Shopping and Gifts

Among the most well known diamonds is the
Hope. This 45.52 carat steel blue diamond
is currently on display at the Smithsonian.
The legends of the ill-fortune and curse
bestowed on the possessor of the Hope
Diamond are many. This diamond was
donated to the Smithsonian in 1958. The
Hope was originally a rather flat, blocky
110-carat rough.

The Dresden Green stands out among the
natural colored diamonds. It is the largest
green diamond in the world weighing
40.70 carats. This diamond is historic, large
and has a natural green color with a slight
blue overtone. These facts make it virtually
priceless.

The Conde Pink is a pear shaped and
weighs 9.01-carats. This pink diamond was
once owned by Louis XIII.

The Tiffany Yellow diamond a beautiful
canary-yellow octahedron weighing 287.42
in the rough (metric) carats discovered in
either 1877 or 1878 in South Africa. The
gem after cutting boasts the extraordinary
weight of 128.54 carats. And until recently,
was the largest golden-yellow in the world.

The Koh-I-Noor ( Mountain of Light ) is now
among the British Crown Jewels. This
diamond weighs 105.60 carats. First
mentioned in 1304, it is believed to have
been once set in Shah Jehan’s famous
peacock throne as one of the peacocks eyes.

The Agra is graded as a naturally colored
Fancy Light Pink and weighs 32.34 carats.
It was sold for about 6.9 million in 1990.
Since this sale, it has been modified to a
cushion shape weighing about 28.15 carats.

The Transvaal Blue is pear cut. This blue
diamond weighs 25 carats. It was found in
the Premier Diamond Mine in Transvaal,
South Africa.

The Great Chrysanthemum was discovered
in the summer of 1963, in a South African
diamond field. This 198.28-carat fancy
brown diamond appeared to be a light
honey color in its rough state. However,
after cutting, it proved to be a rich golden
brown, with overtones of sienna and burnt
orange.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a pear-shaped
69.42 carat diamond. Cartier of New York
purchased this diamond at an auction in
1969 and christened it “Cartier.” The next
day Richard Burton bought the diamond
for Elizabeth Taylor. He renamed it the
“Taylor-Burton”. In 1978, Elizabeth
Taylor put the diamond up for sale.
Prospective buyers had to pay $2,500
each to view the diamond to cover the costs
of showing it. Finally, in June of 1979, the
diamond was sold for nearly $3 million dollars.

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Through our day to day movements our
diamonds get smudged and soiled. Even
when we are not wearing them, they collect
dust. Lotions, soaps, our natural skin oils,
can cause film and grime on diamonds
and inhibit their brilliance.

Want to keep that Brilliance and Shine?
Diamonds require cleaning so that maximum
amounts of light can refract fiery brilliance.
Remember that all it takes is a few minutes
and a little care to keep that diamond as fiery
as the day you first saw it.

You can use an small soft brush such as an
eyebrow or lip stick brush and soap and
water to clean your jewelry. Simply make a
bowl of warm sudsy water with a mild
detergent and place your pieces in the
mixture. Then brush the diamonds with the
soft bristles of the brush while they are in
the suds. You will need to make certain that
you rinse them clear of the suds after
cleaning them. You can use a small kitchen
strainer such as a tea strainer to contain
them while rinsing under warm water. Use
a lint free cloth, or a jewelry polish cloth to
pat them dry.

If your diamonds are in need of a stronger
cleansing, you may want to soak them for 30
minutes in a solution of half and half water and
ammonia. Once they have soaked for 30
minutes, remove them and gently brush the
mountings with a small brush. Then replace
the pieces to the solution and swish them
around in the mixture before removing them
to rinse and pat dry.

If you find your self too busy to be mixing
soaps and ammonias, many department
stores sell liquid jewelry cleaners. Most are
kits, with everything you need included. You
need to read the labels to determine the one
that is right for your diamonds and other
jewelry. Read the complete directions and
follow all the precautions.

And if you find yourself more the
“high-tech type”, even in your diamond
cleaning routine, there are multiple ultrasonic
cleansers on the market. These machines
use high-frequency to create a cleaning motion.
All machines are not the same, so please read
the instructions before using.

Only you can choose the cleaning method
right for you. But, it is essential to keep
your jewelry clean to keep it brilliant and
sparkling. Between cleaning, try not to touch
your clean diamonds with your fingers or
handle your jewelry by its edges. This will
help maintain its shine and brilliance for
longer periods.

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Diamonds are graded for certification by
laboratories using grading criteria. Four of
these criteria are critical to understand when
making a diamond purchase or investment.
Known as the “Four C’s” these criteria are:
color, cut, clarity and carat.

Color is the result of the composition of a
diamond and it does not change. When a
jeweler is describing the color of a diamond
they are referring to the presence or absence
of color in white diamonds. Because a
diamond with no color allows maximum light
to pass through, colorless diamonds are
preferred for their sparkle.

Cut refers to a diamonds reflective quality.
Most diamonds are cut with 58 facets. The
brilliance of diamonds is heavily dependent
on the cut. The different angles and the finish
of a diamond determine its ability to reflect
light and cause its brilliance and fire.
Remember that the cut of a diamond can
have an impact on its durability as well as its
beauty. Some cutting faults can make a
diamond prone to breakage. A diamond
that is cut too thin can also cause light to
leak out of the back and the diamond will
lose some of the sparkle and appear not
to shine. So, as you can see the Cut is
probably the most important of the Four C’s.

During the formation process, inner flaws, or
inclusions occur in most diamonds. The
number and size of these inclusions
determine what is referred to as the clarity
of a diamond. Diamonds that are clear
create more brilliance and therefore are rarer
and highly priced. To be considered
“flawless”, a diamond must have no surface
or internal imperfections visible upon being
viewed by a skilled diamond grader using
10 power magnifications.

Carat is the unit of weight by which diamonds
are measured. One carat is equal to 200
milligrams. A carat is divided into 100
segments called points. 150 points would
equal one and a half carats.

When you go to the store to make that all
important diamond purchase, do not be shy!
Ask questions, get the answers needed to
make an informed purchase. Shopping for
certified diamonds enables you to make an
informed selection. Knowing the “four C’s”
allows you to comparison shop and purchase
the best diamond at a fair price. But, before
making a purchase, shop around and decide
what shapes and styles really appeal to you.
Enjoy your diamond for years to come!

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