Some of the most popular engagement ring trends seen on celebrities and the public alike are rings with vintage details, pave diamond accents, and colored gemstones used as center stones. (more…)
Some of the most popular engagement ring trends seen on celebrities and the public alike are rings with vintage details, pave diamond accents, and colored gemstones used as center stones. (more…)
If you want to learn more about your birthstone or enjoy browsing some spectacular gems, be sure to make your way to the “GIA Celebrates Birthstone” exhibit at GIA Headquarters in Carlsbad, California. Whether browsing a variety of polished gems, or taking in some of the spectacular jewelry on display, you won’t want to miss this rare opportunity. (more…)
When browsing for jewelry, one might be captivated by the glimmer of a diamond’s sparkle, and assume that most diamonds are colorless. And while it’s true that certain diamonds have colors so blindingly brilliant that they take on beautiful hues of the rainbow, truly colorless diamonds are actually quite rare. (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…)
Some diamond cut’s never go out of style, especially when they boast a royal heritage and have been redesigned and reinvented. Such is the case with the popular Asscher cut. (more…)
Few things in nature are absolutely perfect. This is also true with diamonds. As touched on in the first part of the clarity series, diamonds have internal features called inclusions and surface irregularities called blemishes. Together, inclusions and blemishes make up a diamond’s clarity characteristic. (more…)
Diamond clarity is one of the four quality factors (the 4Cs) that describe and determine the value of a diamond. By definition, clarity means “a gemstone’s relative freedom from inclusions and blemishes.” These two terms are locational- blemishes are found on the outside of the gem and inclusions are located on the inside. Both of these clarity characteristics can dim the brilliance of a diamond, though some are so minute that they are invisible to the naked eye. (more…)
Hailing from the olivine group of minerals, the peridot is a mysterious and thought-provoking gem. Peridot was valued in many ancient and medieval cultures, first in the second century BC in priests’ jewelry and later in the chalices and churches of medieval Europe. Peridot has also been used for centuries as a protective talisman, shielding the owner from evil spirits and “terrors of the night.” (more…)