Secrets About Diamonds. 4C. How To Be Like Cartier

Making a diamond purchase is not only emotional but an investment. You need to know what the secrets of diamonds are.

The last update is on 09/12/2022. The average read time is 17 minutes

What do you have to do at the start? Read below to find Secrets About Diamonds. 4C. How To Be Like Cartier

Starting with the secrets about diamonds let us give you some advice. Do not buy precious stones on the road, or from untrusted people. Even experts have the knowledge and equipment. They need some time to identify the diamond and qualify it.

In the case, you found a real bargain and the diamond doesn’t have any qualifications, you first need to see if the diamond is not fake. Some fake diamonds in the market look real but aren’t.

Secrets about diamonds. Find if a diamond is real or not.

There are some easy ways to check if a diamond is real or not, on your own, without any special equipment.

Secrets about diamonds. Check if a diamond is real with a glass of water.

Check if a diamond is real with a glass of water.

Take a glass of water and drop the diamond inside.

If it is a real diamond it will sink. If it is fake it will stay at the top or middle of the glass.

Secrets about diamonds. Check if a diamond is real with your breath.

Place the diamond near your mouth and fog it with your breath. A real diamond will not get fog up easily. When it is fogged for a couple of seconds, then it is probably fake.

Secrets about diamonds. Check if a diamond is real with a magnifying glass.

If you have a magnifying glass, or you can ask to give you, you can check the stone with it. Take a look at the glass and look for imperfections. Real diamonds have imperfections, fake ones or lab-created doesn’t. There is some time that a real diamond has no inclusions but it will be too expensive.

Or you can examine the diamond with a loupe, like the ones that jewelers have. Inspect the stone for imperfections or color changes. Usually, they have, which means the diamond is real. There is always the possibility that you are seeing a flawless diamond. In that case, check for a certificate or ask a professional.

The 4 Secrets About Diamonds…and more

Diamond Cut

Nature determines the color of the diamond, but man is responsible for showing true beauty with the cut procedure.

Only professionals can bring the diamond from its natural appearance to a piece of art.

The most important factor is the diamond cut. This means how much the stone shines or better how much it sparkles.

The surfaces of the diamond and how well they are distributed are the cut factor.

Secrets about diamonds. Cutting techniques.

They are many shapes and cutting techniques, the most popular is the Round Brilliant, mostly because it reflects the light the best. Find 10 facts about diamonds and diamond cutting at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_cutting

According to the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), the scale is: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor.

These are the characteristics of a diamond cut.

• The brilliance. How much reflects the white light?
• The fire. Is the dispersion of light in the different colors of the rainbow.
• The contrast patterns. Contrasting light and dark areas created by the reflection.
• The scintillation. The contrast between dark and light areas.

Diamond Anatomy

Secrets about Diamonds. When you buy a piece of diamond jewelry.

Most people when buying diamonds ask for the carat value. The most important factor that determines the price is the diamond cut.

An excellent diamond cut is the most expensive. This is because the diamond optimizes the light more and has superior sparkle.

20 facts about diamonds that are a must-read.

Diamond Color

Diamonds come in all natural colors like lite yellow, grey, white, green, and brown. The diamond color means the absence of color. It is very rare to find a diamond without any color.

The color scale grade

The color scale D to Z is the industry standard for color rating diamonds. D means colorless, while Z means a light color. To put it simply, a D-grade color diamond is the most valuable. So the price decreased alphabetically, going up to Z.

Secrets about Diamonds and Color

• Only a certified gemologist can color-grade a diamond.
• Color is more visible in bigger diamonds.
• At the GIA laboratory, diamonds are colored grade comparing them with masterstones (diamonds known color).
• When diamonds are exposed to Ultraviolet (UV) light they emit a light called fluorescence.

A test for our viewers reading secrets about diamonds. Open the above image in a separate tab and find any color inside the diamond.

Leave a comment below. Let us see who is the first with the right answer.

Diamond Clarity

Diamonds are made inside the earth, under extreme circumstances. Pressure and heat are creating small imperfections.

These imperfections are the reason for the diamond clarity grade.

If the flaws are inside the diamond they are called inclusions, if they are on the surface they are blemishes.

Inclusions are called also internal characteristics because they give the diamond its character.

Secrets about diamonds and clarity.

• Diamond clarity is one of the 4 important characteristics of a diamond. Clarity will affect the price but it also the beauty of the diamond.

• Big-sized diamonds have more impact on diamond clarity. Also the shape of the diamond, like the fancy ones, needs a higher clarity grade.

• When the inclusions are too small to see with the naked eye, we call the diamond “eye clean”.

Diamonds clarity category grades

• Included Diamonds. (I1 to I3). It is the lower category and means that the inclusions are visible to the naked eye.
• Slightly Included Diamonds. (SI1 and SI2). Inclusions are noticeable with magnification.
• Very Slightly Included Diamonds. (VS1 and VS2). Minor inclusions are noticeable with magnification. Great value over price.
• Very Very Slightly Included Diamonds. (VVS1 and VVS2). These diamonds have inclusions very difficult to see even with magnification. These are rare diamonds and follow an eye-clean appearance.
• Internally Flawed Diamonds. (IF). Some blemishes (on the surface) are visible on a microscope.
• Flawless Diamonds. (FL). A flawless natural diamond is very rare because it has no internal or external characteristics.

Secrets about diamonds. Different types of diamond characteristics.

Inclusions can be knots, feathers, clouds, cavities, or crystals

Blemishes can be scratches, breaks, nicks, or pits.

Never buy a diamond under stress. It is better to be late than sorry.

With love from our team.

Diamond Carat.

Diamond carat refers to its weight, not its size.

This is one of the reasons why we created the article “Secrets about Diamonds”

Every carat (ct.) weighs 0.2 grams of a diamond or 200 milligrams. Each carat is divided into 100 points.

That means if a diamond is 1.13ct, it is referred to as “1 carat and 13 points”.

Secrets about diamonds and carats.

• It is essential to say that diamonds of the same weight do not have necessary the same sizes.
• When diamonds are mined small gems are discovered more frequently, which is why the large gems are more valuable.
• Diamond prices rise logarithmically with the carat weight. For example, a diamond of 1.5 carats is worth more than 2 diamonds of 0.75 carats, when they are both of the same quality.
• Remember this. The diamond value is determined by all 4 major values, cut, color, clarity, and carat weight.
• When you buy a piece of diamond jewelry you may hear the term “tw”. That is the total weight of the diamonds in the jewelry.
• As we already said carat weight is not the same as the size. That is why the shape of a diamond is not the same.

Please read our article about women’s rings. Learn the Secrets To Be Awesome.

Secrets about Diamonds. Certifications.

Diamond certification is the process when a gem laboratory tests and assesses the quality of a diamond.

The lab creates a written report or certificate that remains in the archive and a copy is sent back to the diamond owner.

Every certificate has its number that can be inscribed on the diamond with a laser. This proves that the specific diamond is graded and even with the certificate lost or stolen, it is easy to find it again from the records.

Secrets about diamonds and certifications.

• Documents or appraisals from any jeweler are not counted as certifications. Gem labs use special equipment to grade each diamond.
• Some diamond certifications issue a plot of the diamond. This is a map or drawing of the diamond inclusions (internal marks)
• We are talking about natural diamond certifications. Find later in the article about lab diamonds.
• When you want to resale a diamond you can prove what is the grade of the diamond.
• Verify your diamond in case of repair or insurance.
• The US Government legally permits jewelers to sell diamonds to be off by one color and clarity grade. That means you can pay a significant amount more. Never buy an expensive diamond without certification.

Where can I certify a diamond?

Here we can provide you with some of the most popular labs worldwide for diamond certification.

Gemological Institute of America: gia.edu. Established in 1931, GIA is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls. A public benefit, nonprofit institute, GIA is the leading source of knowledge, standards, and education in gems and jewelry. Find more secrets about diamonds on the research page on the gia.edu website.

American Gem Society: americangemsociety.org. Since 1934, the American Gem Society (AGS) is a nonprofit trade association of fine jewelry professionals dedicated to setting, maintaining, and promoting the highest standards of ethical conduct and professional behavior through education, accreditation, and recertification of its membership, gemological standards, and gemological research. You can find more secrets about diamonds on their website, including birthstones.

European Gemological Laboratory: egllaboratories.org. Since 1974, EGL is today the world’s largest independent network of gemological laboratories. Note: The First 5 symbols on the certificate code are capital letters (EGLOO), not numbers.

International Gemmological Institute: igi.org. IGI is the largest organization of its kind, operating 20 laboratory locations around the world grading finished jewelry, natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, and gemstones – and 14 schools of gemology graduating thousands of new jewelry professionals each year. On their website, you can find more secrets about diamonds, including gemstone articles.

Hoge Raad voor Diamont: hrdantwerp.com. Since 1447, Antwerp has been synonymous with quality diamonds and superior craftsmanship. Already then, the world’s leading diamond center secured a well-regulated market that won the absolute confidence of traders and consumers. Go to their website to find out: What are 3 interesting facts about diamonds?

Check our article about types of all types of gemstones.

Secrets About Diamonds. Lab-Grown Diamonds.

We know that natural diamonds are formed underneath the earth over a billion years, under great pressure and heat. Lab-grown diamonds are created in a Lab in a few weeks.

There is also a chemical difference. Natural diamonds may contain a very small amount of nitrogen, but lab-grown diamonds don’t. That is the only difference between the two.

Even FTC (or Federal Trade Commission) classes man-made diamonds as real, due to the gem’s chemical makeup.

Scientific facts about diamonds. Lab versus Natural.

25 interesting facts about diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are cheaper by about 35% compared to natural ones. This year because of the big supply the difference is more. We could find 50-65% more affordable prices when comparing same-quality diamonds.

Natural diamonds are always a good investment. They have great value over time.

In the last 2 years, lab-grown diamond prices are dropping by 70%. The reason is because of new technologies and because the supply is bigger. On the other hand, the natural diamond supply is the same, so prices are not fluctuating.

Lab-grown diamonds’ resale value is very small to none. While natural diamonds’ resale value is about 50%.

Gcal (Gem Certification & Assurance Lab) is one of the certification labs for lab-grown diamonds. In their report, they do not include a report for minor tinges, like blue, brown, or green.

Do not buy diamonds from websites, or pictures. They can have those 360-degree nice images, but they will never give you the sparkle of any diamond. You better visit your jeweler and see the diamond yourself.

Should I buy a lab-grown or a natural diamond? This is the most asked question. It is all about your priorities. If you have a budget of 5.000-7.000 $, and you want a 2ct diamond with an excellent cut, go for a lab-grown. But you can always select a smaller-carat natural one with the same quality.

In the last years, partners are going together to buy diamond jewelry. When you have doubts about what your partner wants ask them. Some people can be ethical enough to choose lab-grown only.

Others can see the investment over time and want to have a natural diamond. Asking your partner doesn’t hurt. It will give you the right idea of what he wants and you both can be happy.

Our last piece of advice will be always to focus on quality. Whatever it is, natural or lab-grown if you focus on quality, you will have the best results. After all, we want to have that amazing sparkle in our hands when choosing any diamond.

Check to see our article about the most famous diamonds of all time

Conclusion. The ethical part. Secrets about diamonds.

11 fun facts about diamonds

If you have seen the movie Blood Diamonds with Leonardo DiCaprio, you know that there is an ethical problem with buying natural diamonds.

The film’s ending, in which a conference is held concerning blood diamonds, refers to a historic meeting that took place in Kimberley, South Africa, in 2000. It led to the development of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which sought to certify the origin of rough diamonds to curb the trade in conflict diamonds; the certification scheme has since been mostly abandoned as ineffective.

The expression “ethical diamond” has arisen as a way for upright shoppers to recognize precious stones that are mined without taking advantage of laborers or the climate.

Most natural diamonds are not traceable. From mining to selling, they are so many people involved. Most rough diamonds are sorted and mixed before they are cut and polished. That is why it is impossible to know the certificate of origin. If it is a large mining company or from another source. Some Canadian diamonds are branded so we know the origin but all the others lost their identity through the diamond channel.

With the rise of the Internet in the last few decades marketing can give you false signals. If you look at the Russian mining companies, they employ thousands of workers while giving back to the community. This can be optimistic, but history has taught us that not everything is true. Information in Russia is regulated and controlled, so we do not hear about reports of human rights abuses in the mining industry.

Secrets about diamonds. So what are your options?

• Lab-grown or man-made diamonds. Synthetic diamonds are risk-free for the workers and the environment.
• Canadian diamonds. Because of the ID number, you can trace the origin. Canada has very strict environmental and fair labor laws.
• Recycled diamonds. Considering the environment and ethical issues there is a good alternative. Pre-owned diamonds often are polished and certified again.
• The Kalahari Dream. De Beers is one of the largest mining companies. that created a venture for mining and selling directly to consumers. It is the most ideal solution. For more info please visit kalaharidream.com

Secrets about diamonds. More pages to visit.

If you want to find the largest diamond found check this page from history.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you want to add more information to this article?

Are you going to choose a diamond ring for your next purchase?

Leave a comment below about our article Secrets about Diamonds.

Laoutaris Recommends