Womens Jewelry

When most people think of diamonds, they usually think of of sparkling white gemstones that glitter and shine, catching and reflecting light in a dazzling and flashy display. In fact, when it is time to shop for diamond jewelry, people look for diamonds that are as clear and brilliant as possible. However, the black diamond, even though it is not bright and clear, is another variety of this precious stone that is becoming increasingly popular. There was a time when a diamond of a black color was considered to be imperfect and practically worthless. But that idea has changed significantly and black diamonds are quickly becoming one of a unique group of gemstones that are very much in demand, precisely because of their rarity and their uniqueness. If you are thinking of buying black diamonds, then you should know that they are not all the same in quality and some care and attention needs to be given to the various characteristics of this unique precious stone. As with any other kind of diamond, it is important to be sure of the quality of the black diamond before making a purchase.

Buying an engagement ring can be exciting, enthralling, or even overwhelming. There are many gorgeous engagement ring styles available. First, it is up to your likes and dislikes and depends upon what you want to or can spend. Next, the engagement ring should be easy to wear, and “practical” for everyday wear. It should be well-designed and crafted, with the gemstones are securely set and made so that the prongs of the setting do not snag.

Jewelry Wholesale – Diamonds

There may come a time in your jewelry making career when you need to select diamonds for a special piece you are working on. Buying diamonds is much like buying any other gem – you find one that is the right size or shape for the piece you are making and you purchase it. WRONG. Much more thought and consideration must go into purchasing a diamond. After all – Diamonds are forever, and you want your jewelry wholesale to last forever too.

There are four C’s when it comes to buying a diamond: cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. All of these must be considered because you want the diamond used in your jewelry wholesale to be as beautiful as possible. Remember that the diamond should not overpower the entire piece, but it should be the main attraction and compliment the rest of the piece as well.

The cut of the diamond does not refer to the shape of it. It refers to the way that it was cut – the quality of the cut. The shine and fluorescence of the diamond is determined by how it was cut.

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As the name implies synthetic diamonds look like real diamonds but do not have the same properties as real diamonds. The ability to determine the differences between chemical compusosition, hardness, weight, and some of the light handling characteristics of real diamonds and synthetic diamonds with the naked eye is extremely difficult. Man-made diamonds are not considered synthetic diamonds because they do have the same properties as real or mined diamonds.

Cut Glass was probably the first material used to simulate a diamond. It is readily available, easy to cut and polish and when seen from a distance, looks good. With all of the information available to today’s consumer trying to pass cut glass off as a diamond rarely works. Cut glass is still seen in costume jewelry and in the movies today because of its extremely low cost. The use of cut glass has widely been replaced by the most popular diamond alternative, cubic zirconium.

Since 1976 cubic zirconium has been the most widely used material for synthetic diamonds. Its low cost, durability and light handling characteristics have made it extremely attractive in producing low cost jewelry. Cubic zirconium light handling characteristics is so close to that of a diamond that only a trained eye can tell the difference between the two. The annual global production had reached 50 million carats by 1980. Cubic zirconium will weigh about 1.7 times more that a diamond. The hardness rating of cubic zirconium is between 8.5 and 9 whereas diamonds have a hardness rating of 10.

Moissanite or silicon carbide was named after Henri Moissan after he discovered the new mineral in fragments of a meteor found near Diablo Canyon in Arizona 1893. Henri Moissan is also credited as the first person to have created a man-made diamond in a libratory in 1892. Moissanite is a naturally occurring mineral that is slightly softer than diamonds with a hardness rating of 9.25 but has almost all of the other properties of a mined diamond. Charles and Colvard introduced gem-quality moissanite jewelry in 1998. The thermal conductivity test use to distinguish diamond from other artificial stones was rendered useless because moissanite has almost the same thermal conductivity as a diamond. It requires highly specialized equipment to determine if a gemstone is moissanite or a diamond…. Synthetic Diamonds continue …

Henri Moissan (1852-1907) received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1906. In 1892 theorized that by crystallizing carbon with pressure and heat from molten iron he could make diamonds. The then set out to prove his theory by designing and building an electric-arc furnace. He subsequently was able to product several tiny stones that had the same properties as mined diamonds. Thus the start of the man made diamond race was born.

The experiment was successfully repeated by Ruffin in 1917 and again by Dr Willard Hershey in 1926. The diamond that was created by Dr Willard Hershey is on display in Kansas at the McPherson Museum. Despite the earlier success, the following experimenters had great difficulty in reproducing the required temperatures and pressures needed by the process and some of the experimenters even lost their lives to explosions.

In 1941 General Electric was able to produce a one carat diamond but of very poor quality. It was not until 1954 that General Electric was able to produce commercially synthesis diamonds of a size and quality to be used in the industrial abrasives market. Today over 600 metric tons of commercially produced diamonds are produced for the industrial abrasives market and about 26 metric tons of mined diamonds are produced for gemstone market yearly.

Today there are two methods used to produce gem quality diamonds. The first is the High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT). If pure carbon in put under pressures of 50,000 atmospheres and temperatures between 1100, and 1400 degrees Celsius will reproduce the environment that creates diamonds inside the Earths core.

Companies like Gemesis, New Age Diamonds, Adia Diamonds and Tairus all utilize the HPHT method of producing gem quality man made diamonds. Clear or White diamonds must be produced in an environment that is free of impurities like nitrogen and boron which makes them very difficult and costly to produce. Most diamonds created by the HPHT method will contain some color. Yellow or orange tint occurs when nitrogen atoms replace 5 or more carbon atoms out of each 10,000 atoms. At a level of one or a few boron atoms for every million-carbon atom is replaced, an attractive blue color results…. Man Made Diamonds continue …

An Emerald Cut diamond is a diamond that has been cut to a rectangular or square step cut with diagonally cut corners. It usually has 2 to 4 rows of parallel facets to the center of the stone. A very popular style of cut used for Emeralds hence the name. What makes this cut unique is the large flat face (table) when viewed from the top.

This flat face highlights the clarity of the diamond so only high quality diamonds are cut to this shape. The lack of impurities and inclusion in the stone will increase the price so emerald cut diamonds are usually more expensive than other cuts with the same caret weight.

The classic emerald-cut shape has a length to width ratio of 1.30 to 1.40. It is interesting to note that studies done back in the mid 1970s showed that the majority of successful business also had logos with the same length to width ratio. Other length to width ratios is available and if they are pleasing to the eye is determined only by individual tastes. 1.25, 1.50, and 1.75 are very common and if you prefer a more square shape then take a look at the Asscher cut. It also has a flat face to highlight the clarity of the diamond but has a length to width ratio of about 1.0 to 1.05.

When purchasing an emerald cut stone of SI clarity grade or lower, be sure to review the clarity plot on the diamond certificate. A diamond is said to be Slightly Included (S.I.1 to S.I.2) when it presents defects that are easy to locate under 10x magnification.

The Darya-I-Nur diamond is one of the most famous emerald-cut diamonds in the world. It is also believed to be the largest pink diamond in the world. The stone is estimated to weigh somewhere between 175 and 195 carats, and it is a light pink color. Its exact weight isn’t known because its been mounted in its brooch setting for over 130 years. This stone is one of the most celebrated diamonds in the Iranian Crown Jewels and it is also one of the oldest stones known to man.

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The Earth Star - No Picture

The Earth Star was found in the Jagersfontein Mine in 1967. It was cut from a raw stone of about 248.9 carats into a Pear shaped stone weighing 111.59 carats. At the time it was considered the largest faceted brown diamond in the world. This particular stone shows a degree of brilliance that is not usually found in gems with such a strong color. It was sold in 1983 to Stephen Zbova of Naples for $900,000.

Eureka Diamond

This gem is not exceptional but it was the very first diamond found in South Africa. It was found by a shepherd boy in 1866 on the bank of the Orange River near Hopetown. It was passed from hand to hand by several people without it becoming know that it was a diamond until Dr. W. G. Atherstone of Grahamstone came into possession of the pebble. Dr Atherstone was one of the very few people in the Cape colony who knew anything about gemstones. It was cut into a 21.25 brownish yellow diamond and sold in 1867.

Excelsior Diamond

This stone was found at the Jagersfontein mine by one of the workers in a shovel full of gravel. Instead of giving it to his overseer as was required he hid it in his pocket and gave it directly to the Mine Manager. This 995.2 carat diamond has suffered a tragic fate ever since and is considered to be the Great Unknown of famous diamonds. It just happened to be found on the exact day that a consortium of London firms that had the purchase rights to the mines output expired. Had the diamond been found a couple of hours earlier the history of the Excelsior Diamond may have been much different. The Excelsior Diamond is the second largest rough diamond of gem quality ever found only surpassed by the Cullinan diamond. Since a buyer could not be found for such a large stone it was decided to cut the stone into a number of smaller stones the largest being only 69.68 carats. It was stated by Alpheus F. Williams, who later became the General Manager of the De Beers company, considering the decision to cleave the diamond into several smaller fragments as the greatest tragedy of modern times in the history of famous diamond in the world. In 1996 it was sold to Robert Mouawad for $2,642,000…. Famous Diamonds continue …

This is a multi part article and is strictly for educational purposes.

Darya-I-Nur

Darya-I-Nur diamond is believed to be the largest pink diamond in the world. The stone is estimated to weigh somewhere between 175 and 195 carats, and it is a light pink color. Its exact weight isn’t known because its been mounted in its brooch setting for over 130 years. This stone is one of the most celebrated diamonds in the Iranian Crown Jewels and it is also one of the oldest stones known to man.

De Beers Diamond

The De Beers weights 234.65 carats and is the seventh largest faceted diamond in the world. It was found in the De Beers Consolidated Mine in March 1888. Prior to being cut the diamond weighed 428.50 carats. It was centerpiece of a ceremonial necklace known as the Patiala Necklace in 1928. In 1973 the necklace disappeared and then the remnants was discovered in a jewelry shop in London in 1998 with most of the large stone missing. The De Beers Diamond was sold in 1982 for $3,160,000.

De Young Red Diamond

The De Young Red is a 5.03 carat red diamond and is considered as the third largest in the world. This diamond is not really pure red. This stone has a slightly brown hue which makes it look like a fine garnet that ruby-like. Since this diamond has very unique color, this was once sold at an estate sale as a red garnet. Luckily, this fine piece of precious stone was later on recovered and identified to be a very rare red diamond. At present, the De Young Red is under the custody of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC and often figured in exhibits in that museum.

Unlike the Type I diamonds that derived their color from impurities imbedded in the diamond, Red diamonds are considered a Type II and get their color from a process known as Plastic Deformation. They get their coloration due to structural anomalies caused by Plastic Deformation during the crystal growth. The intense pressure changes the lattice structure of diamonds and has led to the formation of Pink, Red, and Brown colored diamonds…. Famous Diamonds continue …

A certificate is not the same thing as an appraisal. A certificate describes the quality of a diamond, but it does not place a monetary value on the gem. An appraisal places a monetary value on your diamond, but does not certify the quality of the diamond.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gem Society (AGS), and the International Gemological Institute (IGI) are the three most widely known and respected diamond grading laboratories in the world. Each of the grading laboratories have developed a very similar nomenclature for identifying the 4 C’s of diamonds. The 4 C’s stand for Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cut. We will also discuss the Shape of diamonds in this article.

Carat Grading

The weight or size of a diamond is measured in carats. A carat is 0.2 grams or 200 milligrams and is always referenced within 2 decimal points. This is a highly accurate grading scale used to determine the weight or size of a diamond.

Color Grading

All diamonds are compared against to an internationally accepted set of master stones and ranges from totally colorless (D) to pale yellow or brown color (Z). Brown diamonds darker than K color are usually described using their letter grade, and a descriptive phrase, for example M Faint Brown. Diamonds with more depth of color than Z color fall into the fancy color diamond range.

Color grades D through F are naturally the most valuable and expensive because of their rarity. Color G through I will show virtually no visible color to the untrained eye. Selecting the right jewelry to mount the diamond in can minimize color grade J through M.

The coloration of diamonds can be caused by several factors. Impurities trapped in the diamond during its formation, the crystal lattice structure of the diamond, and the exposure to radiation can all lead to the wide verity of colors available in diamonds…. The 4Cs of Diamonds continue …

This is a multi part article and is strictly for educational purposes.

The Centenary

The Centenary was found on July 17th, 1986 at the Premier Mine. Only a handful of people knew about it and all were sworn to silence. On March 11th, 1988, the centenary celebrations of De Beers took place in Kimberly and a banquet was held to close the Kimberly Mine also known as the Big Hole. Over 400 people were in attendance. Representatives of several national governments of diamond-producing countries and dignitaries from various sections of the industry listened as the chairman, Julian Oglivie Thompson, declared; we have recovered at the Premier Mine a diamond of 599 carats, which is perfect in color. Indeed it is one of the largest top-color diamonds ever found. Naturally it will be called the Centenary Diamond.

This extraordinary mine has produced several outstanding diamonds of the most superb color, which have been cut into famous gems: The Cullinan in 1905; the Niarchos in 1954; the Taylor-Burton in 1966 and the Premier Rose in 1978. The Premier Diamond Mine has produced close to 300 stones weighing more than 100 carats each, and 25 percent of the world’s diamonds weighing more than 400 carats each.

Conde Pink Diamond

Louis XIII are said to have bought the stone in 1643 after which the King presented it to Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde, and Commander of the French Army during the Thirty Years War. It is a light pink pear-shaped diamond that weights 9.01 carats. The stone is currently on display in the Musee de Conde in Chantilly, France.

Cullinan Diamond

The Cullinan 1 also called the Star of Africa, is a pear shaped diamond weighing 530.20 carats. It is called the Cullian 1 because it was it was the largest of 9 stones cut from the Cullian Diamond. The Cullian 1 is the 2nd largest cut diamond in the world and is part of the Crown Jewels of England. It is currently on display in the Tower of London.

The famous blue diamonds come in different shapes including pear shaped and octagon shaped. The cut of these valuable gems is especially important for large, colored stones and the cut must enhance the natural beauty of these wonderful gems. Sometimes the largest stones that are found with a blue color are studied extensively before any cutting is begun…. Famous Diamonds continue …