Diamonds and Fine Jewelry

We all know diamonds are very precious and worth a lot of money. Regardless of the circumstance (ending of engagement or marriage, money troubles, etc), sometimes people end up selling their diamonds in order to get back their money. This can be a bit tricky because sometimes a person may sell the diamond for more or less than it is actually worth. One should always be careful because you always want to receive the correct amount of what the diamond is actually worth. When selling a diamond you should take not of following a few steps.

The first thing you should do is get it appraised by a certified appraiser. A certified diamond appraiser will inspect the diamond and find out what it is worth. After this, it is best to request a certificate of its actual worth. This is so there is actual proof for the buyer to view if they have a question about the diamond.

The next step is to decide how you are going to sell the diamond. Some people do online ads or some put ads in newspapers. One good idea is to check with a store that sells diamonds. Some stores actually buy used diamonds and if this is the case, then the appraisal certificate will definitely come in handy.

In order to learn how diamonds are mined, we have to know how they are made. Diamonds are solely made of carbon.  Pressure and temperature are the factors that “change” the diamond from carbon into the diamonds that you see today. After millions of years constantly going through pressure and heat, the stones are settled in diamond-bearing rock and from there, then patiently wait for a volcanic eruption to bring them to the surface. This is how diamonds are created. Now, how are they mined?

There are two ways to how diamonds are mined; they are mined by: pipe mining and alluvial mining. As for pipe mining, when an eruption happens, other materials are brought up the lava. If the eruption happens far enough into the earth’s surface, it could contain diamond-bearing rock. These eruptions move very rapidly, and if the diamonds remain in the magma for a long time, they could eventually burn up or turn to graphite.  From here, they conduct open mining, where the surface remnants are inspected for diamonds. After this occurs, large shafts are lodged into the ground next to the volcanic pipes and more diamond-bearing rock is recovered. After this, they end up being screened by separating soil from diamonds.

Alluvial mining happens when after an eruption occurs; some of the diamond bearing rock is removed and this is found settling in ocean beaches and river beds. For it to remove the rock from these areas, the water must be shoved aside to get to the bottom of the ocean or river. Usually a wall of mud and stone is built. From there, the miners use bulldozers or pumps to bring the rock to the surface. It is then taken to a screening plant where the soil and silt can be separated from the rough diamonds.

Diamonds are found by these processes. From the beneath the earth’s surface all the way to the diamond engagement ring you gave your future wife to be, diamonds definitely come a long way.

• 80% of diamonds are not suitable for jewelry

• The youngest diamond is 900 million years old

• Approximately $8.5 billion worth of diamonds a year come from African countries.

• Diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13.

• A rough diamond will lose 40% - 70% of its weight in the cutting process.

• An estimated 5 million people have access to appropriate healthcare globally thanks to revenues from diamonds.

In many cultures, diamonds are very valuable and precious. They have been a staple for wedding ceremonies, religious ceremonies, and other important occurrences throughout history. However, many sometimes people can get this precious stone confused with cubic zirconium. Here are a few ways to tell the difference between a diamond and cubic zirconium with an untrained eye.

First off, if a so-called diamond looks to clean or too perfect, it may be cubic zirconium. This is especially for internally flawless stone. You have to put into consideration that all things that are made natural have at least one flaw in them, no matter how small or big they are.

Another thing to check for is doubling. If you can look through the stone while it is face-up, magnified, and you can focus through the stone to the edges furthest away from you, and you can see two of each line, as if your vision was blurred, then it is more than likely cubic zirconium. It is best to clean the diamond first before checking. This may be helpful but remember, not all derivatives of diamond share doubling.

One last idea is to check for their facet edges and nature of the polish. Inspect the stone under a magnifying glass and check the facet edges. If they are a little too rounded over, then they are not real diamonds. Diamonds have crisp edges even when the facets are not so well polished.

Diamonds are a very valuable type of gem that is formed deep below the Earths surface. They are made out of carbon that has been exposed to extreme pressure and is the hardest substance known to man.

Diamond rings and diamond stud earrings are incredibly popular, and they have been so for many hundreds of years, but did you know you can get diamond studded jeans?

Yes you heard that right; a luxury clothing company that is based out of California recently announced a pair of diamond-studded denim jeans. The jeans are available for men and women and are studded with diamonds and crystals around the pockets, waist, and legs.

These boot cut pants feature 2 carat diamond buttons on the back pockets, which are highlighted by white gold. They also utilize over 1000 Swarovski crystals and over 305 nail heads to paint the ancient Chinese characters, tigers, and dragons that are on the jeans.

These hand washed and 100 percent cotton jeans retail for $10,000 and will definitely stand out in a crowd. Personally though I would take a nice diamond ring any day!