Owners of Android phones and tablets like the Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy can now benefit from GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America) free interactive diamond app for consumers and retailers, available in both English and Simplified Chinese. The app engages consumers with interactive features, video content and information on the GIA-created 4Cs (Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight) of diamond quality. (more…)
Here is a printable diamond buying guide designed to help anyone shopping for a diamond understand the 4Cs of Diamond Quality; Color, Clarity, Cut and carat weight. Print this handy guide and take it with you wherever you need to better understand the 4Cs of diamond quality.
We hope our diamond buying guide will help you navigate and understand the relative quality differences that exist on the color, clarity and cut grading scales. Print this guide and take it with you when you visit your jeweler.
Updated: GIA report scales have been updated with the newest scales as of December 2019.
Buying a diamond can be a significant purchase both emotionally and financially, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. This GIA Diamond Buying Guide can help you determine what is the best quality diamond for you. Here are four basic steps to ensure that the journey to find your perfect diamond is as pleasurable as admiring the diamond you finally select.
The Angels may be rocking Victoria’s Secret bras at tomorrow’s 2012 fashion show on CBS, but we have two replicas of prior years Fantasy Bras at GIA in Carlsbad that you can get up close and personal with. (more…)
On November 13th, 2012 Christie’s Geneva auctioned one of the world’s most important diamonds, the Archduke Joseph, for $21.5 million. The 76.02 ct, D-color Internally Flawless cushion cut went for more than $280,000 per carat, a new record for colorless diamond. (more…)
Diamonds are known for being one of the hardest substances on earth. A diamond is so hard it ranks as a 10 on the Mohs scale–the highest level of hardness. But what is the Mohs scale? (more…)
Part 1 – An Industry without Standards or Formal Education
Though diamonds and other gemstones have been collected and coveted for many centuries, it has taken almost as long for diamond cutters and jewelers to learn how to reveal a gemstone’s inner beauty.
As early as the 1300s, European stone cutters were changing crystals by polishing their faces so that no natural irregularities of the original crystal remained. While this type of polishing and cutting did allow light to reflect off the outer surface, the fire and brilliance remained hidden inside. Small changes introduced over the next few centuries made diamonds more interesting, but still hid the potential of diamonds to return light as we know it today. (more…)
Purchasing a diamond ring can be overwhelming. After you get through the education process of learning the diamond 4Cs there is still one more piece of the puzzle: understanding the difference between a grading report and an appraisal. (more…)
Perhaps a special piece of diamond jewelry has been passed down to you. It may be a ring or a pendant set with a beautiful gem. Because this item did not come from a jeweler or gemologist, you really have no way of knowing anything about the diamond’s color, clarity, cut or carat weight – those factors that determine quality, and help you decide whether the diamond is worth resetting or leaving it as it came. (more…)
When considering the purchase of a gem or piece of jewelry, it is important to find an educated jeweler with a trustworthy reputation. A professional jeweler will have the knowledge and training to help you make an informed purchase. A jeweler with a reliable reputation will strive to understand your preferences, provide you with a variety of purchase options, and do so in an honest and straightforward way. (more…)
Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in February 1952, more than 60 years ago. When she was coronated a year later, she wore the ultimate symbol of royal authority – the Imperial State Crown.
This is the quintessential crown. Set with 2868 diamonds in silver mounts, it has an open work gold frame and is fitted inside with a purple velvet cap and ermine fur headband. The jewels mounted on the frame are breathtaking. (more…)
GIA strives to make sure diamond grading is objective and fair, keeping a standard in the diamond market, so that the public can buy a diamond with a GIA report and know that the report is accurate and absolutely impartial. This creates the ultimate peace of mind for your diamond purchase. (more…)
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