Diamond Certificates
A diamond certificate is also known as a
Diamond Grading Report. This report comes
from the Gemological Institute of America
(GIA), and you should require this report
when you are purchasing a diamond.
With a diamond certificate, 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 certificate comes
from the GIA – not the dealer. You may be
required to pay for the certificate, but the
cost is usually low, and in many cases, it
will help you negotiate a better price on the
diamond – or keep you from purchasing a
lower quality diamond altogether.
Diamond Brands and What They Mean
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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About Diamond Weights
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.
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A fancy yellow radiant cut diamond
Ladies 14k two tone gold diamond set three stone ring. The prong set center is a fancy yellow radiant cut diamond having a weight of 1.01cts (GIA # 13538315). The bar set princess cut diamonds on each side have a combined weight of .40cts. Enjoy a savings of over $1800 on this specially priced ring. Available for $7348 at thediamondshop.com.