Is Bigger Better? The How-To's When Shopping For Diamonds
Buying a diamond can be an exhilarating but daunting adventure, especially if you're a newbie.If I could offer only one piece of advice it would be this:
Learn as much as you can about the 4Cs before you go shopping.For the uninitiated, that's cut, color, clarity and carat weight.
And I like to add one more - common sense.Choosing the perfect diamond (and there's no such thing as the "perfect" diamond, although a few have come close) is as much a matter of personal taste as it is a matter of the diamond's characteristics.Some couples are willing to forego quality for size, others prefer the brilliance of a flawless blue-white diamond over a larger stone with less clarity.
You be the judge - but not until you're clear about those characteristics I mentioned.
Talk to any jeweler and they'll all give you a different opinion as to what they believe is the most important quality of a diamond.According to Mayer Herz, Vice President of Diamond Acquisition at Mondera.com, "Cut is the most important consideration if you're on a budget.
You can make up for low color and clarity if the stone is well cut."However, Joseph Schlussel, Publisher of Diamond Registry Bulletin, says "I personally believe that color is the most important thing.
Most people who go into a store today, they are told about cut. But I look at what you can see with a naked eye. I would put cut the last, because most people can't see it."The safest all-round bet is to look for the overall "package", with the levels of cut, clarity, color and size as good as you can get for the price you're willing to pay.Here are my tips to help you get the best value possible:
- Ensure you get a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society (AGS) Certificate when you purchase your diamond.
A Certificate guarantees that you are getting what you paid for. - If you are buying at a retail store, ask to see your diamond against a white cloth (or take your own - even a white piece of paper will do the trick!).
Jewelers typically use a black felt cloth to display their stones because all diamonds look white against black. - The American Gem Society says that the cut of the diamond can influence the price by as much as 50%.
A well-cut diamond, when viewed from above, will sparkle with a brilliance you won't find in any other precious stone.
- Most diamonds have flaws (called inclusions) that developed during its formation millions of years ago.
Some are impossible to see with the naked eye, others glare at you.
The more inclusions, the poorer the quality of the diamond, and the less light it will emit.
But its all a trade-off - fewer inclusions means a more expensive diamond.
My very first diamond had a hairline crack deep inside it, and I came to love that diamond as much for its tiny flaws as I loved my husband for his!.
Alex Miller has been involved in the jewelry industry for more years than she cares to remember! She lists her passions as "diamonds, diamonds and more diamonds" and has turned her passion into an informative website. You can find more great articles about diamonds, engagement rings, bridal jewelry, honeymoons and more at http://www.Engagement-Rings-Guide.com. The place to go BEFORE you shop for jewelry online.alex@engagement-rings-guide.comA New Adventure Novel Pits an African Professional Hunter Against Al-Qaeda Terrorists - Set in Africa, Europe, the Cayman Islands and the US
The Zambezi Incident is an adventure novel set in current events. Its main character is an African professional hunter named David Collins who has unwittingly become the target for al-Qaeda terrorists.The Zambezi Incident begins on a big game safari in the African bush which ends in a deadly encounter with al-Qaeda smugglers. This thrilling story has its foundations in al-Qaeda's widespread involvement in the trade of Africa's "blood diamonds" and in a worldwide diamond market which is indifferent to its sources.Al-Qaeda operatives relentlessly pursue the professional hunter as he attempts to sell the diamonds in Europe and to establish financial arrangements which the terrorists can't trace. His journey continues to the Cayman Islands where he finalizes his financial arrangements and has an affair with a vivacious Scottish lawyer.Leaving the Cayman Islands, David arranges a rural refuge in the United States. Once he has established his refuge, he invites Sharon, his beautiful Zimbabwe...
A New Adventure Novel Pits an African Professional Hunter Against Al-Qaeda Terrorists - Set in Africa, Europe, the Cayman Islands and the US
Diamonds > A New Adventure Novel Pits an African Professional Hunter Against Al-Qaeda Terrorists - Set in Africa, Europe, the Cayman Islands and the US
HEADLINE: Australian Producer/Director Casts Iraq War Movie "Nine of Diamonds"
Edward M. Bradford, an established Director/Producer is currently casting for "Nine of Diamonds", an Iraq War drama revolving around the treatment of Iraqi civillians in a poorly run detainment and interrogation center.Bradford, who has directed in the U.S., said "Apocolypse Now appeared in cinemas four years after the Vietnam war was over. Schindler's List appeared forty-eight years after World War II ended. We hope this film will contribute to the democratic debate over human rights currently raging around the world.
We hope to send a strong message to governments about the treatment of innocent people living in detainment camps."Nancy Fulton, a U.S.
screenwriter, continues, "Human Rights Watch reported on January 25, 2005 that Iraqis are still being tortured in a country the U.S. occupies by a government the U.S. supports. In November, the London Times described U.S. 'torture flights' where those captured in U.S.
Military operations are transported to 'torture-friendly'...
HEADLINE: Australian Producer/Director Casts Iraq War Movie "Nine of Diamonds"
Diamonds > HEADLINE: Australian Producer/Director Casts Iraq War Movie "Nine of Diamonds"
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