Give
The Gift Of Diamonds
by Lee Dobbins
Who doesn’t want diamonds for Christmas?
Almost anyone I know would love to open up a little black velevet
box to find a dazzling piece of jewelry inside, but how do you shop
to get the best deal?
One thing you can do is educate yourself about
diamonds. The last expensive diamond for the size might not be the
best deal you can get and you have to go in armed with a little
bit of knowledge in order to make that kind of judgement.
If you are in the market for a diamond, don’t
let all the industry jargon scare you off. Here’s a little
translation on what these terms mean so next time you go into the
jewelry store you can speak the same language as the sales clerk!
1. CUT. Not the shape of the stone, but the quality
of its facets.
2. CLARITY. Clarity levels start at Flawless and descend from Very
Very Slight (VVS) to Very Slight (VS) and Slightly Included (SI).
Clarity measures the number of flaws or inclusions in a diamond.
3. CARAT. The weight of a diamond. One carat equals about 200 milligrams.
4. COLOR. Transparent diamonds (those created from 100 percent carbon)
are rated on a scale from D (clear) through Z (light yellow). Grade
D is the most prestigious, but, because they are so rare, natural
diamonds with tints of pink, blue or purple have a cachet all their
own.
Not all diamonds come with a certification but
you'll probably want to set your sites on one that does. Make sure
yours is certified by a well known laboratory such as the Gemological
Institute of America. Going with a well known and respected lab
will insure that you are getting exactly what you thought you were
getting. It might be cheaper to buy an uncertified diamond or one
certified by a "no name" lab but you may not get what
you think you are getting!
It is best if you can get some sort of guarantee
for your diamond. This indicates that the merchant stands behind
their products. This is important especially when shopping on the
web since there is no face to face contact.
You probably already know that the diamond is
the hardest rock there is. Hardness is measured by something called
the Mohs scale where diamonds have the highest spot at number 10.
If you’ve ever wondered what this scale is, here’s the
lowdown of each step.
1. Easily scratched by a fingernail.
2. Just scratched by a fingernail.
3. Scratches and is scratched by a copper coin.
4. Not scratched by a copper coin and doesn’t scratch.
5. Just scratches glass and is easily scratched by a knife.
6. Easily scratches glass and is just scratched by a file.
7. Not scratched by a file.
8. Scratched only by corundum and diamond.
9. Will scratch anything but a diamond.
10.Scratched only by another diamond.
Lee Dobbins is a jewelry designer
and owner of Artisan
Jewelry Online where you can learn more about buying
diamond jewelry.
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