Diamond Care
Depending on the setting you choose, you can soak your diamond engagement and/or wedding rings for up to 30 minutes in a solution of dish-washing liquid and water. This is best suited to prong and cathedral settings. In pave and basket settings, however, soaking the rings can increase the likelihood of the gems coming loose.
The Four C's - Diamond
The four factors that are used to determine the quality and value of a diamond are called The Four C's. This include diamond cut, color, clarity & carat weight. The system that is used to communicate the color and clarity grades by the majority of the diamond trade throughout the world is the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Diamond Color
The diamond that most people think of as the traditional or ideal diamond is, in truth, totally colorless. It's this absence of color that gives a diamond its great value. Even the slightest tinge of yellow or brown in a white diamond will decrease its value. The presence of color in an otherwise ideal white diamond shouldn't be confused with a fancy colored diamond, whose value is based precisely on the quality of its color.
Diamond Clarity
When we speak of a diamond's clarity, we are referring to the presence of identifying characteristics on and within the stone. While most of these characteristics are inherent qualities of the rough diamond and have been present since the earliest stages of the crystal's growth below ground, a few are actually a result of the harsh stress that a diamond undergoes during the cutting process itself.
Diamond Cut
As the single human contribution to a polished diamond's beauty, cut is perhaps the most important, yet most over-looked, of The Four C's of diamond quality. How does cut affect a diamond's value and beauty? A good cut gives a diamond its brilliance, its dispersion, its scintillation-in short, its life. And brilliance is what a diamond is all about, especially in the eyes of the consumer.
Diamond Fluorescence
Fluorescence is the effect that is seen in some gem-quality diamonds when they are exposed to long-wave ultraviolet light (such as the lighting frequently seen in dance clubs). Under most lighting conditions, this fluorescence is not detectable to the eye. However, if a diamond is naturally fluorescent, it will emit a soft colored glow when held under an ultraviolet lamp or "black light."
Diamond Carat Weight
This balance of size & quality makes up much of art of a professional gem cutter. It is the cutter's job to produce a gorgeous diamond while giving the consumer the highest CARATAGE for his or her money. Caratage means CARAT, the measurement used to weigh a diamond.
The Ideal Cut - Diamond
The pursuit of perfection is a human calling. The diamond -- already perfection in the eyes of most -- has been cut and shaped in an ever-changing variety of ways since modern diamond cutting techniques were invented, all in an effort to maximize its full potential for brilliance.
Diamond Shape
The classic diamond is, to most people, a round gem of sparkling white brilliance with a kaleidoscope of dazzling facets to entice the eye. Yes and no. Diamonds are natural crystals of varying size and shape formed in the earth over millions of years. The traditional round brilliant diamond, though the most popular diamond shape of all, is hardly the whole story.