluoresce. Diamonds also require polishing and if you want this for your small blue diamond—less then 3ct—you should use Israel’s experts. For larger stones, try Antwerp or New York.
Blue Diamonds: What is Their Value?
Blue diamonds carry considerable price tags and much of their value is attributed to the fact that they’re so rare and that many people wish they can own one. You’ll see a price rise of 12%-17% most years and even with more stones coming onto the market, this saturation doesn’t prevent price hikes. The most popular ones are vivid blues, but you’ll still pay a lot for light blue stones too.
Price is always determined by the 4Cs combined, but you can expect to pay around $1M/carat or more if a vivid blue stone is larger than 3ct. Collectors and investors purchase them at auctions & these events keep seeing record prices paid for blue stones. They’re still novelties to own, partly because yearly so few of them are added to the diamond market: usually only 2 to 4 in a given year.
Blue Diamonds—The Famous Ones
Let’s take a look at some of the most famous blue diamonds to date.
They’ve captured people’s attention in the past and if you ever see them they’ll impress you too:
Hope Diamond: This is the most well known blue gem and weighs 45.52ct. Some would say it’s the most famous diamond known to man. Its hue is gray blue and it has an interesting backstory: people believe it has a curse. The last time it was purchased Harry Winston bought it, but donated it almost immediately to the Smithsonian where you can view it today.
Star of Josephine: It was found in 2008 and this cushion-cut stone weighs 7.0ct. This flawless stone cost $9.49M at an auction, which means the buyer paid the highest rate/carat ever recorded.
Tereschenko diamond: This is the second biggest fancy blue diamond and it comes in at 42.92ct.
Wittelsbach-Graff: After it was cut and polished it was recorded as 31.06ct. This one was found way back in the 1600s and in 2011 a buyer paid $24.3M for it.
Winston Blue: This one was first known as the ‘Perfect Blue’ before it was purchased by Harry Winston in 2014. The pear-shaped gem cost him $24.24 and its value is thanks to it being flawless and vivid blue in color.
Miscellaneous: Petra charged almost $1M/carat for a blue diamond that weighed in at 29.6ct
Now we can wait in anticipation of the next blue diamonds that will be mined. Who knows what the earth will still deliver?
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GIA Diamond
December 8, 2019
When you’re shopping for rings, chances are you’ll come across the words:‘GIA diamond”.Simply put, GIA is an independent authority on diamonds,it created the 4Cs used to grade diamonds and when this term is associated with a certain stone it proves that it has been graded by this organization.Should you be relying on this entity when shopping for engagement rings or other jewelry?Smart buyers do. Let’s answer your questions so you can shop the right way too.A GIA Diamond Explained‘GIA diamond’ is how jewelers refer to stones which GIA has already graded.It’s important to also know who GIA is: It’s an independent NPO involved in various gem related tasks:ResearchEducating professional in the industrySetting standards used for defining a stone’s qualityDiamond grading, for which GIA devised the standard of using weight in carats, the color, a stone’s cut as well as the clarity.This is called the ‘4 Cs’ in the diamond industry.There are scientific processes with which professionals can determine each C of a certain stone.GIA also set up a list of appropriate terms to describe the various features.[greeting]GIA is not a mine, doesn’t do stone appraisals and is also not a commercial trader who sells or buys stones.By operating separately from all these commercial activities, the organization maintains objectivity and can make unbiased decisions.How does this knowledge apply to you as a buyer?In your own interest you should be on the lookout for GIA diamonds and ask sellers for grading reports from this organization.That’s how you can ensure what quality of stone you’re investing in.Because quality affects price this is essential to make sure you get value for the money you pay.Are All Diamonds GIA Stones?You’ll find a large percentage of diamonds are GIA-graded these days, because sellers and buyers trust the entity’s independent functioning & accuracy in diamond grading.But not all of them have GIA reports. If you want to ensure you get a GIA diamond, request a stone’s GIA report from the jeweler. On this you’ll find:The 4 Cs assessmentA number unique to that stone, and this is occasionally also added to the gem’s girdleThat unique reference is important: use the organization’s online database’s ‘Report Check’ for verification and viewing the various aspects of its grading.This is a global database that any buyer from around the globe can use.GIA Certification: What Does it Really Mean?Be careful when you speak about diamonds: while GIA isn’t involved in ‘certifying’ diamonds, many professionals and consumers talk about “GIA certified diamonds”.You’ll also come across terms such as ‘CIA cert’.In truth, GIA only grades stones.But these terms are widely mentioned in the industry when role players talk about GIA reports and the stones that have gone through GIA’s steps of being graded.From GIA you won’t see a mention of a ‘certificate’, not even to refer to the documentation they provide.Their activities should be referred to as:Examinations of stonesAssessments of the gems regarding cut, clarity, color and caratsDescriptions of the diamondsThe outcome is an evaluation, called a ‘report’, which can be given in various formats, even digital.This is similar to what many scientific laboratories call the documentation they issue.Nowhere in the process does the entity provide certification or even refer to the stone’s value.Is GIA Objective? How is This Maintained?Built into GIA’s processes are procedures that make sure each stone is treated anonymously and that the entity stays objective when grading the gem:Stones are put in see-through cases when they arrive.The transparent container doesn’t showcase information about the gem’s owner, because it is concealed, or someone removes it completely upon arrival.Instead of the name of the owner, a barcode is allocated to each stone.This code is placed on a label and helps to track & identify the gem as it moves through the grading steps.Thanks to anonymity you can be sure your diamond’s grading is done objectively, with the report containing an accurate representation of the stone’s features.Consensus among role players is vital in the grading process.It will start off with graders that consider the 4 Cs of each stone.Gemmologists with more experience can then review the data of a stone and offer independent feedback.Only when there’s agreement between these role players will GIA issue a grading.Is the Grading Process Really Necessary for my Diamond?Not only does engagement jewelry symbolize a long-term commitment, but you’re making an expensive purchase.That makes it important to weigh your options before deciding.Make sure you get value for the money you spend.You can easily do that by choosing a GIA diamond.Thanks to the advanced equipment and manner of testing each stone, the GIA report gives you the data that proves it’s a natural gem and what value you’ll get with that stone:CutClarityCaratsColorTreatments it underwentFluorescenceGIA continually does research, so you know state of the art instruments are used to provide you with the necessary information.This report also becomes an easy tool to compare different stones to each other.There’s no bias in reporting from GIA, so you can make a fair comparison of quality.Identify which one will give you the most value, and which one aligns with your preferences. You can think of a GIA report in the same way as getting an objective assessment when buying a new home or a vehicle.Similar to purchasing these assets, proof of GIA grading may be a prerequisite to have the asset insured; in this case the asset is your new diamond.Getting Your GIA Diamond CertificationLet’s be clear once again: while ‘certification’ is a common term,‘Grading’ is the accurate reference to the GIA process.Any individual is eligible to request a GIA report for their diamond.You simply submit it by taking it to one of nine GIA labs.These are situated in cities known as jewelry capitals, situated across the globe.You can do this yourself, but be prepared for a complex process regarding insurance, how to ship the diamond and properly wrapping your valuable package.A more effortless process is to ask your jeweler for assistance.As mentioned, a large percentage of diamonds on today’s market is already graded and you can request this report when you buy yours.Once the sale is complete the document should be presented to you to take home.Do You Pay More for GIA Graded Diamonds?Surprisingly and contrary to many people’s belief, a GIA graded stone doesn’t necessarily have a higher price tag.This assumption is made when individuals compare stones by only looking at their prices.Remember that price of any product closely relates to its quality.Without an assurance of the quality you won’t know whether you’re paying an unnecessarily high price, or you’re actually getting a bargain.The right way to go about it is to take two stones that are similar in the details of the 4 Cs and compare these gems’ prices with each other.Remember, to ensure a fair comparison, it’s important the 4 Cs be graded by the same independent party, such as GIA. The good news is that you don’t have to pay that much to get your stone’s grading.For smaller stones between 0.70 carats and 0.99 carats you can pay less than $50.For sizes up to 1.49 carats it only costs around $80.That’s a very low cost when compared to what many people spend on engagement rings.In 2017, the average for this type of jewelry was over $6300 (USD).It’s worth getting grading done so you have no question about the quality of your gem.Also, when purchasing a diamond from a jeweler, this grading cost is usually worked into the selling price.Where to Purchase Your GIA DiamondWhen you shop at reputable jewelers, GIA reports are often a given.You can also use the Retailer Lookup to determine where appropriate sellers are located near you.Ideally, they should have GIA diamonds on their stock list and have staff members trained by GIA.These days you can even search for GIA graded stones online, with many eCommerce jewelry stores having these gems on offer.Now you have the knowledge to make an informed decision.Pick the stone for your engagement ring that looks spectacular and comes with the right paperwork too.[greeting]
What Is A Black Diamond
December 5, 2019
Black diamonds have transitioned.At first, they may have been simply cast aside after being mined, but these days they’re sought after.Yes, some ladies even want them in their engagement rings.They’re worth a second look, so let’s discuss this unique jewel.Black Diamonds: A Short HistoryOriginally no one thought them worth much.For example, J.R. Sutton wrote this in 1928: “Ordinary black diamond is not greatly unlike black sealing wax. Opinions differ as to its virtues as a gemstone.” (excerpt from Diamond: A Descriptive Treatise).And unlike other colored diamonds, there aren’t many famous black diamonds either.But one example comes with a challenging back story.The Black Orloff or Eye of Brahman as it was also known—a 67.50 ct black diamond—was apparently stolen early in the 19th century.It was nabbed from an Indian idol.The story goes that there was a curse connected to it, making many of its owners kill themselves, before the hex was broken by cutting up the stone.Today these pieces look resplendent where they’re set among other stones.In modern times these days black diamonds are known as ‘Fancy Blacks’ and they’re widely popular.However, the popularity only started late in the 1900s where they served designers well as a contrast to other small stones such as colorless diamonds, using pavé settings. Perhaps the time for black diamonds’ popularity started when popular TV character Carrie received her 5ct engagement ring from Mr. Big.[greeting]This happened in 2010 as part of the ‘Sex in the City 2’ movie.On top of this these stones got publicity with Kat Von D and Carmen Electra also sporting these diamonds some years after the film.Ever since, their popularity grew.But what makes these stones different?The Black Hue ExplainedIt’s only in recent times that the reason for this blackish color has been investigated.Now we know that multiple mineral inclusions result in the dark look of the diamond.This can include hematite, pyrite or even graphite that ends up inside the diamond.Alternatively, through graphitization a cleavage or fracture can also be stained dark.It is when these internal features appear in concentrations that an almost colorless or a brown or an olive shaded diamond can appear black.These stones often look metallic because they’re usually opaque.But they display exceptional luster.A challenge creeps in when you want to cut or polish one of these stones because the inclusions make this difficult.Even setting them is tricky.But when it’s done right the end result of using a natural color black jewel is exceptional and definitely unique when compared to other diamond jewelry.A bonus is that these diamonds often have a lower price tag than others.It’s interesting that color can be induced too and this often happens when these black jewels are obtained for jewelry making, such as engagement rings.For example, a gray diamond with many inclusions can be put through a process of treatments with high temperatures and low pressures.This graphitizes fractures which of course leads to a more black than gray hue.But what about grading these unique stones?Grading a Black DiamondMost diamonds are graded according to an International Diamond Grading System from GIA and the 4Cs:CutColorClarityCarat weightThis applies to colorless and near-colorless diamonds, rated from D to Z.But black diamonds don’t fall into this category, with GIA opting for their grading system that applies to colored stones because:Firstly, because the opaqueness and inclusions of a black diamond prevent one from using the clarity scale for grading.Tone is also a role player because unlike pink, blue or yellow diamonds, there isn’t a tone or saturation variation.Therefore, GIA only uses ‘fancy black’ as a grade term.Also, instead of issuing grading reports you can expect a Colored Diamond Identification and Origin Report which mentions whether the black color is treated or natural.How to Take Care of Your Black DiamondAs mentioned a black diamond can have multiple—even thousands—of small fractures inside which make them more vulnerable than other diamonds.Even though it’s still a hard stone a sharp blow may cause damage easier in comparison to any other colorless diamond.When you’re cleaning your black diamond, you should take the same care as with other stones where you want to prevent damage, and not use an ultrasonic cleaner.Steam is also not advisable.There’s a sense of drama and uniqueness connected to each beautiful black diamond.That makes them the ideal symbol for a relationship that is also dramatic and out of the ordinary.If that’s you, you just found your perfect engagement ring option.Or perhaps you’re looking for the total opposite look by using a fancy white diamond?No matter the one you choose, you’ll draw looks from everyone around you![greeting]
