Diamonds are beautiful and rare stones that are well sought after around the world. Popularly known as a girl’s best friend, these precious stones have grown quite popular as gift ideas or investment tools. But there is more to these gems than meets the eye.
The process that is used to produce these magnificent beauties is a complex and intricate one. It begins with the extraction of the stones from far below the earth’s surface. Extraction is aimed at a special type of igneous rock known as a Kimberlite. The refining process includes crushing separating and cutting the mined raw material and converting it into the precious commodity that you see on store shelves. Diamond mining has grown into quite an industry as the decades have passed.
Loose diamonds are the ones that have not been set into any piece of jewelry as yet. The advantage of owning the precious stone in this condition is that you can manipulate it to suit clients’ needs and desires. This enables the jeweler to provide more individualized products.
Jewelers tend to use loose diamonds to enhance their ability to create custom built pieces of jewelry for customers. But regular customers sometimes purchase diamonds in this condition as well.
Don’t buy diamonds that are not certified. This goes for any version of the precious metal. When you buy a certified diamond you know because of the document that comes with the purchase. This document or certificate confirms the diamond’s genuine nature. This is the best way, outside of having a professional inspect the piece, that you can ensure that your purchase is a quality one. This is so since you cannot really tell by looking with the naked eye, what quality the stone has.
Professional assessment of the diamond will focus on four elements that are widely known as the four Cs. The four Cs are really the cut and shape, the color, the clarity and the carat. The carat is probably the most popular element of classification as it is often used in advertisements and display statements. Carat is essentially the weight of the stone. It is sometimes confused with the size because the larger ones tend to be heavier.
The cut and shape of the diamond also helps to determine its value. The cut is the design or groove pattern that is seen on the surface of stone. The cut helps to determine how well the stone will reflect light. The shapes that diamonds come in include emerald cut, round or pear shaped among others.
The clarity of the diamond is basically the level of purity that the stone displays. The more flaws the stone has, the lower its clarity will be. Of course, the flaws can only be seen under strong magnification. The ones that have high quality rating will be labeled as VS1 or VS2 stones while lower grade will bear the label S1 or S2.
Diamonds come in an assortment of colors. But color in terms of quality is usually referring to the amount of yellow tinge that is present in the piece. As with the other elements this requires close inspection. The ranges that extend from D to Z reflect pieces that are essentially colorless to those that have the yellow tinge in them.
If you are looking for loose diamonds New York is the place to be. This city boasts the widest selection of shimmering stones anywhere. Here you can find loose diamonds of any shape or size. New York’s jewelry industry has to provide this variety and quality of items since it caters to a wide cross section of customers who are both affluent and selective.
Simone is a diamond fanatic who has spent thousands of hours researching facts related to the precious stone. She is currently studying precious metals as a part of her Bachelor of Arts training program which will enable her to practice as a jeweler. She spends her spare time writing about her first love, diamonds.