Pastor-Genève Diamonds Identification Tips

By: Kirsten Katz

Buying a diamond can be a scary undertaking these days. There is an abundance of information available to consumers, but not all of it is accurate. Hopefully we can clear up a few of the myths and give you some guidelines.

Apart from teaching you the basics about diamonds and the 4 C’s, diamond buying guides usually also advise consumers that they should shop at ethical, honest and reputable retailers?

Our advice is to ask if the diamond is certified and to see which laboratory issued the certificate or grading report. The quality of the certificate, or lack thereof, goes a long way towards telling if you are dealing with someone reputable and professional.

A diamond certificate or diamond grading report is only as good as the laboratory who issued it.

The certificate should come from a reputable, independent and recognized laboratory.

Diamond certificates from respectable labs, meaning GIA, HRD, AGS or DCLA, are totally necessary if you want to compare diamonds intelligently.

We suggest that before buying an expensive item like a loose diamond you should do some research first.

Internationally recognized diamond grading laboratories such as AGS, DCLA, GIA and HRD grade diamonds with the highest standards. All of these diamond grading laboratories utilize strict procedures, have the most advanced equipment, and affiliations which meet the strict requirements for recognition by international trade organizations.

It is up to you, the consumer, to verify the credentials of a diamond grading laboratory and the diamond dealer.

If you are told certification is unnecessary, or that the diamond certificate will cost you extra we suggest that you shop elsewhere.

Valuations or appraisals are NOT the same as a diamond certificate or grading report.

A diamond certificate documents the complete quality and description of the diamond, it includes information on shape, carat weight, clarity, fluorescence, colour grade, measurements, proportions and finish grade but they never mention the value of the diamond.

Be even more cautious of website dealers who issue their own ‘in house diamond certificates’ or ‘manufacturer’s grading reports’ as these simply are NOT independent certificates and they are NOT from a recognized laboratory.

For a diamond certificate to be reliable and useful it must have been issued by a reputable, independent laboratory which has had no financial interest in the stone to avoid any conflict of interest. If you’ve never heard of the institution that is offering a grading report, don’t hesitate to ask about its credentials and that of the people who graded the diamond. Diamond grading laboratories which grade to IDC International Diamond Council rules, do not just use the opinion and expertise of one person. They must grade the diamond and have the opinion and consensus of three qualified diamond graders before the grade is applied to any diamond.

Do not judge a certificate by its cover and title alone. Just because someone calls themselves a laboratory or opens up a business to do diamond certificates and valuations after having completed a gemology course, that does not mean they have the needed technical equipment, qualifications, knowledge and expertise.

These small local labs often lay claims of being independent, recognized, and having state of art equipment but what about the qualifications of the directors, graders and that of the person who graded the diamond? Did they test for all types of treatments and any enhancements? Do they guarantee that the diamond is natural? Was the diamond laser inscribed using a cold laser? Do they grade diamonds to set international rules and standards?

By: Mr. Praven Sharma

A diamond is a girl’s best friend! It is a beauty and unique nature makes it easy to admire. Diamond purchasing is a great task and an exciting pleasure. There are various types of diamonds so when buying real diamonds, one should learn about fake diamonds so that you will be able to distinguish between the fake vs. real diamond. Nowadays the best fake diamond is in great demand. Here are some of the simple solutions or the methods that will enable you to find out the difference between the fake vs. real diamond. The best way to know about the precious diamond is to acquire knowledge from a diamond professional. If possible take the diamond along with you to the shop and get all the details from the jeweler. The best fake diamond looks so similar to the real diamond that even a professional diamond jeweler may get confused and may have hard time to finding out whether it is a fake or the real diamond. In case you are not satisfied with the views regarding the real diamond from the professional, here is a way to find out which is a real diamond and which is a fake diamond.

The first method is to check the diamond with the help of diamond tester as it will help you to differentiate between real diamond and best fake diamond. It is an electronic tester that can check all the diamonds except the moissanite stone for which the diamond tester is not reliable. The best fake diamond is the cubic zirconia and the weight of this diamond is around 50% more than a real diamond of the same size and shape. This weighing test also can find out the difference between fake vs. real diamond.

Another method for checking the best fake diamond is the transparency test in which the diamond is placed up side down on the news paper and if the written matter from the newspaper is legible then be sure that the diamond is not the real one and it can be a best fake diamond. One of the disadvantages of this method is that some of the stones may appear to be a real diamond due its fine cutting. In this case, one needs to be sure about the cutting methods of the stones. This method is very common and enables you to find the real diamond from the best fake diamond.

The third method that helps you to differentiate between fake vs. real diamond is the fog test. Hold the stone or the diamond and blow some air from your mouth on to the stone, if the fog appears on the stone and stays there for next few seconds then it shows that the stone is a best fake diamond because in case of a real diamond, the heat disappears instantly. The oily layers and dirt on the stone might create some problems to differentiate fake vs. real diamond. Thus, before carrying out a test for best fake diamond, clean its surface properly.

Author: Spence Diamonds

You slip the ring on your finger, or hold the earring up to your ear, and you can’t believe the flashes of light shimmering off that diamond. “It’s stunning,” you think to yourself, “and I don’t ever want to take it off.”

A diamond is a treasure that should last a lifetime, and with the right care and maintenance, so can that incomparable sparkle. At Spence Diamonds, we want you to enjoy your diamond’s sparkling beauty for generations, so here’s a few “dos and don’ts” of caring for your new diamond:

It is okay to:
Clean your jewelry in warm, soapy water with a soft brush
Use a mild soap, such as dish soap
Use products designed specifically for cleaning diamonds (ask us in store for details)

It is not wise to:
Wear your jewelry when using abrasive cleaning products, or ones that contain bleach or chlorine
Wear your diamond during manual labour activities, while using heavy equipment, weightlifting or while playing sports (for your own safety as well as that of your jewelry)

The setting of your diamond and the metals used in bands, bracelets and necklaces should be taken into consideration, too. Especially in the case of gold, you want to be sure that the cleaning products you choose won’t tarnish the finish of your precious metals. By following the guidelines above, you should be able to keep your valuables in showroom shape, plus it gives you a perfect use for your old toothbrushes! On that note, its best if you stick to mild soap and water with your toothbrush. Today’s new toothpastes are great for getting your teeth whiter, but are usually much too abrasive for your jewels.

Everyday wear and tear, and even the perspiration and natural oils from your fingers can have an effect on your jewelry’s natural glow over time, so a regular cleaning will ensure that they always look their best.

Author: David Cowley

Whether you’re looking to purchase wholesale diamonds for investment purposes, for business purposes, or just because you love the idea of owning diamonds on your own, there are some things to look for when it comes to a diamond wholesaler.  Before you run out and start plunking down your investment dollars or jewelry business start-up finances for any loose diamonds, keep in mind that you don’t want to send money to just any diamond wholesaler.  Like any other investment option or business vendor, you need to be choosy and use some discretion.

First, keep in mind that a diamond wholesaler will be offering a large inventory with different cuts, carats, and so on.  It’s up to you to educate yourself about what makes a diamond valuable and why there will no doubt be a wide variety of prices between diamonds of the same carat, and so on.  Your diamond wholesaler may offer some tips and education in this regard but it will be up to you to learn as much as possible about diamonds themselves.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gem Society (AGS), and the International Gemological Institute (IGI) are the three most widely known and respected diamond grading laboratories in the world.  Each of the grading laboratories have developed a very similar nomenclature for identifying the 4 C’s of diamonds.  The 4 C’s stand for Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cut.

You could insist on a certificate from GIA or AGS for each and every diamond you purchase for a wholesaler but bear in mind that this certification process will increase the final price of the diamonds.  A certificate describes the quality of a diamond, but it does not place a monetary value on the gem.  An appraisal places a monetary value on your diamond, but does not certify the quality of the diamond.  After you have been purchasing diamonds for a while you should be able to learn how to certify and appraise the diamond on your own and not rely on any outside sources.

A diamond wholesaler should be a direct importer of diamonds rather than a reseller.  They may cut their own as well; this usually means that you get a better selection when it comes to quality and value, something that will be very good for a startup jewelry business.  When you start to deal with a reseller, the costs go up, so it’s best to look for a wholesaler of diamonds that imports their merchandise directly.

You need to be sure where the wholesaler gets his diamonds from.  There are many gems that have a poor history for how they have been cultivated; many civil wars in Africa and other areas are started and waged over diamond mines.  Diamonds known as conflict diamonds originate from the war zones of Africa.

In May of 2000 The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was adopted.  It is a plan that could halt the trade of conflict diamonds by establishing a way that diamond origin could be certified.

On December 1, 2000 the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution defining the role of conflict diamonds with the intent of cutting off the sources of funding for rebel forces and to help shorten the wars and prevent their recurrence.

Among the countries most affected by the terror inflicted by traders in conflict diamonds are Liberia, Sierra Leone and also Angola.  Unscrupulous groups still manage to elude the legal barriers and still find ways of infiltrating the diamond centers of the world.  Insist on a certification before purchasing any diamonds.  It will tell you the stone’s carat weight, its color and clarity, flaws, and its origins.

Author: Dave Gray

Shopping for diamond jewelry can be tedious and expensive, and you don’t always get exactly what you wanted. When you buy from most jewelry stores, you are limited to their preset jewelry. You may find the exact diamond you want, but it is already set in a rind and you wanted a necklace. Or you may like a set of earrings, but you can only get the .5 carat stones, which you can’t afford. There are stores which allow you to pick a stone and then set it, but they usually charge a premium. The solution is loose diamonds.

By buying a loose diamond, you are not bound by the preset jewelry in a store. You can pick the exact diamond you want, and then set it anyway you like. You can meet your budget and your standards with a loose solitaire diamond, and often get a much better price than with a preset stone. By getting a loose diamond first, you can create the perfect piece of jewelry for yourself or a very lucky someone. Many stores have exact standards of stones they may carry, limiting you to a certain size, color, or clarity. These are often at the high end of the spectrum, and while a 1 carat, VVSI, D color stone sounds great, it will cost more than your car. Often, these high quality diamonds are not necessarily the best. While a flawless diamond with perfect clear color is a great investment tool, it is not necessary for most pieces of jewelry.

Here is one of my experiences to prove this point. When I purchased my wife’s engagement ring, I thought I needed to get the best diamond I could find. I had pre-determined that I wanted no less than VSI clarity, and F color. While shopping, I had the fortune of working with a very honest diamond broker who shed some light on this for me. She picked a SI clarity diamond and inspected it with a magnifying glass, then drew a “map” of the imperfections she found (there were 5 total, which is why it was an SI). I used the magnifier and the map, and I still could only find one. She explained that if I cannot find the imperfections under magnification with a map, my wife, or anyone else, certainly wouldn’t see them with the naked eye. That alone saved me more than $1000 by preventing me from buying a more flawless diamond. We then looked at color. While I wanted no less than F (almost no color), she showed me an H (slightly yellow). I honestly couldn’t see the difference, and she explained that a little color is actually good for jewelry. The “sparkle” that most people expect in a diamond is actually due to the color. A perfectly clear diamond doesn’t have the “fire”. It is the slightly yellow color that gives diamonds their sparkle. Again, she saved me money while giving me a diamond I expected.

You can see the by choosing the exact loose diamond you want can make you more satisfied. Another benefit to a loose solitaire diamond is they tend to be cheaper because no effort has gone into the setting. Typically, a loose diamond will be 5% to 15% cheaper than the exact same stone in a preset piece of jewelry. Once you have the perfect loose diamond, it is a minimal cost to have it set in any setting you prefer at a jeweler.

The final benefit of loose diamonds is an investment value in bulk. You can buy a bulk lot of loose diamonds for a very decent price because most of them are not very high quality, but some are. You can buy a bulk lot, select the solitaire diamonds that are acceptable, and resell them individually for a nice profit. You can even use the lower quality diamonds for baguettes or other accent stones in your jewelry.

Author: David Cowley

Investors are in a quandary about where to put their money. The real estate bubble has burst. The stock markets are falling. Economic experts say the global economy is teetering on the edge of a grand recession. What’s an investor to do?

Precious Metals And Gemstones

When wise investors don’t trust the economic system created by humankind, they look to the assets Mother Nature creates: precious metals like platinum, gold, copper and silver, and precious gemstones like certified diamonds.

What Are Certified Diamonds?

Diamonds are made of pure carbon, the hardest natural substance known to exist on Earth. These gemstones are so valuable because mining them is expensive and labor intensive, and the mining process yields uncertain results.

Experts estimate that workers must mine and process up to 250 tons of ore to produce a one carat, gem quality stone suitable for use in jewelry. Only about one-fifth of all mined stones are considered to be of gemstone quality. These gemstones are cut and faceted according to specifications to enhance the natural properties of the gemstone, and these stones are then used in the jewelry business. The other four-fifths of mined stones are used for diamond saw blades, miscellaneous cutting instruments, and other industrial applications.

Grading

Gem-quality diamonds are graded from based on color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. Color grades range from “D” to “Z,” with a perfectly colorless stone receiving a grade of “D”, and a yellow stone being graded “Z”. Investors seek stones graded “I” or better.

The clarity grade measures imperfections that affect the purity of the stone. Internally flawless diamonds receive an “IF” grade, while flawed diamonds receive an “I3″ grade.

Cut refers to the shape of the stone: round, heat, marquise, pear-shaped, emerald-cut, oval, and radiant. Carat is the standard unit used to measure the weight of a diamond. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams.

Who Certifies Diamonds?

Investment quality certified stones are certified by independent laboratories whose business is to certify gemstones, not sell them. Most gemstone wholesalers and brokers insist on certification by either of the two most reliable certifying bodies in the business: the GIA, or the Gemological Institute of America, and the EGL, European Gemological Laboratory.

How Much Do They Cost?

Certified diamonds are a trading commodity, so their prices can vary. The rarity of high grade certified stones is reflected in their price. An “E” grade, half-carat, emerald cut diamond can cost nearly $1,300, while an “H” grade, three-carat emerald cut diamond can cost more than $24,000.

Will They Increase In Value?

Like any investment, certified gemstones fluctuate in value. Generally speaking, larger gemstones will increase in value faster than smaller stones, so investors should purchase the largest certified stones they can afford rather than investing in quantities of smaller diamonds.

Economists report that certified diamonds have provided a 30 percent return on investment over the last five years, and that rate of return is expected to increase another 10 to 20 percent in the next few years. With wealthy, cash-rich Chinese investors entering the market in the near future, some analysts have predicted a 100% increase in prices of certified diamonds in the next five to ten years.

Author: Dror Klar

It is amazing that the giving season will be here again before we know it. Every year we rack our brains to come up with the perfect gifts for so many on our list. Not only do those of us who celebrate Christmas have this occurring predicament year after year, but those who celebrate Hannakah and Kwanza face the same thing.

If you choose clothes, they can be the wrong fit, or just the wrong taste for the recipient of your gift. Choosing a household or other item can be alright for a casual acquaintance or the name you drew out of the hat at the office, but it is those you love the most that tend to present us with the most difficulty.

Diamond jewelry has always been a favorite gift to give since they became widely available several hundred years ago. Today there are so many ready made pieces to choose from that can be appropriate for so many different people.

If you are thinking about the cost and that diamond gifts are probably way out of your price range, you might want to reconsider. There are many smaller diamond items that can be purchased for under $100.00 dollars. Some of the very best deals on diamond jewelry can be found during the holiday season. Shop around for those really great buys.

Shopping on the internet has opened up a whole new world for shoppers. Do not be afraid to purchase jewelry over the internet. Brush up on some of the useful facts you need to know about diamond quality and you should be fine.

The diamonds you buy, even on the internet, will have certificates of authenticity with the facts about the diamonds listed on it. Make sure they have a return policy just in case you are not satisfied.

For a Mom, sister or mother in law, the diamond stud earrings can be a wonderful gift. A small diamond pendant on a tiny gold chain can be another. Dads, brothers, or best friends can be given a diamond tie tac. A money clip with a small diamond encrusted in it is a useful an gift any guy can use.

Whoever you decide to give a diamond to, even a small one, your guaranteed to get a much bigger smile and thank you than you would giving those same old time worn gifts of perfume, cologne, or slippers!

Author: Dror Klar

Diamonds have long been tempting morsels for jewelry thieves everywhere. Through out the ages diamonds and other precious gems have been stolen and re-stolen time and time again. Valuable jewels have been and probably always will be the covetous items for any burglars.

Thieves once tried to steal the famous Sancy diamond while in route to be loaned to Henry IV. The owner, Nicholas Harlai, Seigneur de Sancy, sent it with his loyal messenger to deliver the diamond. It is said he was attacked by thieves, but when his body was found, the stone was found in his stomach.

The legendary blue Hope diamond has always thought to have been cursed. It is believed that it was originally stolen by a thief out of the eye of a statue of a Hindu goddess, Sita.
Later in history, when the Hope diamond was inherited by Louis XVI and Marie Antionette, the diamond became well known. When the monarchs were executed in 1792, the French crown jewels were stolen and among them the Hope diamond. Although some of the items in this theft were found, at this time, the Hope diamond was not. Of coarse more stories followed this famous diamond.

There have been many books and movies about diamond thefts over the years. Probably the most recognized being the James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever. Historical diamond thefts and fictional ones cannot compare to the atrocities that surround the real life Blood diamond thefts of today. Even now in Africa there are revolutionaries that have overtaken diamond mines and who persecute the people that work them. These hi- jacked diamonds are sold to fund the goals of the revolutionaries. The United Nations and other parties involved started the Kimberly Process in 2002 to try and stop these blood diamonds from reaching world wide markets. It has been successful to a degree, but a small percentage of them still manage to infiltrate diamond markets.

Some modern techniques have been developed to help in the identification process of diamonds. New laser technology can actually engrave identifying numbers or marks on the face of a diamond. These engravings can not be seen by the naked eye, but are visible with the use of a 10x magnifying glass. This can be useful if a laser engraved diamond is stolen and the thief does not know it has been engraved.

As long as there are diamonds there will probably always be diamond thieves. And like the title of that famous James Bond movie says, diamonds are forever.