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A Gem-Wise Guide To Buying A Diamond |
By:
Richard W. Wise |
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by Richard W. Wise
Who doesn't love a diamond? Known as the traditional gemstone
for an engagement ring, diamonds have steadily risen in
popularity since the early 1940s, when Harry Openheimer the
president of the De Beers cartel visited New York to meet with
Gerold M. Lauck the president of N.W. Ayer, a leading
advertising agency.
The value of diamond sales had declined 50% by the end of World
War I and Openheimer was determined to do something about it,
Lauck's suggestion; manufacture a tradition. So successful was
the campaign that in 1967 De Beers hired J. Walter Thompson to
create a similar "tradition" in Japan, a country with absolutely
no history of diamond giving. As a result, today over 90% of all
Japanese women receive a diamond engagement ring.
Although everyone loves a diamond, few people know how to wisely
choose one when standing at the jewelry counter. Here are five
tips on how to buy your perfect diamond:
1. Diamonds are graded using the 4 Cs. Color, Cut, Clarity and
Carat weight but they are not of equal importance.
2. Cut is the first C. Very well cut round diamonds are called
ideals. Diamonds are cut for weight. They have no color and no
nutrititional value. Diamond is all about sparkle. Fine cutting
delivers the sparkle.
3. Never buy a clarity grade above VS2. Diamonds are graded
using a 10x magnifier. A diamond graded Flawless and one graded
SI1 (slightly included) are visually identical. The first and
last time you will use magnification is the day you buy the
stone.
4. Diamond color is based on tonal variations of the color
yellow on a scale of D-Z. There is no A, B, or C. The more
yellow the lower the grade. The first four colors D-G show no
yellow when viewed face-up. Want to save money? Think about a G.
5. Look for moderate blue flourescence. About 1/3 of all diamond
flouresce blue in ultraviolet light. While we can't see
unltraviolet we can see its affects. Blue is the complement of
yellow. Thus, blue flourescene will cancel out yellow and make
the diamond appear whiter and more beautiful as well. A
flourescent H may look like a D.
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Article Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article1137.html |
Article: A Gem-Wise Guide To Buying a Diamond
Author: Richard W. Wise
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Word Count: 340
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