Diamonds and Fine Jewelry

Unsure of what size diamond to buy? This all depends on how much money you are willing to spend and the person who is actually wearing the diamond.

It all depends on the person’s fingers. It’s practical common sense that a person who has thin hands will not need that big of a diamond because the diamond will look larger.  Another great idea is to consider the diamond clarity.  A smaller diamond with a clearer clarity is way better than a larger diamond with a larger diamond with a weaker clarity.

Like I said earlier, decide how much money you want to spend, then decide on the diamond’s cut. Once this is figured out you are all set for diamond hunting!

The prices of diamonds tend to vary from store to store. Every jeweler sets their own prices on the items in their stores. When it comes to how much a diamond may cost, it mostly depends on the diamond’s shape. Most round diamonds cost more than a diamond that has an emerald shape even if they have the same size and quality.

As you may have guessed, a diamond’s worth also depends on its weight. For example, a diamond that has a carat weight of about .20 would cost around $500. If you are jewelry hunting and searching for a diamond that weighs at least 1 carat, then the cost should be in a range from $2000 to $3500.

Happy Diamond Hunting!

 Diamond inclusions are flaws that end up effecting the overall clarity of the diamond. This allows visual imperfections in the diamond; however, most flaws or imperfections can rarely be seen with the naked eye.

Here are some examples you may find of diamond inclusions.

• Carbons  usually have some effect on the clarity of the diamond because they show small black dots on the surface of the diamond. Some can actually be seen by the naked eye, and others need to be magnified to see them.
• Pinpoints are usually white dots than can be found on the surface of a diamond. These are the most common type of flaws that can be found.
• Clouds are smaller growths in the diamond that are grouped together. When they are very close together they create a cloud-effect in the diamond. 
• Feathers are small cracks in the diamond that may remind you of broken glass.

Diamonds that have flaws are considered to be imperfect gems. Most can rarely be seen by the average person and besides, it is very rare to come across a diamond that is perfect. Here are few flaws that you should be careful with. They can reduce the value of your stone.

Mineral and Crystal Inclusion

These crystal/mineral inclusions can really offset the clarity of you diamond if there are enough of them that are grouped inside. However, there can be times when these inclusions add something special to the overall diamond. If they are small enough, the whole diamond can really become eye catching.

Pinpoint Inclusion

These can easily make the diamond worthless! This happens when there are small dark speckles in a diamond. If these speckles are bonded together, they can create a cloud in the diamond. These inclusions not only ruin the diamonds appearance but also its worth as well.

Lasers

Usually lasers have been used to help treat pinpoint inclusions but if mistakes are made, this can easily ruin the diamond. Lines can be left inside of the diamond that looks very similar to a thread. This easily makes the diamond less desirable.

Contrary to popular belief, all diamonds do not have the same shape. There are nine usual diamond shapes:

·        Oval diamonds

·        Radiant diamonds

·        Princess diamonds

·        Asscher diamonds

·        Pear diamonds

·        Emerald diamonds

·        Heart diamonds

·        Round diamonds

·        Marquis diamonds

The different shape of the diamonds is primarily used for different settings. For example, round diamonds are usually for earrings. Speaking of earrings, pear shaped diamonds give that special dangle effect.

Just when you thought we ran out of facts about diamonds, we return to bring you even more! Check out some rare facts concerning diamonds.

• To produce a single one-carat diamond, 250 tons of earth will be mined.

• The first written notation of precious diamonds dates back to around 500 B.C.

• Australia accounts for producing the most diamonds in volume.

• The diamond is rock hard and virtually fireproof. In order for a diamond to burn, it must be heated to one-thousand, two-hundred, and ninety-two degrees Fahrenheit.

• Diamonds worn in ancient times were believed to promote strength, invincibility, and courage.

• A diamond is 58 times harder than the next hardest mineral on earth, corundum, from which rubies and sapphires are formed.

• If it is placed in an oven and the temperature is raised to about 763 degrees Celsius (1405 degrees Fahrenheit), it will simply vanish, without even ash remaining. Only a little carbon dioxide will have been released.

• The money made from diamonds in Botswana allows each child to receive a free education through age thirteen.

Diamond miners in Lesotho, a southern African kingdom, have found a near-flawless white stone that weighs nearly 500 carats. This is one of the largest diamonds that have been discovered in quite some time.

The diamond was found in a Letseng Mine and it has been analyzed and was found to weigh 478 carats. Four of the world’s 20 largest rough diamonds have been found at the Letseng Mine and three of the largest have been found there this century.

A spokesman for Gem Diamonds compared the recent finding to a similar stone that had lesser-quality color and clarity and sold for $12 million.

Last week I went into a bit of detail about enhancing the clarity of a diamond it give it a certain sparkle that it may be missing. There is also another way to enhance a diamond and that would be to enhance its color.

Fancy diamonds (pink, blue, green, yellow, and loose colored diamonds) are very popular, yet expensive but there are certain ways to create them.

In order to create a fancy diamond color, a yellow or brown gemstone has to be used. These diamonds are irradiated and then go through an immense amount of heat. This is called the high temperature, high pressure technique (HPHT). This process also changes brown diamonds into colorless diamonds as well. These diamonds are nearly perfect and usually cost less than natural diamonds.

Sometimes people see a few flaws in their diamonds that they would like to fix or to put it bluntly, they just aren’t happy with how their diamond turned out. Many people enhance their diamonds to give it that special look that they were hoping for. Here are two ways to enhance the diamond’s clarity:

Laser Drilling
-Laser drilling involves using an infrared laser to create fine holes in a diamond to make it accessible to an inclusion. Before doing this, a coat of carbon or some other form of energy-absorbent substance is applied. The laser burns a tube into the inclusion. Once the crystal has been reached by the drill, the diamond is placed in sulfuric acid to dissolve the crystal.

Filled Diamonds
-This involves fixing the cracks that break the surface of the diamond. The cracks are filled in a vacuum that has a very high temperature (usually over 400 degrees Celsius) with a glass of refractive index close to a diamond. A color flash that is kind of similar to a detergent bubble can be seen because the two materials are quite different. This process can be faulty because after this the diamond cannot go through anymore repair procedures because filling a diamond cannot permanently fix the diamond.

When it came to mining for diamonds in Angola, the subject of blood diamonds was always at bay. Nowadays it seems like the mining companies are trying to mine as fast as they can since Angola holds one the last great sites for diamonds in Africa.

Angola is responsible for producing over $1 billion last year which is nearly a tenth of the global total. The diamond company that his its hand in this situation, Endiama, has a stake of over 50% of all the exploration ventures with other companies overseas.

Despite these occurrences, there are still risks. Investors and diplomats are taking note of partaking in these businesses in a country that has past filled with corruption. Many locals have been evicted from these areas.

The government is doing aerial surveys to discover any other locations for diamonds to solve this problem.