Monday, September 25, 2006

Ask for a certificate when buying a diamond

This informative tips that will help you understand and have a better experience when buying a diamond.

When you go to the store to make that all important diamond purchase you must have some knowledge about the colour, clarity, cut and carat. Do not be shy! Ask questions, get the answers needed to make an informed purchase. Shopping for certified Precious 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.

A diamond with no color allows maximum light to pass through, colorless Precious diamonds are preferred for their sparkle.

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.

The number and size of these inclusions determine what is referred to as the clarity of a diamond.

Carat is the unit of weight by which Precious diamonds are measured.

When buying diamond only deal with reputable jewelers Ask to see the certificate for the stone and also look for scratches or nicks.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

How to buy a quality diamond

Nowadays there are more and more fake diamonds jewelry made that look like real diamond jewelry. Therefore, you'll need to be able to know and recognize the difference between them when you buy a diamond for yourself or for your love one. I can tell you it is sometimes very difficult.

First 4 things that you have to know when you are buying a diamond jewelry in the diamond jewelry shops are these 4Cs: carat, cut, color, and clarity. Carat refers to the weight and the size of the diamond. The cut is the shape of the diamond, the most common cuts are princess, round and pear. I personally love princess cut very much. Colors refer to colorless or very near to colorless diamonds are far more expensive than slightly colored diamonds. But somehow, some of the colored are quite popular these days, like pink, blue and yellow diamonds.

Poor clarity, one that is fraught with visible inclusions, this will not worth much. So bargain accordingly. The same goes for the color especially the visibly yellow hue.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

buy a diamond : The Advantages of a Diamond Certificate

One of the most vital documents for your diamond purchase is the diamond certificate, or a diamond grading report. This is a laminated document containing the vital data about the diamond. It is prepared by certified gemologists in independent laboratories. The two most common laboratories that are widely used are the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the America Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL). They are best known for their consistency and unbiased diamond grading system. The diamond certificate includes the color, clarity, cut and carat weight. It will describe the diamond's shape, polish, symmetry, table and depth percentages. Other characteristics such as florescence, graining and imperfections are also commented upon. In the new GIA reports, all standard round brilliant diamonds that falls between the GIA D-Z color scale will receive one of five cut grades from Excellent to Poor. Finally, a detailed sketch of the diamond is included.

The advantages of buying a diamond with a GIA Certificate are you don't have to question the authenticity of the gem. You can verify the color, carat, weight and clarity of the diamond. You will not have any worries about what the seller tells you and there will not be any misunderstandings. You may be required to pay a minimal fee for the certificate since it is done by a third party. But there won't be any doubts about overpaying, as with the certificate you can easily find out what the diamond is worth.

At times, disfigured diamond may have surface cracks that are clarity enhanced by being artificially filled with a glass-like paste to appear a much better diamond than they actually are. There are also man-made diamonds that an average jeweler could not tell if a diamond is natural or man-made. GIA does not certificate these diamonds. So with the GIA diamond certificate, you will not become a victim of buying such diamonds.

Therefore, buying a certified diamond will provide you with a peace of mind and guaranteed value. If you do find a diamond that you like and it is not certified, you can always ask the seller to send it to a Gemological Laboratory for certification. The certification process usually takes two weeks and the lab charges around $75 per carat. If a seller does not want to provide a certificate or send for one then you do not want to deal with that seller.

There are also many other Gemological labs these days, be sure you get a diamond that is certified by the two respectful laboratories mentioned above. That is the GIA and the AGSL. And of course, when you do buy a certified diamond, be sure that the diamond matches the certificate that you receive.

In addition, the certificate helps with resale and insurance questions. Should you want to resell your diamond; the certificate will provide the characteristics and authenticity that you will need to get a fair price. A copy of the diamond report should be given to your insurance company when you insure the diamond. This way there is no dispute of value should it be stolen.

by Michael Russell

buy a diamond : Man Made Diamonds

Diamonds may be a woman’s best friend, but modern man made diamonds are so good as to be indistinguishable from real diamonds. And when you look at the huge savings on price, man made diamonds may be a woman’s best decision.

Increasingly, engaged couples are considering the cost of some wedding jewelry. In today’s high pressure high cost lifestyle couples are really wondering whether or not it is appropriate to spend big on, say, a diamond engagement ring.

The more spent on wedding jewelry the less available later for the important things in the marriage, like a house. Or the kids when they arrive. Is it responsible to spend so much to buy a diamond engagement ring when these more important things may need to be compromised later?

Especially when you consider that good quality man made diamonds cannot be distinguished from real diamonds, even by jewellers.

Faux diamonds are big business. The pearl jewelry industry was revolutionised by the advent of cultured pearls. Synthetic diamonds are doing the same thing to the wedding jewelry business.

There are a range of ways to produce synthetic diamonds. Modern technology is very adept at making any product which will sell well and faux diamonds are no exception. And the quality is so good that many of the alternatives to diamonds perform exceedingly well when compared to diamond using the common diamond quality tests.

In such tests as hardness, refractive index, fire, brilliance, luster and others the man made diamonds perform admirably. Sometimes even better.

Brilliance is a test of the amount of light which enters the stone and gets reflected back. It is affected by the quality of the cut of the stone.

Fire is the ability of the stone to break light down into it’s component colors and is also affected by the cut. “Fire” can be seen as color coming out of the stone.

Luster is the amount of light reflected back from the surface of the stone.

Moissanite, for example, outperforms diamond in brilliance, fire and luster and is only very slightly lower on the hardness scale. In fact a special piece of testing equipment had to be designed so that jewellers could tell moissanite from diamond as so many were unable to.

And, of course, moissanite is much cheaper than diamonds. And if most jewellers cannot tell it apart from diamonds, could you?

There are a range of different processes used to produce a stone which is a good diamond alternative. Most produce fine quality stones which produce stunning quality jewelry which any woman would be proud to wear.

Moissanite is not strictly a man made diamond though, as it is, in fact, naturally occurring. Unfortunately it doesn’t occur in sufficient quantities to be commercially viable for mining. But technology has come to the rescue by devising a method of producing high quality crystals.

Our preference for the best alternative to diamonds? Moissanite. A fine jewelry stone which will make a stunning engagement ring, or other jewelry piece. And you can buy moissanite wedding jewelry at a fraction of the price of diamond wedding jewelry.

And when the kids come along, buy them something extra from us from the money you’ve saved.

By Peter Crump

buy a diamond : Get A Diamond Certificate Before Buying A Diamond

Diamond grading reports are certificates issued from the Gemological Institute of America which is an independent third party laboratory specializing in grading these precious stones. I suggest that you not buy a gem without one.

The certification from the GIA gives you a written verification of the weight, cut, clarity, and carat of the stone you are seeking. This is similar to getting a CARFAX report on a car instead of having to trust the car dealer, since the information is coming from a third party with nothing to gain from the transaction you can feel comfortable that the information is true and correct and armed with this information you may be able to negotiate a better price by getting the actual wholesale value of the stone in question.

Another reason that a diamond certificate is so important is that if you buy a higher quality diamond that you may decide to part with later it will be next to impossible to anywhere near what the stone is worth without the certification that it is what you say it is. Think about it, would you buy an expensive item from a stranger without some serious third party documentation?

By taking the step to get the Diamond Grading Report all question of the quality will be removed and you will be able to discern exactly what your prospective purchase is worth which will keep you from paying too much and assure you of the quality that you are getting.

After you complete the transaction you will want to be sure to send a copy of the certificate to you insurance company so that they can add it to your policy. By doing this you will be providing the company with undeniable evidence of the value in case your diamond is stolen or lost at a later date.

If a dealer that you are speaking to you about a diamond is unwilling to produce a certificate or they tell you that it will be more expensive to purchase a certified diamond then don't do business with them, ever. This is a solid indication that they are either peddlers of inferior quality merchandise or just flat out crooks. The only certification you should accept is from the GIA as they are the most trusted and respected in the industry as well as being the oldest.

A purchase like this is a serious investment and should not be done without acquiring the certification. It will save you a lot of aggravation and heartache in the future.

By Gregg Hall

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

How To Choose Diamond Stud Earrings...continued...

Fast Fact:

there are many good websites to purchase diamond stud earrings. Our top recommendation, however goes to a specialty site www.diamondstudsonly.com. They sell the same color, clarity and cut grades for about 25% less than the typical "sale" price in a retail jewelry store (and other internet stores), and they back it up with a price comparison tool that allows you to view prices for earrings of the same quality on many other major internet jewelry sites. You will also have the security of their free insurance against loss of any kind for a full year.

Choosing the right Color:

The finest diamonds are colorless, rare and expensive. On the GIA grading scale, D-F are considered colorless, G-I near colorless and any grade J or below shows an increasingly yellowish tinge. Beyond the preference for a whiter stone, however, the color of a diamond does not affect its brightness or sparkle.

Fast Fact:

Most experts agree that, when mounted, diamonds in the "G-H" range appear colorless, and represent a much better value than "D-F" stones which command significantly higher prices.
Choosing the right Clarity: Diamonds with fewer flaws (inclusions) are rare and therefore more highly prized. In many cases, these flaws don't detract from the beauty of the diamond because they are invisible to the naked eye.

Fast Fact:

Any grade "SI2" or above has inclusions that are "eye clean", not visible to the naked eye. An "I1" grade can be an excellent value, particularly if the inclusion is on the outer edge. "I2" grades can still exhibit a fair degree of fire and light. "I3" grade diamonds are noticeably more opaque or dark to the naked eye.
Choosing the right Cut:< More than any other attribute, it is the Cut that makes a diamond brilliant and beautiful. A diamond that is well cut reflects light internally and displays a dazzling shower of light back through the top of the stone.

Fast Fact:

When viewing a diamond, look directly into the center: if there are dark facets in the center or a dark ring around the center, or if the diamond appears opaque, it is probably due to poor cut.
Brilliance, Dispersion and Scintillation: The secret of a diamond that is properly cut is that it returns a measurably greater amount of light, which is displayed as brilliance, dispersion and scintillation. This is the true measure of a diamond's beauty.

Brilliance:

The total amount of white light, both external and internal, returned from the diamond to the eye of the observer. Dispersion: Flashes of color, or fire, particularly when viewing a diamond in strong, direct light.
Scintillation: Reflections and flashes of white light from the diamond's surface as the diamond, observer or light source moves.

by: Lauren Stomel

How To Choose Diamond Stud Earrings

Diamond beauty versus cost: What is the best combination? Better quality diamonds are more brilliant and beautiful, but they command higher prices as well. This article explains how to find the best value in diamond stud earrings: the brightest diamond for the lowest cost.

For those who can afford it, we recommend an excellent cut diamond of G-H color and "eye-clean" clarity. This is a moderately priced diamond, but earrings of this quality will produce the same dazzling shower of light as those costing thousands of dollars more.

There are three simple reasons: first, it is the excellent cut that breathes life and sparkle into a diamond. Second, most experts agree that a G-H color appears colorless when mounted, so spending more for D-E-F color diamonds isn't necessary. Third,a diamond of SI2 clarity is "eye-clean", meaning it has no flaws visible to the naked eye, but costs a lot less than the higher clarity grades.

Excellent bargains with only a slight compromise in beauty can be found in the I1 Clarity range as well, as long as the cut is good and the color is in the G-H range. by: Lauren Stomel

For those who are on a budget, don't feel embarrassed to buy diamonds of a lower quality. All diamond earrings sparkle when they are worn on a woman's ear, and let's face it: for the same price, many women would rather wear 1 carat studs of a lower quality than 1/2 carat studs of a higher quality.

Discover Which Diamond Engagement Rings She'll Love

Diamond engagement rings have been given to brides-to-be traditionally since the year 1477. Maximilian is the first man that has been recorded as using the mystery and brilliance of a diamond ring to help him ask for his love’s hand in marriage.

He wanted to impress his future father in law and apparently using a diamond ring worked. History states that Maximilian married his lovely bride within the next 24 hours after his proposal.

In those days only an elite few could afford to buy diamond rings. Men that used diamond engagement rings to ask for a woman’s hand in marriage were looked upon with respect and envy. Having the ability to afford a diamond ring sent a message to the public that this man was powerful and privileged and had a lot to offer this lucky woman.

The tradition has held strong into today’s culture. When a man proposes to a woman, the majority of the time he’ll present her with a beautiful diamond ring. When shopping for a ring many men are confused as to what ring to buy. When you start shopping for a diamond engagement ring it may be overwhelming so it’s a good idea to have some styles in mind before you start.

Finding out which style of diamond rings she likes is the tricky part. Does she like solitaires, marquis, round, or square cut diamonds? Would she like diamonds to be flush with the ring or does she want a humongous rock that everyone will notice?

If your proposal isn’t a surprise, go ahead and ask her. If it is a surprise then you’ll have to do some investigative work. Next time you’re in the mall together wander over near a jewelry counter and casually point out some rings to her. Then start a conversation about what she likes. Or just keep your eye on her and see what section she wanders over to. You can always return to the store later and look in that section to see which diamond engagement rings she was eyeing.

Take a look in her jewelry box. By looking at the other jewelry she owns you’ll get a good idea of what kind of ring she would like best. If she doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry she might like something a little smaller or simpler; maybe something that will not feel heavy on her finger or get in her way when she’s working.
If you need a little more help picking out which diamond engagement ring to buy for the woman you love, employ the help of friends and family. She’s probably looked at rings with someone else that she’s close to. If you ask them they may be able to tell you what styles of diamond rings she’s been looking at.

Sifting through all of the diamond engagement rings that are available is a tough job. Before you head out to the store or look around online be sure to follow our tips to find the perfect diamond engagement ring for your bride-to-be. Remember, pay attention to which diamond rings she looks at in the store, look in her jewelry box to find out what style of jewelry she likes, and ask friends and family about diamond engagement rings she might like. Follow these hints and you’ll be on your way to the perfect diamond engagement ring for the woman you love. By Shayna Schnereger

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