diamonds - WedZtyle

Part 2:

Whilst in a recent discussion, one of my work colleagues informed me that in his previous job, he sold diamonds. Along with selling traditional clear stones, he also sold coloured stones.

I was quite excited to find out the process of purchasing these coloured stones which are unique and rare. Diamonds occur in almost every colours, containing impurities or structural defects that cause discolouration. Pure diamonds are perfectly transparent and colourless. They are the most popular and are used in the majority of engagement rings.

Red– This is the most rarest and most expensive diamonds. The starting price for a .20ct is $100,000.00USD. These beautiful diamonds contain pure carbon. Just like colourless diamonds, they have a different appearance when placed in various lighting environments that gives its uniqueness.

red diamond 1

Pink – This is also a rare diamond as the higher the intensity the most expensive they are. Many of these pink diamonds are found in the Arglye mine situated in Western Australia. Many scientist still don’t know how they get their colour, as there are no traces of elements that are found in other coloured diamonds. The most expensive pink diamond was sold in 2010 for over $46 million USD weighing at 24.78 carat.

pink dimonds

Orange– Not as rare as other coloured diamonds, they contain strong yellow or brown modifiers giving them their beautiful natural appearance. Like the pink diamond, these are also found in the Argyle mine in Western Australia. the most intense the colour, the higher the price approximately $15,000 – $50,000 USD per carat.

orange diamond

Yellow – This diamond is the most popular of the colour diamonds and are also known as ‘canary diamonds’ due to the purity and clarity of the diamond. The price for 1 carat of good quality diamond ranges between $5,000 – $30,000 USD

yellow diamond

Green – The natural green diamond are so rare that most jewellers wont see one in their career. The Dresden diamond is the most famous and largest green diamond in the world at 40.70 carats found in India. Only a handful of green diamonds are sold into the market making them the most sought as they contain a yellowish, bluish or greyish modifying colour. Prices range from $16,000 + USD

green diamonds

Blue – The blue diamond can command more than pink diamonds, due to them being extremely sought out and the natural colour making them so rare. The colour of these diamonds can range from light blue to deep blue. They range between $60,000-$170,000 UDS.

blue diamonds

Purple – This is my favourite colour diamond in the range. These beautiful diamonds contain pure colours that cause that intenseness in the diamond. The purple diamond is referred to many different names such as Plum diamonds, Orchid diamonds, Lilac diamonds, Mauve diamonds, Lavender diamonds and Grape diamonds. The ‘Purple Orchid’ diamond at 3.37 carat has an asking price of $4 million UDS.

purple diamond

Black – A favourite with collectors of precious gemstones, this beautiful diamond was regarded as too difficult to cut and polish by many jewellers due to the many lumps of carbons in the diamond. The starting price per carat can cost between $1,500 -$3000.

black diamonds

Colourless – The most popular of all diamonds, these beautiful gems look amazing when mixed with other coloured diamonds. Remember the 4 c’s when choosing the perfect diamond. Price’s range from $2,000 + depending on the clarity of the diamond.

clear diamond

Most people purchase their diamonds already set, however they are also purchased loose. It is recommended that prior to purchasing any diamond, get it evaluated. The evaluation shows the inclusions of the diamond which provide the uniqueness for that stone, making it identifiable. This is a must if you are purchasing a coloured stone.

When my brother-in-law was purchasing an engagement ring for my sister, he purchased the diamond loose. Once he found the diamond that met his criteria (based on the 4C’s) he got 2 evaluations to verify the stone. Once he got the diamond set, he then viewed the diamond again based on the evaluation to ensure that it was the diamond he chose.

Looking at the array of colours and the rarity of the stones that are available, I have to agree that diamonds are definitely a girl’s best friend.

Part 1

Diamonds ARE a girls best friends especially if it is given to her on a bended knee, with a beautiful backdrop and with four little words attched to it…”WILL YOU MARRY ME?”

I was engaged in the early 90s at a very young age. There was no bending of the knee at a beautiful location and no ring… yes your read correctly, NO RING. Being young I didn’t question it. The weekend after, my future husband took me to a jewerler who was going to make my engagement ring. I was so nervous, as I knew what ring I wanted as I had seen it in a magazine and hoped he could create it for me.

We sat patiently with his wife, making small talk. Finally after 10 mins her husband emerged from the back room. He introduced himself to me and asked me to hold out my hand. Opening my hand he carefully placed three small beautiful diamonds into it and they spakled like shiny stars. I was mesmorised by how beautiful these little diamonds were. This when my love affair for diamonds began.

Diamonds are unique. A few factors need to be considered when choosing the right diamond. Dimonds have what they call a grading chart that is proportional to the price of the diamond. The industry standard when grading diamonds are based on the four C’s, Carot Weight, Cut, Colour and Clarity.

Cut:

Diamond_Shapes2

The cut of the diamond is a personal prefence. The common choice of shapes are illustrated in the above image. The most popular diamonds in the last decade are the round, emerald and cushion shaped diamonds. The round shape dominates 75% of the market. I had chosen the round shape as for me it was a classic shape and timeless.

Carat Weight:

carat-chart

The Carot Weight of a diamond is sold on the unit weight not on the size of the carat which most of us think. The larger the carat the more you will pay. This is because the diamond becomes more rare as the size increases. This is what makes the diamond unique. The above chart illustrates the typical sizing for diamonds.

Colour:

diamondcolor2

Diamonds come in a variety of colours. They are graded on a scale of D (colourless) through to Z (light colour) The above image shows the grade in the diamond and the yellow tint they have. Most jewellers recommend to aim F/G range because if you put the ring under a constant light, you will be able to see the yellow in the diamond.

Clarity:

diamond-clarity

Diamonds are formed deep within the earth and under extreme heat and pressure. They all contain small imperfections inside the diamond. The diamonds are graded by their clarity form flawless (extremely rare) to included ( visible to the naked eye). Unless you have millions to spend on a flawless diamond, most people purchase VS1-VS2 or SI1 SI2. The naked eye cannot pick up the slight inclusions. Unless someone is walking around with a mini microscope in their pocket, it is a perfect diamond clarity to choose.

TIPS:

Here are some tips when purchasing the right diamond. Ladies do not be afraid to let you man know what you want. It is your ring and I think you should have a say in it. Just make sure you do not pay for your own ring like I did…. yep I still cannot explain that one.

Do not get hung up on having such a huge carat. Yes we all say it ‘I want over a carat diamond when I get married’. When choosing the carat weight, make sure that the diamond has the correct clarity and colour. This makes the diamond appear larger than what it is.

Do not focus on the imperfection. All diamonds will have slight inculsions unless you are lucky enough to receive a flawless diamond. This is what makes them unique and individual.

The setting of the diamond is just as important. Make sure you choose a reputable jeweller who specialises in setting diamonds.

Lastly, do your homework before you purchase your ring. The last thing you want is to be sitting in bed reading a book while admiring your ring at different angles when suddenly you see a massive crack in it. Yep that also happened to me, but don’t worry I made the jeweller reset my ring with a bigger diamond, better colour and clarity VS1 F. Teaches the jeweller to accuse me of craking it while washing dishes and hitting the diamond on the stainless steel bench. It was obvious that he cracked the diamond while setting the ring hence why you need to pick a reuptable jeweller.

So ladies enjoy this moment of choosing the right ring for you. We are derserve to have the very best.

What’s Your Flavour?

Are Diamonds Really a Girls Best Friend?