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Diamond Rings: The 4 Cs of Diamond Rings

Purely Diamonds — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:51:56 +0000

Diamond Rings:
The 4 Cs of Diamond Rings
To purchase diamond rings either for a special occasion like an engagement or as a gift, there are a few rules you should follow before laying down the cash. When choosing diamond rings, there are four aspects you should look at and they are: carat, clarity, color, and cut. Below is more information on what is commonly referred to as the 4 Cs.

Carat

Almost everyone knows that the larger the diamond rings are, the more valuable they become. Measured by carat weight, diamond rings follow a simple formula which is 1 carat equals 100 points. So for example a 3/4 carat has 75 points and is generally displayed as 0.75ct. Often when dealing with the carat of diamond rings, it is confused with Karat, which actually refers to gold and its level of purity.

Clarity

If diamond rings have really good clarity then they are considered to be more rare and of course worth more money. You should be aware first and foremost that all diamond rings have inclusions, even those classified as “Internally Flawless”. With magnification, these inclusions, also known as small pieces of carbon, can be seen with the human eye. There are two categories of clarity, those that have inclusions visible with the eye and those that cannot. Diamond rings that have inclusions seen by the eye are listed as I1, I2 or I3 (Inclusion). Those that appear clean by eye, but seen with magnification are labeled VV1, VV2 (Very Very Small), SI1, SI2, SI3 (Small Inclusions), IF (Internally Flawless), and FL (Flawless).

Color

When it comes to the color of diamond rings, the highest, most expensive and rarest is classified D. From D the rating goes down in alphabetical order: D,E and F, which are considered colorless, then G, H and I are considered close to colorless. As for J, K and L, these have a faint yellow, and M, N, O are lightly yellow. The price and color of the diamond rings will continue to go down as you continue further down the alphabet.

Cut

Round, brilliant cut diamond rings are the most popular because their design has been well developed over the last century. This cut features a diamond rings true fire, sparkle and brilliance. The Princess cut diamond rings are also gaining consumer popularity, mostly because they have a clean, contemporary appearance. As for Marquise diamond rings, heart shaped, pear shaped and Emerald cut, these all are unique and offer an original way for each individual to express themselves. It is important to note that the cut of diamond rings not only refers to the shape, but also to its proportions, symmetry, and polish.

Real Diamond Rings vs Fake Diamond Rings

Purely Diamonds — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:53:11 +0000

Real Diamond Rings vs Fake Diamond Rings
When shopping for diamond rings, how do you tell if they are fake or real? Discerning between diamond rings that are fake or real cannot be done easily. With an untrained eye the difference is pretty impossible to spot. To avoid purchasing diamond rings that have been created synthetically you will have to seek the knowledge and trust of a very reputable jeweler. However, there are times in life like estate sales and auctions where a jeweler isn’t available. During these moments, ask the seller if the diamond rings are certified and if they have the paperwork to go with them.

Another way to tell if diamond rings are fake, is by closely inspecting the setting. Diamond rings that are not real typically have lower quality mounts not of gold or platinum. Also look at the diamond closely, diamond rings should not have stones that are scratched or nicked. Look for flaws as well. Diamond rings should have flaws and those that do not are very rare and hard to come by. When inspecting diamond rings, you are looking for inclusions, also known as small pieces of carbon. Inclusions are unique proof that the diamond rings are real.

Upon purchasing diamond rings, take them to separate independent jewelers for appraisal. By having the diamond rings appraised more than once, you can compare the results and better determine the value and quality of the diamond rings. Also, you will find that other jewelers can easily spot fake diamond rings quickly. If you feel like you have bought fake diamond rings, get them inspected immediately so that you can either retrieve the money you spent, or press charges.

Black Diamond Rings

Purely Diamonds — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:43:59 +0000

Black Diamond Rings

Although the most well known diamonds are clear or white in color, there are certainly diamonds that have been discovered in other colors as well. One of the rarest forms of diamond is the black diamond. Because of the rarity of this diamond, black diamond rings have been treasured for centuries. To this day, we still do not know exactly where the black diamond came from. And, because they are quite uncommon, an actual black diamond ring is typically hard to come by and thus very expensive. However, if you are one of the lucky few who has a black diamond ring in your possession, I guarantee that it turns more than one eye when you go out wearing it.

The black diamond, because of its appearance, is also referred to as carbonado which can be translated as “carbonized” in Portuguese. The black diamond was named thus for its resemblance to porous charcoal. Whereas clear or “white” diamonds consist of single crystals that have very few inclusions or interior blemishes, carbonados consist of several separate crystals that are included thus giving them a dark or “black” color. Carbonados, or black diamonds, also include both carbon-13 and carbon-12. These are both carbon isotopes that are found within the crust of the Earth.

It is still unknown as to when the black diamond was discovered although there are several theories. The most popular theory today was developed by a man named Stephen Haggerty who is a geoscientist working out of Florida International University. This theory stated that carbonadas were brought to earth during the striking of the Earth with an asteroid that came to the planet several billion years ago. He theorized that the black diamonds originated in outer space as they contained hydrogen and possessed chemical components indicative of being created within an environment similar to the stars.

Carbonados or black diamonds are very old, over 3.8 billions years in age. The black diamond was first found in Brazil during the 19th century. After the black diamonds were first discovered, they were found later in Africa as well. As of today, Africa and Brazil alone have been found to have black diamonds buried in their earth. The biggest black diamond to date was discovered in Brazil and weighed a whopping 3,167 carats.

It is very rare for a black diamond to be found in the earth. As per the Gem Trade Net, 10,000 diamonds need to be mined for every one diamond that is found to be colored. The majority of black diamonds that are sold by retailers are either treated or synthetic. However, the retailer is required to disclose this information before selling you the piece.

Because black diamonds that are used in black diamond rings contain many inclusions, these diamonds possess a very dark and smoky appearance. Perhaps the rarest form of black diamond is the pure black diamond. This type of diamond is so black that it appears almost as black as black onyx. In order to deepen the color of the black diamond, some jewelers choose to treat the diamond using irradiation. If the diamond is irradiated artificially, the diamond stone will be very dark green in color when it is viewed under fibre-optic lighting or a transmitted source of light. Black diamonds that are synthetic also look opaque when under light.

Black diamonds are incredibly hard. In fact, they are one of the hardest substances on the planet. On Moh’s Scale of Hardness, the black diamond rates a ten. They are very difficult to polish as well as place into jewelry. Ironically, the only material that is able to polish and cut a black diamond is another black diamond. Most of the black diamonds that are used in diamond rings are cut and shaped into round brilliant diamonds and then placed into gold and platinum bands. However, they can also be cut into pear, marquise, heart, and princess shapes.

Although there is little known about the black diamond, black diamond rings are certainly precious and are prized by those who have found themselves in the possession of these rare and beautiful pieces.

Buying Diamond Rings On Vacation (cont.)

Purely Diamonds — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:39:09 +0000

We’ve already taken a look at several of the reasons why buying diamond rings on vacation may not be the best idea. before we continue, let’s take a brief moment to explore one of the times when purchasing new diamond rings may not be such a high risk proposition after all.

There are certain areas of the world that are highly regarded specifically for their diamonds and diamond rings. When vacationing to areas with renowned diamond rings production, it can often be a good idea to consider making an investment. This may include areas with local diamond mines that specialize in mining and perfecting their finds into diamond rings locally. This may also include areas known as homes to large diamond rings retailers that choose their locations based specifically on the cost savings they are able to offer their customers based solely on geographics. This may come in the form of lower tax rates for diamond rings, or even duty free purchases that allow the diamond rings buyers to avoid paying some or all of the taxes on their new diamond rings. Once again, this should only be done through reputable diamond rings retailers with a solid history of fair treatment and quality merchandise.

Back to reasons why vacation buying for diamond rings isn’t always the best idea centers on the warranty or guarantee that is often attached to vacation purchases. While small diamond rings retailers located in tourists hot spots may appear to offer solid warranties and guarantees on all their diamond rings purchases, make sure you read the fine print. Some retailers may require the return of the merchandise in person for any returns or repairs. While this policy may work great for locals, it is not so ideal for vacationing tourists who may or may not ever return to the location the diamond rings were purchased. More reputable dealers in tourist locales will often provide more central locations at which consumers can bring their diamond rings in for return or repairs, often located in areas that will be more convenient to their homes than their vacation spots.

Buying Diamond Rings On Vacation

Purely Diamonds — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:06:31 +0000

The temptation of purchasing new diamond rings can often be hard to resist. There are, however, several reasons why your next vacation should NOT be the best time to invest in one or more new diamond rings to add to your existing collection. Let’s take a look at a few of these reasons and explain why you may be better off buying your diamond rings back home.

One of the biggest challenges of purchasing diamond rings while on vacation is being able to verify the reputation of the retailer you are purchasing the diamond rings from. Often many tourist heavy spots will be overwhelmed with various retailers of diamond rings who may or may not be attached to larger reputable companies. They rely on the fact that purchases made on vacation are often made spur of the moment and on impulse. New diamonds rings can seem like the perfect souvenir to return home with. While chain stores may be safe to purchase diamond rings from on vacation, it may be just as easy to purchase the same diamond rings from the same chain back at home. This can not only make for a safer transaction, but it can also give the consumer ample time to weigh the pros and cons of the diamond rings purchase.

Its a sad fact that many retailers of diamond rings that cater primarily to tourists have a habit of selling bargain diamond rings that are lacking in both quality and value. What consumers don’t realize is that the diamond rings they are buying are often not up to the standards for grading diamond rings they are used to. While there are a number of hallmarking rules in effect that apply to diamond rings back home, these same laws are not always required to be abided by overseas. In essence, even though you are buying diamond rings stamped 14kt gold with flawless graded diamonds, these diamond rings may in fact be gold plated rings with numerous internal flaws that just may not be visible to the naked eye.

Stay tuned as we continue to explore some of the many reasons why purchasing new diamond rings on vacation may not always be the best idea.

Diamond Rings 101-Cut Ratings For Diamond Rings (cont.)

Purely Diamonds — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:26:57 +0000

Rounding out the bottom of the ratings list for daimond rings and their cuts, we look at the last three ratings used.

The majority of most budget friendly diamond rings that still possess a decent quality to them will fall into the cut category of good. The key to diamond rings with stones that are qualified as good on the cut ratings is that most of the time, the jewellers who originally cut the stones in the diamond rings from their rough diamonds sacrificed a level of quality intentionally. This is where you need to understand that, for the most part, a large percentage of a rough diamond needs to be cut loose from the finished product before it is ready for setting in diamond rings. The more of the rough stone is cut away, oftentimes the higher the final diamond rings will be rated with regards to cut as the additional cuts being made are often for the sole purpose of increasing the diamond rings brilliance and reflective qualities.

Sometimes, jewellers will choose to make fewer cuts on the rough diamonds that are going into the diamond rings. While this process may sacrifice some quality as far as the diamond rings brilliance goes, it also lends itself to larger diamond rings in the end. The less cuts that are made, the larger the finished stones in the diamond rings will be. Therefore, most diamond rings with stones rated in the good category were put there intentionally in order to achieve a larger finished carat weight for the diamond rings.

The final two categories of ratings for a diamond rings cut include fair and poor. More often than not, the above considerations for overall carat weight were utilised on the stones in diamond rings with these ratings. For diamond rings with ratings of poor or fair, however, little consideration was given to the quality compromise and all the focus was placed on the finished carat weight of the stones in the diamond rings. This will produce larger finished diamond rings, however, the stones in these diamond rings will lack brilliance and have very low reflective qualities.

Diamond Rings 101-Cut Ratings For Diamond Rings (cont.)

Purely Diamonds — Sat, 28 May 2011 22:20:22 +0000

We’ve just taken a look at the common misconceptions regarding a diamond rings cut, as well as the reasons why some cuts are better than others. Now let’s look at the individual ratings frequently used to classify a diamond rings cut, as well as their specific characteristics. The cut ratings for diamond rings fall into one of six categories, the first of which is ideal cut.

Ideal cut diamond rings are those that are precisely cut or faceted to allow the maximum amount of light into the stone, while also reflecting the maximum amount of light back out of it. Ideal cut diamond rings have a fire to them, a sparkle that makes them the perfect examples of what diamond rings should look like. The ideal cut rating is only given to round diamonds as these are believed to be the best cut for expressing maximum brilliance in the diamond rings.

The next cut rating is the premium cut classification for diamond rings. Premium cut diamond rings also feature only round stones within them. Premium cut diamond rings are only slightly lower in their quality than ideal cut diamond rings. For the most part, most consumers with an untrained eye can’t even tell the difference between ideal cut diamond rings and premium cut diamond rings since they are so close in nature. Premium cut diamond rings do, however, afford the consumer a slightly lower price tag when compared to ideal cut diamond rings.

The next category includes diamond rings whose cuts are classified as very good. These diamond rings feature stones that are still cut very well that allow a large amount of light to pass into them and reflect back out. The primary reason these diamond rings cannot be classified as ideal cut diamond rings or premium cut diamond rings is because their measurements fall outside of the accepted range for the other diamond rings. More than just round daimond rings can obtain the very good classification for cuts.

Stay tuned for more classifications and their meanings tomorrow.

Diamond Rings 101-Cut Ratings For Diamond Rings

Purely Diamonds — Sat, 28 May 2011 21:18:11 +0000

When it comes to the Four C’s of diamond rings, the most frequently misunderstood of the four ratings is Cut. Ironically enough, the cut of the stones in the diamond rings can make a huge impact on the overall beauty of the diamond rings. In order to better understand the Cut rating for diamond rings, let’s explore some of the common misconceptions as well as look at the detail involved in determining the cut rating for diamond rings.

When most people think of Cut in regards to diamond rings, they think of the shape of the stones in the diamond rings. While various shapes of stones used in diamond rings are referred to as Pear Cut, Asscher Cut, Round Cut, etc., when it comes to the Four C’s, the term cut means something completely different. In this case, the cut f the diamond rings refers to the reflective qualities of the stones in the diamond rings. Since the beauty of diamond rings relies so heavily on the way the diamond rings react to light, the stones reflective qualities, or cut, play a large part in the diamond rings quality.

With diamond rings that have been cut properly, the light should pass down into the top of the stones in the diamond rings though to the bottom of the stones. It should then reflect or bounce to the other side of the stone in the diamond rings where it will then be reflected back up towards the top surface of the diamond rings again. This method allows the diamond rings to reflect the most light possible in the best method. These diamond rings are often called ideal cut diamond rings.

Stones in diamond rings that are cut poorly, on the other hand, will often allow the light to pass directly through the diamond rings without reflecting it back up. This hinders the brilliance and sparkle that diamond rings are known for and decreases the quality of the diamond rings. These diamond rings will appear flat and dull when compared to diamond rings with properly cut stones.

Stay tuned for a more in depth look at the actual ratings used to classify a diamond rings cut.

Diamond Rings 101-Colour Ratings For Diamond Rings (cont.)

Purely Diamonds — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:28:14 +0000

Continuing our exploration of the various ratings used to identify the colour of stones in diamond rings, we move onto the category of faint yellow stones. This grouping includes diamond rings with stones rated K, L, or M in colour. As the name implies, stones in this category will possess a slight yellow tint when looked at under specialised equipment. Diamond rings with stones in this category may also appear slightly yellow to the naked eye, with K rated stones being the clearest and M rated stones being the yellower of the three. Just because the stones in the diamond rings are rated as faint yellow, however, doesn’t mean they are not highly sought after. Some consumers, in fact, prefer the look of diamond rings with stones rated in the K through M ranges as they believe these stones give the diamond rings a warmer look to them. Stones rated in the K through M range are also popular choice for diamond rings set in yellow gold as many people believe the slight yellow tint to the stones in the diamonds rings provides a better compliment to the yellow of the gold setting. On the other hand, diamond rings set in white metals such as platinum or palladium often benefit more from stones rated above K as the white metal tends to set off the yellow tints more.

Diamond rings with stones rated N through R are considered to be very light yellow in nature. Diamonds that fall into the upper range of this category, N and O specifically are still popular for yellow gold set diamond rings. Stones in the lower grades, P, Q, and R specifically, are less desirable unless the consumer is looking for diamond rings with a visible yellow tint to them.

Diamond rings with stones falling in the S through X categories are classified as light yellow stones. Like the included diamond rings we examined earlier, diamond rings with stones rated in the light yellow category are rarely seen being sold by reputable dealers and are more popular in lower rated diamond rings markets.

Lastly, stones in diamond rings rated Y or Z are classified as yellow stones and are not considered jewellery grade material. Keep in mind, however, that these stones are not the same as the yellow diamonds used for higher end diamond rings. Those yellow diamonds are created naturally and are much more sought after. Stones in diamond rings rated Y or Z are often an unattractive shade of yellow.

Diamond Rings 101-Colour Ratings For Diamond Rings

Purely Diamonds — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:15:14 +0000

As we said earlier, to fully understand the various ratings used for the Four C’s of diamond grading, you also need to take a closer look at the individual ratings used within each category. We’ve already explored the ratings used to identify a diamond rings clarity, now let’s move onto colour and look at the various grades given to diamond rings to rate this particular characteristic.

Colour, of course, refers to the visual appearance of the stone in the diamond rings and the colour ratings they possess. Ideally, diamond rings are more desirable the less colour they have, making colourless or clear diamond rings the most desirable. For purposes of grading the stones in diamond rings, an alphabetical rating is used, starting with D and going through to Z.

Diamond rings with stones rated a D with regards to colour are considered true colourless diamonds. D rated diamond rings are considered the most perfect when it comes to colour rating and are in turn the most costly of all rated diamond rings. As you progress further down the rating scale you will see that diamond rings with stones graded as E and F on the colour rating are considered colourless as well. In essence, all three grades, D, E, and F, are rated as colourless diamond rings, with D rated diamond rings being the most colourless and F rated diamond rings being the least colourless of the three.

The next batch of ratings on the colour scale for diamond rings includes the letters G through J and are rated as near colourless diamond rings. This indicates the stones in the diamond rings may possess a faint trace of colour but, for the most part, are still considered colourless diamonds. In fact, diamond rings with stones rated G, H, or I are colourless to the naked eye and any colour traits they do contain can only be seen with the help of additional equipment or the eye of a highly trained diamond grader or jeweller. This makes these stones for diamond rings highly sought after by people wanting colourless stones for their diamond rings without wanting to pay the price attached to most diamond rings with stones graded in the D through F scales.