The 4 C's: Clarity

The 4 C's of the Diamond

Clarity

Clarity is based on the number, size, type, color, and location of inclusions.  Inclusions can be call birthmarks, but they are not flaws.

Inclusions:

·        Feather is a separations (crack) against the grain.

·        Cleave is a separations with the grain.

·        Pinpoints are white dots inside stone.  These are crystals going with the grain.

·        Clouds are a cluster of pinpoints.

·        Carbon Spots are crystals (diamonds or garnets) going against the grain.  They will be black.

·        Gas Spots:  Clear pockets inside stone.

·        Blemish is on the surface of the stone and not inside.

·        It is better for inclusions to be on the outer part of stone than in the middle.

Grading Scale:

F:  Flawless has no internal or outer blemishes or inclusions.

IF: Internal Flawless has no internal inclusions only small blemish like an extra facet.

VVS1:  Has no inclusions under table and only inclusions are white or clear.

VVS2:  Only difference to VVS1 are inclusions can be closer to middle.

VS1:  White or colorless inclusions in bottom middle, but no crystals under the table.

VS2:  Similar to VS1, but may have crystals under the table.

SI1:  Inclusions are visible under 10x anywhere in stone, but not outside stone.  Eye clean.

SI2:  Inclusions very visible under 10x, but not to naked eye when mounted.

I1:  Inclusions are visible by naked eye, but none break surface.

I2:  Inclusions are very visible by naked eye, but still no breaks in surface.

I3:  Easy to see inclusions and has breaks in surface.

The majority of diamonds sold range between an I2 to an SI1.  There are diamonds below an I3, but those diamonds are not considered a gem quality are used for industrial uses.  Some diamond graders and jewelers will grade some of their stones and SI3, but in fact that is still an I1 stone.

The 4 C's: Color

The 4 C's of the Diamond

Color

D is the best color rating.  The diamond will have no natural color and be completely colorless.

E and F are also colorless with almost no natural color.  To the naked eye or without comparison it will be very hard to see the differences between D, E, and F.  These are clear diamonds.

G is a Near Colorless diamond that has some natural color, but is so close to colorless that it gives you a great value for an amazing product.

H and I are the most common color in mounted jewelry.  They are Near Colorless with a little color.  These are white diamonds.

J is also a Near Colorless diamond, but it does have more natural color.  Depending on how or what the diamond is mounted in can effect how the color appears.

K, L, and M are rated as Faint Yellow with light brown and yellow tones in the diamond.

N - R are rated Very Light Yellow with very visible yellow in the diamond

S - Z are rated Light Yellow that are just above a canary yellow, but without the intense color to make it valuable.

Z+ are considered Fancy Yellow diamonds and are very rare and a beautiful canary yellow.

The more nitrogen a diamond has trapped in it the more yellow it will look.   There are other colors of diamonds from pink, red, blue, green, brown, and black. 

The 4 C's: Cut

The 4 C's of Diamonds

CUT                        

·       The diamond is made up of facets and cuts.  There is a Table at the top where it is flat.  There is a Crown that makes up the top part of the stone.  There is a Pavilion that goes from the bottom of Crown to the Culet.  The Culet is at the bottom of the diamond and the Girdle is in between the Crown and Pavilion.

·        The Culet can be cut flat or to a point.  It is cut at a 98.5 degree.

·        If the Table is more than 60% of the Crown, then the stone is considered to be a shallow cut stone.  If it is less than 50% of the Crown, then the stone is considered to be a deep cut stone.  The Table should be around 51% to 57% of the Crown. 

·        The Bow Tie Effect will happen in any brilliant cut shape.  It’s the area where the stone has been cut to the proportions of a round.

·        A Round Cut has 58 facets.  A Princess Cut has 49 facets.  A Emerald Cut is a step cut with 57 facets.  A Single Cut has 17 facets.

·        A diamond that has been cut to the perfect proportions is considered an ideal cut.  When looking at the diamond you will see what is call the hearts and arrow effect.

·        The cut of a diamond is so important because before a diamond is cut it has basically no sparkle.  The sparkle and fire of the diamond comes from the cut of the diamond.  The better the diamond is cut, the better the diamond will catch the light.

Shapes:

 

Round                       

Princess                   

Marquise      

Oval               

Pear               

Emerald        
Baguette                   
Trillion                       
Heart             
Radiant

These are the most popular cuts, but diamond cutters are always coming up with new cuts and cutting styles.

The 4 C's: Carat

The 4 C's of the Diamond

Carat:

Carat is a measurement of weight not size.  The word carat comes from carab the name of the seed of the locust tree.  When the seed is dry it has a consistent weight.  1 carab seed = 1 carat diamond.

Measurements for a diamonds weight is W x W x D x .0061 = (    )

If you measure the Crown of a diamond you can get an estimated weight for a round diamond.
1/10 ct.=3mm

1/4 ct.=4mm

1/3 ct.=4.3mm

1/2 ct.=5.1mm

5/8 ct.=5.6mm

3/4 ct.=5.8mm

1 ct.=6.3mm

2.5 ct.=9mm

The price of a diamond will always first be set by the carat weight.  The larger the diamond to more rare it is and the more it will cost.  But when comparing the same size/weight diamond the cut, color, and clarity will decide the final value of the diamond.

Created and Natual Gemstones

A created gem, except for diamonds has the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as a natural. 

Example 1:  Ice is made of H2O.  If you freeze water it will turn to ice.  This is created ice.  The ice from an iceberg in natural ice.  Both are made of H2O.

Example 2:  A tree that is growing in the woods in a natural tree.  If you take the seed of a tree and put it in a pot and water it and give it sunlight it will grow into a tree.  That is a created tree.

When they are making a created gem they take the elements needed to make that stone and use pressure, time, and heat to get those elements to crystallize into a gem.

Amethyst

The birthstone for February and the 6th wedding anniversary is Amethyst.  Amethyst comes from the quartz family and comes in a wide range of colors such as purple, pink, and green.  Purple is by far the most popular.  It is believed that if a person wears an amethyst it will hlep prevent intoxication.

Peridot

Peridot is the birthstone for August and the 16th wedding anniversary.  Peridot ranges from green tones to pale yellowish to grass green.  The Romans called peridot the evening emerald.  Mystics say tha the stone will drive away evil spirits and if set in a gold goblet it will increase the power of any medicine drank from the goblet.

Sapphire

Sapphire is the birthstone of September and the 5th and 45th wedding anniversary.  The word sapphire comes from the latin word for blue, sapphirus.  While the most popular color of sapphire is blue it actually comes in many different colors.  The colors range from blue, yellow, pink, orange, black, green, and more except red.

Opal

Opal is the birthstone of October and the 14th anniversary.  Opal is known for its flashy colors and body tones.  The stone ranges from white to black as the base color and patterns of colors like red, blue, green, and yellow.  The myth says that the stone is unlucky for anyone whose birthstone is not October.  The stone is very soft, so it must be treated with care.

Ruby

Ruby is the birthstone for the month of July.  Ruby has been prized for centuries as a symbol of love and immortality. Ruby has been thought to cure illness and fighting lovers (which is likely true since a piece of ruby jewelry is a great way to say, “I’m sorry”).    Hindus referred to ruby as “The Lord of Gems” and believe its deep red color comes from a fire that was capable of boiling water.  Ruby comes from a variety of mineral called corundum. Basically, rubies are red sapphires. Rubies rank 9.0 on the Mohs hardness scale making it just below diamonds. Rubies are considered precious gemstones along with sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds making them one of the more expensive stones. Because of rubies value, rareness, and popularity it is one of the gemstones that have been cultured.  Ruby is also the recommended gemstone for couples celebrating their 15th and 40th anniversaries.

Hamilton Watches

My favorite watch is Hamilton. Hamilton is owned by the Swatch Group, but their heritage goes back to America. Hamilton was the watch for our military back in World War II. My Hamilton is the Khaki King with day and date. This was the standard issue watch for our ground forces in WWII. Hamilton watches have been featured in hundreds of movies from Pearl Harbor, You’ve Got Mail, Men In Black, and Get Smart.

Today most Hamilton watches have automatic or mechanical movements. Since Hamilton is owned by the Swatch Group who also makes the ETA movement, most Hamilton watches have the same base movement as higher priced watches like Tag Heuer, Baume & Mericer, Cartier, and Omega.

Hamilton has two basic styles: the Khaki which is the military inspired watches and the American Classic which is their fashion forward and retro styles. For those with a passion for the military the Khaki collection is a smart choice. And those that like a more dress casual watch will love the American Classic collections.

In my opinion Hamilton watches are the best value automatic movement watches in the industry. Hamilton watches are American Style and Swiss Made.

Every Woman Loves Jewelry

Some women say they don’t like jewelry. I just don’t believe it. I think when a woman says this it is because no one has bought them any jewelry. Now I can understand if a woman doesn’t like really big jewelry or to wear a lot of jewelry, but to say they don’t like jewelry at all is just hard for me to believe. Wal-Mart alone sells over $1 billion a year in just jewelry. Someone is getting all that jewelry.

I don’t think it is the jewelry that matters, but what it means. Over the years jewelry has been the symbol of purity, beauty, and love. The reason to give jewelry is to express with an outward sign your love.

Now women when your man buys you jewelry know that it shouldn’t matter what it looks like, how big or little it is, or even if you “don’t like jewelry.” What should matter is that the person you love is expressing their love for you. Enjoy the jewelry and when you put it on remember how much you are loved.

Alexandrite

Alexandrite is the other birthstone for June and also known as the Christmas stone due to it colors. Alexandrite was first discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1830 on the birthday of Czar Alexander II, and was named in his honor. Equally significant were it’s red and green colors, which were the same of those of the Royal Imperial Army. Russians have worn the stone with great pride and is considered it a good luck charm. The red and green colors is also a reason why it is known as the Christmas stone.  What is also very interesting about alexandrite is that it will actually change colors. In daylight the stone is a deep blue-green, but under incandescent lighting the stone will turn a purple-red. It has been called an “emerald by day and an amethyst by night.”  Alexandrite is very rare, so it is very expensive as a natural stone. Because it is so rare and so expensive, most people will purchase a created alexandrite. The created alexandrite still has the same colors and color changing properties.

Pearls

Pearl is the birthstone for the month of June. It is also the gemstone for celebrating the 3rd and 13th anniversary. Pearls are known as the emblem of modesty, chastity and purity. Pearls symbolizes love, success, and happiness. Pearls come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, colors, and luster. Pearls are available in a wide range of colors: white, cream, rose, gray, black, blue, gold, lavender, or a combination.   Most pearls sold today are cultured. Pearls come from oysters, mussels, and other mollusks. Natural pearls are found in nature with no help from humans. While a cultured pearls come from oyster and other mollusks humans impregnate the oysters to produce the pearl.  Mikimoto was the man who discovered the secret to cultured pearls. Today, Mikimoto is the top pearl company in the world. Only the top 5% of all cultured pearls in the world are of a high enough quality to be called Mikimoto.  Every woman deserves a stand of pearls and the original strand was created by Mikimoto. If you have someone special in your life with a birthday in June or if you will soon be celebrating your 3rd, 13th, or 63rdanniversary, I would recommend a strand of Mikimoto pearls.

Rolex

What make a Rolex a Rolex? Some people think that Rolex is just an expensive watch because of its name and it really is no better than any other watch. Rolex sets very high standards in the watches they make and they are one of the few watch companies that still make their own watch movements. Here are some facts about Rolex and why it is such a high quality watch.

1. Water Resistance: The standard Rolex is water resistance to 330 feet, which means that every Rolex (except a select few fashion Rolex) can be worn while swimming. The Rolex Submariner is water resistant to 1000 feet and the Rolex Sea Dweller is water resistant to 4000 feet. The Sea Dweller also have a helium escape value. Rolex is called an oyster, because it is as water tight as an oyster. Rolex is considered water proof, because when it is tested they use a system of positive water pressure to see if water will go in and negative pressure to get air out.

2. Crown: Rolex uses either a Twin or Triple Locking screw down crow on most every watch. The twin lock has 2 gaskets and the triple lock has 3 gaskets. If you look on the end of the crown, if it has two dots then it is a twin lock, if it has three dots then it is a triple lock.

3. Crystal: Every Rolex watch has a synthetic sapphire crystal that is cut at an axis, then it is ground and polished to the desired shape. Most watch companies cut the crystals strait, but by cutting in at an axis it makes for a harder and more durable crystal.

4. Metals: The stainless steal that Rolex uses is a 904L, while most other watch companies use a 316L stainless steal. It takes 40,000 lbs of pressure to stamp out the Rolex oyster cases. When stamping out the cases the building will actually shake due to the force. All the white gold that Rolex uses is alloyed with palladium. This is a much higher quality alloy than either silver or nickel. Rolex also uses solid 18K gold and never uses gold plating or gold capping.

5. Movement: All Rolex perpetual movements are Certified Chronometers. This is the testing done by the Swiss watch agency that tests each watch accuracy under 3 different temperatures, at 5 different positions for 15 days. A Rolex watch should be accurate within 0 to 5 seconds per day. There are over 200 components in every Rolex watch movement and it takes up to 1 years for the movement to be made with many techs working on each movement. Rolex also uses the same high quality and expensive movement in every watch from the Air King to the Presidential.

6. Counterfeits: Rolex is by far the most counterfeited watch in the world. No Rolex is sold online and it is against the Rolex company policies for even official Rolex jewelers to advertise Rolex on their own websites or to sell Rolex on their websites. The only true way to know you are buying an official Rolex watch is to buy the watch at an official Rolex jeweler that can provide you with the official Rolex two year limited warranty. Every Rolex comes with it own warranty card/form and you should never accept a copy or allow the jeweler to keep the original.

Rolex watches are beautiful watches that are a work of art.  While not everyone can afford to own a Rolex it is a wonderful luxury item for those that can.  And a Rolex watch always has value.  No matter where ever you are in the world if you have a Rolex watch and find yourself in a bad situation, a Rolex watch can be worth a airline ticket home.

Citrine

Citrine is the birthstone of November and 13th wedding anniversary. It is actually the low cost alternative to the other November birthstone yellow topaz.  Citrine is from the quartz family and named after the French word for lemon, citro.  The legend is that Citrine will protect against snakes and evil thoughts.

The Engagement Ring

The gift of a diamond engagement ring has been traditional since the fifteenth century. Mary of Burgundy is said to be the first woman to receive a diamond engagement ring. Her suitor, Archduke Maximilian of Austria broke with the tradition of a woman moving her wedding ring to the left hand after marriage. He wanted to give her another ring that would be more grand than the wedding ring. This would be come known as the engagement ring.

Emerald

The birthstone for the month of May is Emerald. Emerald is know as the Queen of Gems. Emeralds have been treasured for over 5000 years. The ancients held emeralds in great esteem, believing it sharpened the wearer’s eyesight and mind. Travelers relied on emeralds for protection against hazards on a long journey.  Emeralds range in their green tones that are especially soothing. Emerald is also from the Beryl family, which also includes Aquamarine. Emeralds are very soft and are only about a 6 on the hardness scale. They also are know to have a lot of inclusions, so high quality emeralds are usually very expensive. Emeralds are actually rarer than diamonds and for very high quality stones can rival the per carat price of diamonds. Emeralds are one of the gems that a person can purchase as created to save money.  Emeralds are also the stone for celebrating the 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries.

Garnet

Garnet is the birthstone for January and the 2nd anniversary stone.  Garnet comes in many different colors from deep red, to orange, and yellow to pink, and green to brown.  The word garnet comes from the latin word grantus, meaning seed-like.  Garent was the breastplate stone of one of the 12 tribes of Israel.  Garnet is also said to keep traveles safe, promote a long love, prevent depression, and help with hearing.

Topaz

Topaz can be found in many different colors from yellow to golden orange, deep red to shades of pink, and lavendar to blue.  Yellow Topaz is the birhstone for November and Blue Topaz is the birthstone for December.  Blue Topaz is also the stone for the 4th anniversary and Imperial Topaz is a gift for the 23th wedding anniversary.  Topaz claims to promote calm, faithfulness and cures insomnia.