Yesterday, my friend and I went to several jewelry shops in the hunt for the perfect engagement ring. My friend wanted a solitaire engraved in type of ring. So as we were hunting, I gain a lot of knowledge about the diamonds. I always thought a beautiful ring is determined by it's design and craftsmanship..I was DEAD WRONG for a ring is determined by the 4C's in a diamond. What's 4C's you say? Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat weight.
So this post will be dedicated entirely for your general knowledge on diamonds since knowledge is POWER. Know what you are looking for and what you should be paying for it. You're only going to get married once..so maybe, you need to have a better understanding regarding the value of your solemn vow to that special someone =)
THE ANATOMY
DIAMETER - The width of the diamond as measured through the girdle.
TABLE - This is the large, flat top facet of a diamond.
CROWN - The upper portion oa a cut diamond, above the girdle.
GIRDLE - The narrow rim of a diamond that separates the crown form the pavillion.
PAVILION - The lower portion of the diamond, below the girdle. It is sometimes referred to as the base.
CULET - The tiny on the pointed bottom of the pavillion, which is the portion of a cut diamond below the girdle.
DEPTH - The height of a diamond, from the cutlet to the table.
CUT
Only diamond cuts diamond and when a rough diamond is cut and polished upto 72% of the stone is lost in the process. This is the one C governed by man rather than by nature. It has significant influence on the value of the diamond as different cuts determine the brilliance of the gem. If a diamond is cut too deep the light escapes downwards and the centre will appear dark, absorbing rather than reflecting the light.
A very shallow cut results in light escaping through the base of the diamond causing it to look glassy, watery, dull, and even grey. The Perfect or Tiffany, round cut diamond is cut to precise proportion for maximum refraction of light. The Perfect cut warms the diamond with fire and brilliance beyond comparison with any other gem. So why are all diamonds not cut in the Round Brilliant style? The original shape of the rough dictates the shape of the final diamond. Different shapes of diamonds are cut to retain maximum weight from the rough.
COLOUR
The colour of the diamond is determined by the different gasses present during the crystallization process. In general, diamond colours range from white to yellow. In rare instances different gasses present with the crystallization process integrates into the diamond generating unique colours such as blue, green, pink, and red.
Diamonds are graded according to their inherent colour using a white to yellow colour scale from D to Z.
D to F represent colourless stones and are usually favoured for investment purposes due to higher premiums. G to J represent near-colourless stones but are as appealing as the complete colourless gem. K to Z becomes more yellow to the naked eye and therefore more cost effective as the colour scale moves down, although at present, yellow stones have become a lot more popular and fashionable.
CLARITY
Diamonds contain minute traces of inclusions, these consist of non-crystallized carbon, cracks, bubbles, feathers, clouds etc. Inclusions are seldomly visible to the naked eye, and that will have an influence on the price. In principal, the fewer the inclusions in the diamond, the finer the clarity and the more valuable the stone.
CARAT
The word carat was derived from the carob seed, each carob seed weighs very close to 1 carat.
The carat is the weight or mass of a diamond. 5 carats are equal to one gram. One carat is divided into one hundred points, therefore a 25 point diamond is a ¼ carat. Although size is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond, 2 diamonds of equal size can have very unequal values depending on the other 3 properties.
If you want to have a clear cut regarding this visit this link
How to Care for your Diamonds
Diamonds are often thought to be unshatterable.Unfortunately, this is not the case. Here are some useful handling and care tips.
1. Diamonds are brittle
If you hit a diamond hard, they WILL crack or chip if mishandled. Don't wear your diamond when doing rough work.
2. Storage
Store diamonds separately. When stored with other jewelry, diamonds may scratch other jewelry (or each other).
3. Cleaning
The best method for cleaning is a jeweler's polishing cloth. Most jewelers will clean your diamond ring for free if you are making another purchase in the store.
