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Cushion Cut Diamond: A Classic Diamond With An Antique Cut

February 12, 2012 Diamond Sales 0

A Diamond is a dream jewel for every woman and diamond jewelry symbolizes true love, commitment, grace, eternity and class. The simplicity of diamond is its ultimate sophistication which appeals to everyone. Whenever you want to express your affection and love for someone a diamond is the best option. A diamond is special because of the endless variety in its cuts and colors. There are various cuts that are very popular among people especially amongst the couples opting for Engagement Rings for that perfect start to their relationship. The most famous ones are emerald cut, oval cut, princess cut and cushion cut too. These variously cut diamonds can be used in Earrings, wedding bands, pendant and in rings too. These go good with every kind of occasion and the outfit.

A Cushion cut diamond has a unique shape, having an antique cut with classic and romantic appeal. It has been in vogue for over a century and is also referred to as pillow cut or as a candlelight diamond because its cut was specifically done to enhance the diamonds brilliance when is placed close to candlelight. It is a combination of the Old Mine Cut, a deep cut with large facets that was very common in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries and the more modern oval cut having rounded corners and larger facets. It ranges from square to rectangular. This diamond stuns as a solitaire because of its unusual shape subtle sparkle. The cushion cut diamonds are used in antique rings and many old gems are cushion cuts including the very famous Hope Diamond. The cushion cut diamonds can be used as a solitaire in engagement rings or in 3 diamond engagement rings.

The four prong arrangement is best suited for these diamonds. This cut is not as fiery or brilliant as many of the newer cuts, but it has a marvelously romantic and classic and sensuous look that stands out from the crowd of round brilliants and the other popular cuts. These diamonds make a perfect gift for the bride to be. These diamonds can go nicely with yellow as well as white gold. The four Cs namely cut, clarity, carat and color of the diamonds should be taken into consideration while buying a Cushion cut diamond along with the weight and the value of the diamond that you are buying.

Diamond Industry Tightens Control Of Conflict-free Diamonds

February 4, 2012 Diamond Sales 0

As bloody political tensions flare in Africa”s C’te d’Ivoire between rival presidential candidates, international Kimberley Process watchdogs are tightening their control of the diamond industry to be certain than conflict diamonds are not smuggled into the hands of unsuspecting consumers.

Almost a decade ago, the Kimberley Process was started by the United Nations to prevent the sale of diamonds that fund war and conflict in Africa and around the world. These diamonds are commonly known as blood diamonds or conflict diamonds. Since the establishment of the Kimberley Process, the sale of conflict diamonds has decreased from about fifteen percent of all diamond sales worldwide to less than one percent of all diamond sales worldwide. Currently, the only two countries under close scrutiny by the international Kimberley Process members for trying to sell conflict diamonds are C’te d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe.

New strategies to avoid the sale of conflict diamonds are making the news. Techniques to provide consumers with conflict-free diamonds they can be confident in include a method of tracing the geographical origin of diamonds through the identification of chemical “fingerprints.” This mapping process makes it more difficult for countries like Cote d”Ivoire to obtain fake certification to put conflict diamonds into affordable wedding rings.

Smart consumers should seek real, conflict-free diamonds as they search for affordable wedding rings. One of the best ways to do this is to choose a reliable jeweler. My Trio Rings purchases all of their certified conflict-free diamonds directly from the DeBeers mines, so you can be confident your rings are good for your wallet as well as good for society.

About Cut In Diamond Rings

January 27, 2012 Diamond Sales 0

Purchasing Diamond Rings is a daunting task for the novice shopper. There is much to learn and consider when comparing stones and making selections. Four characteristics are used to evaluate stones, cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Cut is the most important, and the hardest to understand.

Getting educated about diamonds allows you to converse intelligently with salespeople about the stones. Most stores will help you understand the basics, but it is better to have some fundamental understanding beforehand.

Cut can refer to shape, round, marquise, oval, etc., but more than that, the way the rough stone was cut determines how much fire or brilliance it has. The quality of work will determine the gem’s proportions, how its angles and facets relate to each other. The precision of the work will be seen in its symmetry. The quality of a gem’s surface or finish let light through. All these, when done right, will bring out the maximum sparkle of that particular stone.

These gems are nature’s hardest material, four times as hard as the next hardest mineral. They are also brittle. Cutting is preceded by careful analysis and decision making. The stones have four directions of cleavage. Choosing the optimal cutting directions will depend upon crystal orientation. Inclusions or other flaws are best removed or hidden during the cutting, if possible without loosing too much of the stone size, or carat weight.

If the gem is well cut, light will enter through the table, the top flat plane of a stone and travel to the pavilion, the sloping bottom surfaces, where it is reflected across to the other side and again back out through the table. A poorly cut diamond will allow light entering to reach the facets and then leak out from the sides or bottom.

A visual inspection of a stone, through a jeweler’s lupe, can tell a lot about the quality of cut. Look to see whether the reflected light appears to be dispersed uniformly across the entire stone. See if the table is centered symmetrically in the stone and its edges meet at sharp points. Look at the culet, or point at the bottom and see if it is a small, centered flat polished surface without chips.

Then see if the sides of the square are straight, or if they bend in or out. The square is found by imagining that the the edges of the octagonal table project outward to the points of the facets that project away from that table. It may take a while for you to see this the first time, but if you will find an image of a diamond and study it a while, you will readily see these lines.

These lines indicate the proportion of table diameter to the stone diameter. If they bend in, the table proportion is smaller, giving more fire, or rainbow color effect. If they are straight, there will be more brilliant white light. When they bow out table proportion is too large, and cut is not ideal. These types of inspections and rules of proportion are good indicators of cut quality in Diamond Rings.

Tips For Buying Diamond Rings

January 26, 2012 Diamond Sales 0

In the evergreen classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes a smoldering Marilyn Monroe makes it very clear that diamonds are a girls best friends! Since the beginning of the 20th century, diamond rings have enjoyed tremendous popularity (partly due to some clever advertising by DeBeers) and today their appeal cuts across gender lines with a number of men sporting diamond studded platinum or gold rings(in Danish guldringe) on their fingers.

Diamonds are a popular choice for engagement and wedding rings and many couples today opt for matched pairs of diamond rings when making their vows. Diamond promise rings are also popular these days to signify commitment to a partner or loved one and eternity rings (either full or half-band) are perfect anniversary gifts for a spouse.

To begin with, decide on a budget for your purchase and shop around to see the kind of rings available in your price range. Depending on the size and quality of the individual stones, the cost of diamond rings (in Danish solitaire diamantringe) can vary greatly. Visiting a few good jewelers and researching the various combinations available will help you decide on the best balance between the two. While assessing a diamond for your ring, always keep the 4 Cs in mind; namely: Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat.

Cut: Diamonds come in a number of cuts (i.e. shapes) including princess, square, round brilliant, emerald, and pear. A brilliant cut is one of the most popular choices for diamond rings, especially solitaires, as it maximizes the stones brilliance or sparkle; making it look larger and more impressive
Clarity – Diamonds come in varying grades based on the clarity of the stones.
Color in addition to the classic white stones, diamonds also come in pink, yellow and black to name just a few shades. Remember to match the setting to the stones. White diamonds for example looks great against yellow gold rings
Carat- the size of your diamond.

Once you have decided on a diamond, you will need to choose a design and setting for it. Despite the growing popularity of platinum, gold rings continue to be the most popular choice for settings. You can choose from yellow, pink or white gold rings. Finally, always buy from a reputed jeweler to avoid being defrauded.

Emerald Cut Diamonds

October 4, 2010 Diamond Sales 0

 

Traditionally used to cut emeralds, the emerald cut has grown in popularity since it first made its appearance in diamonds. It is no secret that this step cut does not bear the same immense fire as compared to the round brilliant cut diamonds; but it cannot be denied that emerald cut diamonds have an exclusivity that is unparalleled, especially in diamonds that possess superior colour and clarity grades. The beauty of this cut lies in the depth of its clarity, and is almost like looking into pure water that runs deep into the blue. One of the most celebrated emerald cut diamonds today is the Steinmetz 108 Emerald. The 108 carat diamond is deemed flawless and possesses a D colour grade.

Another pair of emerald cut diamonds by the Steinmetz Group that has been making news ever since it first made its way into an auction is the Steinmetz Ponahalo Diamonds.

The pair weighing 102.11 carats and 70.87 carats respectively is held in high regard for being the world’s largest diamonds to earn the credit of carrying the Forevermark insignia and unique Forever mark identification numbers. The Christie’s auction at New York in October of 2008 called the Jewels: The New York Sale witnessed the exclusive pair’s sale to a Dubai-based jeweller.

Some of the other emerald cut diamonds that have made a mark in the diamond world are the flawless 70-carat Kimberley Diamond, the 24.44 carat Mouawad Lilac Diamond, and the 48.26 carat President Vargas Diamond. Cut with long facets, the emerald cut stones exude broad flashes of light as opposed to a fiery brilliance that is usually associated with diamonds. This is the quality that is most appealing to diamond collectors, celebrities and the elite that have fallen in love with this cut. While not so popular as a centre stone for engagement ring settings, these days celebrities like Paris Hilton and Mrs. Donald Trump, and royals like Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Bowles are seen flaunting emerald cut diamond rings all over the tabloids.

Colour and clarity grades are the most important qualities in Emerald cut diamonds as the step cuts comprised of large planar facets act like mirrors. The emerald cut ideally has 58 facets, 8 girdles, 25 crowns, and 25 pavilions giving the stone a classic elegance and aristocratic look. Another aspect to keep in mind for such a cut is the length to width ratio of the stone, as this determines the way the diamond will look when viewed from the top. While this is a purely subjective matter, experts believe that the most attractive ratio ranges from 1.50 – 1.75:1.00 to get that perfect classic rectangular look. For a more squarish look the ratio ideally would be in the range of 1.30:1.00.