Where the world comes to find out about diamonds April 2012 Volume 2 Number 4

Newsletter

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Price of Diamonds

Newsletter of the Price of Diamonds website

Price of Diamonds Newsletter April 2012 Edition

Editor in Chief Michael Moore

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Technical Author Services Pty Ltd

The PRICE OF DIAMONDS NEWSLETTER Is the Newsletter of the Price of Diamonds website and is available by subscription only. This Newsletter is provided subject to the condition that it shall not be circulated in any form without the publisher’s cover and acknowledgement of the mate-rial contained herein and is not to be sold, hired or otherwise disposed of for any fee or c onsideration other than by prior arrangement. It may be distributed online and passed along only in its current form and with the above proviso. Comments and articles pub-lished in the Price of Diamonds Newsletter are no t necessarily the opinions of the Publishers or Editors and are offered solely for information purposes only. This publication is d esigned to pro vide accurate and informative information only in regard to the subject matter covered. This publication does not purport to offer any professional advice of any legal, financial or psychological service and is sold with the understand-ing that the publisher, editor and contributors are not engaged in rendering any legal, financial, psychologi-cal or any other professional service and is offered for information purposes only. If an y legal, financial, psychological or any other professional advice or as-sistance is required, the services of a c ompetent pro-fessional person should be sought. The reader is sole-ly responsible for his/her own actions. Copyright © 2012 By Technical Author Services Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All copyrights and trademarks belong to their respec-tive owners

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Where the world comes to find out about diamonds

~ Editorial ~ Dear Reader, The Diamond Buying Ch ecklist has proved to be most valuable for diamond buyers so I have included a copy here. Do feel free to print it off and take it with you when shopping for a dia-mond. Also keep it beside you when browsing for diamonds on the Net. In line with that is a n article on H ow to Buy Diamonds also. Have a great month! Michael Price of Diamonds

Contents Editorial 2 All About Diamonds 3 Diamond Dealer of the Month - Diamond Wholesale Corporation 6 Wholesale Diamond Prices 9 Up and Coming World 8 Diamond News 10 Diamond Facts 11 Diamond Glossary 13

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Price of Diamonds

Diamonds have been a favorite of kings and queens for thousands of years. Once consider-ably rare now they are much more plentiful due to improved methods of sourcing and ex-traction.

The Price of Diamonds website is a compre-hensive up to date information and news about all aspects of diamonds from technical infor-mation right through to how to clean your dia-monds, where to buy them and what to look for in a diamond to even how to sell your dia-monds. Much information can be found in All About Diamonds part one as well as parts two and three and they give a general grounding in diamonds, what they are and how to buy them.

The cost of buying diamonds can vary consid-erably.

Price of Diamonds

The price of diamonds, or Diamond Price, is dependent upon a number of factors. Desire, rarity and even careful clever advertising and promotion are obvious but for many people perhaps less well know are The 4 C's of Dia-monds. These give the most important factors about diamonds. These are the Cut, Color, Clarity and weight.

Diamond Cut

This describes the shape of the diamond. There are basically eight cuts of diamond. Round Brilliant Emerald Cut Princess Cut Heart Cut Oval Cut Marquise Cut Pear Cut Round Bril-liant.

Diamond Color

The second is the Color. Color of diamonds are graded into 13 colors or tints.

Diamond Clarity

Clarity is the next method of grading dia-monds and describes the quality of the dia-mond as regards any imperfections it may have.

Carat Weight

The last grading is carat weight. The Carat or Diamond Weight is perhaps the most im-portant way of valuing them. Diamonds are weighed in carats and there is usually a rela-tionship between the carat weight and the cut of a diamond.

Buy Loose Diamonds

Loose diamonds are probably the best ones to buy as you can easily ensure you are getting what you paid for. The best place to buy loose diamonds is featured in this section. Best Place to Buy Loose Diamonds and here describes the best way to Purchasing Loose Diamonds. Buy-ing diamonds this way can save a lot of mon-ey.

Conflict Diamonds

Conflict diamonds are very much in the news and measures such as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme are now in place to en-sure that future diamonds purchases are not

All About Diamonds

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Price of Diamonds

conflict or blood diamonds.

One Carat Diamond

Here we explain all about the one carat dia-mond, probably one of the most popular dia-monds available. Also there is information about the one carat loose diamond which is likely to be the best way of buying a diamond.

DeBeers Diamonds

Just about everyone knows about DeBeers. This section explains who DeBeers is and how they came about. Plus it enlightens and dispels some myths about DeBeers as well.

Diamond Auctions

One of the best ways of buy-ing diamonds is through an auction. But there are some important points to keep in mind when buying diamonds from an auction. Here we explain why

Black Diamonds

Black Diamonds are very rare and it takes a lot of effort to find them. But for some people it is well worth the effort. Information on theBlack Diamond Price is well worth having also.

Antique Diamond Ring

Auctions are a good place to buy antique dia-mond rings. You can get a good diamond price for some very valuable rings this way.

Diamond Substitutes

Diamond substitutes, such as cubic zirconia,

are more affordable if the budget is an issue but you still want something nice and spectac-ular.

Cultured Diamonds

Cultured Diamonds, however, are entirely dif-ferent. These are real diamonds grown in a la-boratory under great pressure. The are ex-pected to replace the expensive diamonds just as cultured pearls replaced the natural some years ago.

Cultured Diamonds

Cultured Diamonds, however, are entirely dif-ferent. These are real dia-monds grown in a laboratory under great pressure. The are expected to replace the expensive diamonds just as cultured pearls replaced the natural some years ago.

Diamond Insurance

It is very important to ensure, es-pecially if you have a large and expensive diamond, that it is in-sured for its replacement value and

not the market value. The difference can be enormous.

Diamond Appraisal

Some people ask, What is Diamond Appraisal?

Getting your diamond properly appraised is vital to ensure you know that you have pur-chased what you expected and paid for. There is a big section on Diamond Appraisal.

Cost of Wholesale Diamonds

One would expect the Price of Wholesale Dia-monds to be a lot cheaper than retail. Well that

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Price of Diamonds

This space to Let!

Contact

michael@priceofdiamonds.org

For details.

depends on a number of factors and here you can find out what they are.

How to Sell Diamonds

Selling diamonds can be a bit of a shock for some people when they discover that they are not going to get what they expected. So know-ing How to Sell Your Diamond and How do I Best Sell My Vintage Diamonds is important. Sometimes it is better to Sell Loose Diamonds than selling diamonds in their settings.

Price Chart of Diamonds

Very handy is the price chart of diamonds. Al-

so charts to show the Proportions of Diamonds as well as the Carat Weight & Size Charts and the general Diamond Price Chart.

Where to buy diamonds We recommend our preferred diamond sellers. These are: Diamonds USA James Allen - Professional Jewelers Zoara Jewelers

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What about other gemstones?

Here are some sites about various other gemstones

Amethysts

Emeralds

Garnets

Jade

Opals

Pearls

Peridot

Rubies

Sapphires

Topaz

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Price of Diamonds

~ Diamond Dealer of the Month ~ Diamond Wholesale

Corporation

B efore you buy diamonds and jewelry from The Diamond Wholesale Corpo-ration, it is a good idea to read this

write up and find out who The Diamond Wholesale Corporation actually are and how safe they are.

One should always do some due diligence before buying from any diamond or jewelry dealer online.

Who are the Diamond Wholesale Corpora-tion The Diamond Wholesale Corporation sells Diamonds to Diamond Dealers, Jewelry De-signers and Jewelry Stores in Canada, the United States and Germany.

Formerly known as TransGlobal Diamonds Co, and situated in Israel, it was relocated to Canada 1999, and incorporated under it’s new name DWC Diamond Wholesale Corporation. It is currently based in Ontario Canada but has offices in New York, LA and Cologne in Germany. Founded by Patrick J. Boening, who is also the CEO and President, The Dia-mond Wholesale Corporation is registered under the Business Corporation Act, Cert #: 1511290.

According to the website, www.diamondwholesalecorporation.com, Boening is a graduate of the Gemmological Training Center at the German Institute for Advanced Professional Training in Gemmol-ogy in Idar-Oberstein and has over 15 years experience as Chief Gemologist and Director of the Diamond Department as well as gemo-logical Teacher, for one of Israel’s biggest Diamond and Jewelry Manufacturers, (Co-

Founder of IDL - Israeli Diamond Laborato-ry). Today, Patrick concentrates on the wholesale of diamonds in North America and Germany.

Their headquarters are in Markham, ONTAR-IO Canada The Diamond Wholesale Corporation Cus-tomer Service Most of the links on the page on the right hand side do not work. Most of the links on the left do work but there are some odd links that simply link to the page you are currently on. e.g. The links under the ‘Categories’ for example.

Customer service consists of individually sell-ing you a diamond after you have specified what type of diamond with its characteristics, you would like. The Diamond wholesale Corporation state that all their diamonds come with Gemologi-cal Certificates, from one of these fine organi-zations:

AGS: American Gemological Society GIA: Gemological Institute of America EGL: European Gemological Laboratory HRD: Hoge Raad Voor Diamant (Diamond High Council) IGI: International Gemological Institute GS: Gem Scan (Gemological Laboratories)

The Diamond Wholesale Corporation Product Range

Listed on the site are the words: Diamond Ring Engagement Ring Diamond Pendant Diamond Bracelet Diamond Earrings Diamond Necklace

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Price of Diamonds

Diamond Brooch Diamond Collier Diamond Pin Diamond Money Clip Diamond Shapes Round Brilliant Cut Princess Cut Asscher Cut Marquise Cut Heart Shape Oval Cut Cushion Cut Pear Shape Emerald Cut Radiant Cut

Only the words ‘Diamond Earrings’ actually links to a page displaying specific diamonds and prices. The others either do not link at all or simply link to the page you are on at the time.

The Diamond Wholesale Corporation keeps no inventory and in fact there is no inventory on their website other than the above mentioned earrings. If you want a diamond you have to specifically fill out a form and specify the de-tails of the diamond you are looking for. This puts you in touch with a salesperson direct ra-ther than you choosing from a range of dia-monds as is common with many other jewel-lers’.

In addition all the diamonds are loose or single. Not set in jewelry (apart from those earrings). Something you would have to organise your-self once you have taken delivery of the gem-stone.

The Diamond Wholesale Corporation Pay-ment Options Payment is by BANK WIRE. They will send you the wiring instructions and once you have wired the funds inform them immediately. If you want to pay by Visa or MasterCard they will charge an additional 3.5 percent pro-

cessing fee.

The Diamond Wholesale Corporation does not charge or add any taxes or duties.

The Diamond Wholesale Corporation Guar-antee and Returns Options The Diamond Wholesale Corporation offers a 7 Day-Full-Money-Back-Guarantee, starting the day you receive the item.

This does not apply to custom settings howev-er. Any returns should be in the original condi-tion and the original certificate must be includ-ed also with the diamond. The Diamond Wholesale Corporation Ship-ping Charges & Details The Diamond Wholesale Corporation does not charge for shipping within the US or Canada. One does have to call and discuss for shipping charges outside the US/Canada region howev-er.

Once payment has been cleared the diamonds are shipped out qwith the original certificate by Federal Express or UPS. During the week they expect to deliver within 48 hours but do not ship weekends or holidays.

For shipping overseas, a small fee is charged for insurance and delivery. They also state that the client or customer is responsible for any duty charged by the recipient country.

Last word on The Diamond Wholesale Cor-poration With each certified diamond, you will receive either a GIA or EGL grading report to ensure that you are getting what you pay for. You will also receive an appraisal for insurance purpos-es. It is high recommended that you insure your diamonds and jewelry in case of theft, loss or damage.

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Price of Diamonds

Up and Coming World Diamond Events

Auctions, Exhibitions in 2012

By Month in 2012 April 21 - 23 Rapaport at The Smart Jewelry Show 25 - 28 Rapaport at AGS Conclave May 31 - 03 Rapaport at Las Vegas Antique Jewel-ry & Watch Show More Info June 01 - 04 Rapaport at JCK Las Vegas 16 - 19 Rapaport at Jewellery Shanghai by Neway 21 - 24 Rapaport at Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 22 - 24 Rapaport at Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl & Gem Fair July 29 - 31 Rapaport at JA NY Summer August 12 - 14 Rapaport at JCK Toronto 23 - 27 Rapaport at IIJS - India International Jewellery Show 2012 September 02 - 05 Rapaport at International Jewellery London 2011 (IJL) 08 - 10 Rapaport at The Smart Jewelry Show - Dallas 19 - 23 Rapaport at Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair

October 06 - 08 Rapaport at Jewellery Wonder 2012 07 - 10 Rapaport at Dubai International Jew-ellery Week

By Country Australia JAA International Jewelery Fair Sydney Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour Sept 2-4th 2012 China China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair - Guangzhou, Jinhan Exhibition Centre 16th to 18th June 2012 Hong Kong June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair Hong Kong Convention Center 21-24 June and in Sept 19-25th Malaysia 18th Malaysia International Jewellery Festi-val 2012 (Spring Edition) [Malaysia] April 20,2012 To April 23,2012 MIJ Exhibition Sdn Bhd 19th Malaysia International Jewellery Festi-val 2012 (Autumn Edition) [Malaysia] October 5,2012 To October 8,2012

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Price of Diamonds

Wholesale

Diamond

Prices

Y ou do not have to buy a lot of diamonds to take advantage of wholesale diamond prices. With a little research one can

find them around but there are a few things to watch for.

Some dealers will advertise wholesale prices when they are simply retail. Technically a dia-mond trader cannot sell wholesale to the con-sumer, only to trade, retailers and jewelers for example.

Getting some definitions right, a diamond wholesaler sells to one, such as a jeweler or re-tailer, who on sells the diamonds to a consum-er. A diamond retailer is the person who actual-ly sells to a consumer. So if a seller is claiming to sell wholesale diamonds to a consumer, be-ware, they could simply be selling diamonds as a discount, which means that the quality would need to be fully verified before you went out and bought them.

The issue has been somewhat complicated by the fact that some retailers can also be whole-sales and some wholesalers can, in fact also be retailers.

The hinge point is wholesaler. There is a differ-ence between a wholesaler selling diamonds and diamonds some wholesale.

If the sell is a wholesaler who is also selling diamonds retail (even at a discount) than that is

fine. But he does not sell wholesale diamonds to a consumer, only discounted one, which he may quite likely be able to since he is a whole-saler and get his diamonds for less than a retail-er does.

The internet has shortened the supply chain from diamond dealers and consumer as it can be cheap and efficient, not to mention expedi-ent, to sell diamonds direct online, rather than go through intermediaries.

So how do you know if the diamonds you are buying are wholesale or simply discounted?

In fact, provided the diamond or diamonds are the right price, and they carry a valid certificate of authenticity from an independent gemmolog-ical laboratory, it really does not matter very much.

The important point is, is the diamond genuine and of the characteristics and type advertised and is The important points, as far as the person buying the diamond are concerned are:

Is the diamond genuine?

Is the diamond what the dealer is claiming it to be in terms of quality and cut?

Is the price right for that quality and weight of diamond?

Given the above then it would be fine to go ahead and buy the diamond, getting a valid re-ceipt also of course.

Having said that, when you go out to buy dia-monds, there is nothing quite like a wholesale diamond prices to perk you up.

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Price of Diamonds

~ ~ Diamond News ~ ~ Budgetary Blows The gem and jewellery industry in India has been sorely disap-pointed by the pronouncements made by the Finance Minister of India in his budget for 2012-13. They had proposed a number of measures, most of which find no men-tion in the policy pronouncements for the coming year.

The export sector has expressed regret that its suggestion for a presumptive tax on turnover has not been considered. It was felt that this would be a better way to curb round tripping that was being indulged in by certain elements than the imposition of a 2 per cent import duty on polished. Further, the absence of a competitive tax re-gime would discourage flow of investment and impact employment levels within the industry.

However it is the domestic industry that is really up in arms. The hike in duties on gold and the widening of the tax net making excise applicable to all jewellery is bad enough, in their opinion, but the new clause making it necessary to collect tax at source on sale of jewellery worth two lakh or more is literally the last straw.

It appears that the government has gone a step too far, and the duty hikes and the new tax systems, instead of encouraging the growth of a modern sector will do just the opposite. By providing a boost to illegal imports of gold and increasing possibil-ity of harassment of industry members by government officials the budget will actu-ally take the industry many steps backward.

~ More News in Brief ~ Delhi Jewellery & Gem Fair to debut in September 2012 GIA appoints new public relations director Christie's New York to auction collection from Estate of late Huguette M. Clark Prima Gold launches in India Israel’s polished diamond exports drop 81% in February Sarin ships GalaxyTM 1000 system to service centre in Botswana U.S. polished diamond imports dip 4.7% in January 2012 IDI announces its 2012 campaign based on ‘Where Stability Reigns’ Diamdel witnesses strong demand at January-February auction

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Price of Diamonds

Diamond Facts

D iamonds are one of natures wonders, The hardest substance known to man diamond are used not only for jewelry

to capture a ladies heart but also in industry as cutters and to ensure watches and other mov-ing parts move smoothly. What is a Diamond A diamond looks like the clearest of crystal. It sparkles in the light and is ideal as a decoration in jewelry. A diamond is made of carbon, the same sub-stance as talc, the softest carbon known. The difference in hardness between the various car-bons such as talc, gypsum, fluorite and dia-monds is the way the atoms are arranged in the carbon. Diamonds are made under immense pressure and are the hardest of all the carbon substances. The largest diamond ever found was the Culli-nan Diamond in the Premier mine in South Af-rica in 1905. It weight in at a massive 3,106 carats, or 621.2 grams. This is 6.21 Kilos. It was cut into nine separate stones including the Cullinan or Star of Africa which weights 550.20 carats. This stone is mounted in the British Royal Scepter, part of the British Crown Jewels, and can be found in the Tower of London. 80% of the worlds diamonds are unsuitable for jewelry. They are used in industry for cutting other material or other diamonds and for watches as, for all intents and purposes, cannot wear out. To get 5 grams of diamond generally requires mining or sorting through about 1 million grams of material but only 20% of these are suitable for jewelry. The rest are used in indus-try.

Diamonds are thought to be white but in fact can be a range of colors, see Color of Dia-monds for more information. Colored dia-monds are often called Fancies. Diamond Characteristics Diamonds are graded by various characteris-tics. These are the cut of the diamond. The col-or, clarity and the weight and size. The cut is how the diamond cutter has cut the rough diamond to a specific shape. The main cuts can be seen at the top of the page. The col-or of the diamond is also important, with pure clear transparency or white, as it is called, be-ing the top one and a sort of dirty yellow, mostly used in industry, being the lowest qual-ity. All diamond have the same hardness re-gardless of their quality. Clarity, or how clear the diamond is, is another characteristic and this is the degree of inclu-sions or imperfections or flaws contained with the diamond. Also almost all have some inclu-sions the less they have the more valuable the diamond as it allows more light to pass

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Price of Diamonds

through unobstructed and give you a better sparkle. The flaws and imperfections, howev-er, are useful in identifying a diamond from others. The carat weight and size, of course, is usually well know and rule is the bigger the diamond the better the price per carat. A carat weight .2 of a gram so is quite small. How Old are Diamonds Most natural diamonds are 1 to 3 billion years old. They originate deep within the earth's crust and are created under enormous pressure. This makes them the most dense material known to man. They reach the planets surface through volcanoes and most diamonds are found in Kimberlite, a volcanic rock. Price of Diamonds The price of diamonds varies with the charac-teristics of the diamond. The better the cut, color clarity and carat weight the higher the price. With the weight, given that it is a good quality diamond the price per carat increases exponentially to the weight. This means that a 5 carat diamond is worth more per carat than a

2 carat diamond. This is because larger dia-monds are more rare than smaller one. How to Buy Diamonds The best way to buy diamonds is to go to a dia-mond dealer and buy loose diamonds if you can. He will supply an appraisal from an inde-pendent laboratory that gives the exact charac-teristics of the diamond and this is useful for valuing the diamond and for insurance and possible resale purposes later. Buying from a chain store jewelers means that you will pay a much higher premium on your diamond. Also some may not offer an inde-pendent appraisal but just give you a certificate from them that states the quality or grading of the diamond and this is not always accurate. You can buy a good quality diamond without a heavy premium if you have some understand-ing of diamonds and know what to look for. So when out scouting for a diamond, ignore the advertising and just look for the diamond facts.

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~ Famous Diamond Quotes ~ “I'll buy you a diamond ring, my friend If it makes you feel alright” Famous Beatles quotation from their song "Can't buy me love." “Let us not be too particular. It is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all." Famous Quotation by Mark Twain “There are many sham diamonds in this life which pass for real, and vice versa." Diamond Quote by William Makepeace Thackeray

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Diamond Glossary

H ere are some common words used in the Diamond Industry and in this newsletter.

4Cs Diamonds are graded and priced according to what is universally referred to as the "4C's". They are Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight. Below an explanation of each of the 4Cs: Appraisal A valuation of property by the estimate of an authorized person. With diamonds the apprais-al is a written estimate of the approximate re-tail replacement value of diamond jewelry, which may be used for insurance coverage or other purposes. It is not the same as a grading report, which evaluates a diamond's character-istics (such as cut, clarity, carat, symmetry, etc.) only. Blemish A scratch or abrasion on the surface of a dia-mond. Provided they do not interfere with the symmetry of the stone and do not interfere with light in the stone they are not considered important. Brilliance brilliance is the white light that is reflected through the top of a diamond. This can be in-

crease by the diamond being cut to the correct proportions to take advantage of the reflection of light from the facets to the brilliance. Brilliant Cut A Brilliant Cut, sometimes called the Ameri-can Brilliant, is a 58-facet round diamond, This shape and faceting arrangement is de-signed for maximum brilliance, sparkle and beauty and is perhaps the most popular shape. Carat Perhaps everyone know the term carat. The basic unit of weight for a diamond. A carat is equal to 200 milligrams, or one-fifth of a gram. It is said that the word is derived from the word carob. In early India the carob bean was used for measuring the weight of gems as eve-ry carob seed weighs exactly the same. Clarity Clarity is the term given to indicate the purity of a diamond. Most diamonds have minute im-perfections and the clarity is the way of grad-ing the purity depending on the number of im-perfections the diamond has or does not have. Cloud A cluster of very small inclusions inside a dia-mond that give a cloud effect. Tiny clouds will not interfere with the flow of light, but large or numerous clouds can affect brilliance. Color Diamonds are traditionally thought of as white or clear. But diamonds in fact do have color and this can be graded.

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Price of Diamonds

Crown The crown is the top section of a diamond, above its widest point, or girdle, that comprises the table, and the star-, bezel- and upper-girdle facets. Culet A facet on the very bottom of a diamond. It is best to have a small or medium culet. A large culet will make it look like there is a hole in the bottom of the stone due to leakage of light. Absence of a culet makes the point of the dia-mond more easily damaged or chipped. Cut This describes the shape of the diamond. There are basically eight cuts of diamond.

Round Brilliant Emerald Cut Princess Cut Heart Cut Oval Cut Marquise Cut Pear Cut Round Brilliant

Some of the most popular diamond cuts in-clude Heart, Emerald, Marquise (Oval with pointed ends), Oval, Pear, and Princess with the Round Brilliant (R/B) probably being the most popular. Depth % (percentage) The height of a diamond (measured from the culet to the table) divided by the width of the diamond. The depth % is critical to creating brilliance and fire in a diamond. A depth % that is too low or too high will cause light to leak out of the stone, causing the diamond to lose sparkle. Depth

The height of a diamond (measured from the culet at the very bottom to the large table facet on the top). Diamond The simplest of all the gemstones consisting of pure crystallized carbon. A diamond crystalliz-es under enormous pressure deep beneath the earth's surface Diamonds can be from 1 to 3 billion years old--more than two-thirds the age of the Earth itself. Diamond is also the hardest substance known to man. In fact, it can only be cut and polished by another diamond. Despite its hardness, however, it is not indestructible. If a diamond is struck at the right angle, it can chip or break. Eye-clean A diamond that has no inclusions visible to the naked eye -- flawless to the naked eye. This is normally true of all diamonds with a grade of about SI-1 or higher on the clarity scale. Facet The polished flat surfaces on a diamond. For example, a round brilliant diamond has 58 fac-ets including the culet. Fair Cut Diamonds cut to less than perfect proportions. They have been cut to maximize the weight of the stone instead of enhancing the brilliance and sacrifice fire and brilliance. The less ex-pensive stones may have good and very good cuts but will not have the same brilliance and fire that people would expect from a diamond. Fire Fire is the colored light that is reflected from inside the diamond. Colored light reflected from within a diamond. As in a prism light en-tering a diamond is divided up into the spec-trum. The better quality diamond with better proportions the better the 'fire' of the diamond. This is called "refraction" or "dispersion" in

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Price of Diamonds

the diamond trade. Fluorescence A glow, usually of a bluish color, which emanates from certain diamonds when exposed to ul-traviolet light. Two thirds of all diamonds fluoresce to some degree but how they do so depends very much on the type of ultra violet light they are under. Girdle this is the narrow band around the outer circumference of a diamond. This is where a jewelry setting holds the diamond in a ring. Good Cut Diamonds cut with acceptable, but not perfect, proportions. They generally have very good bril-liance and fire and make excellent jewelry. Ice A colloquial word for diamonds, much favored by Hollywood in movies about gangsters. Ideal Cut Ideal Cut diamonds are usually more expensive than all other cut grades. This is due to three major factors: 1) extra time and skill are required to cut to such precision; 2) they are in great demand, and perhaps most importantly, 3) more of the original rough diamond must be sacri-ficed to achieve ideal proportions. Ideal Cut diamonds are also round diamonds that are perfect-ly proportioned (having depth percentages and table percentages that some people feel produce a "perfect" balance of fire and brilliance). They almost always have the highest grades on polish and symmetry as well, indicating the great care taken in the overall fashioning of the stone. These diamonds have had the finest craftsmanship to maximize the beauty of the diamond. Inclusion An impurity within a diamond, such as a spot or irregularity in the crystal structure of the stone. These can include a cloud, a fracture, another diamond inside the bigger one, liquid, etc. Inclu-sions can either be visible with the naked eye (usually SI-3 clarity and below) or visible only under magnification. Fewer inclusions means a finer clarity grade, increased rarity, and in-creased value. Kimberlite Kimberlite is a mica peridotite and a source of rich deposits of diamonds. The deposits occur-ring at Kimberley, South Africa were the first recognized and the source of the name. The Kim-berly diamonds were originally found in decomposed kimberlite which was colored yellow by limonite, and so was called "yellow ground." Deeper workings encountered less altered rock, undecomposed kimberlite, which miners call "blue ground. Loupe A loupe is a small magnifying glass used to view gemstones. Usually 10x, or ten-power, magni-fication. The FTC requires all diamond grading be done under 10-power magnification; any flaws not detected under this magnification are considered to be non-existent by some dealers.

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Price of Diamonds

Make Make describes the quality of the finish and proportions of a diamond. A good make will have proportions that maximize brilliance and fire. A poor make will decrease sparkle and fire due to the loss of light as it travels through the stone. The cutter is responsible for the make of a dia-mond as he is the one that cuts it to achieve the maximum brilliance and fire. Mohs Scale The Mohs scale is a table of relative hardness that ranks a mineral's strength and durability on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being talc and 10 being diamond. Developed over 100 years ago by Frederic Mohs. Moissanite Moissanite is silicon carbide and is manufactured in a laboratory. It is virtually indistinguisha-ble from diamonds and it takes a real expert with special equipment to be able to tell the differ-ence. Pavilion This is the bottom half of a diamond, from the lower girdle to the culet tip at the bottom. The pavilion should be neither too deep or too shallow otherwise light will leak out and the diamond will lose fire and brilliance. Peridotite Any of a group of igneous rocks having a granite like texture. Point A measure of diamond weight. One point equals 1/100th of a carat. A diamond that weighs 0.50 carat is said to weigh 50 points. Polish A grade given to the external finish of a stone. The polish grades are from poor to excellent. Good polish is crucial for maximum brilliance of a diamond, but it takes a trained eye to distin-guish between polish grades. Poor Cut Poorly cut diamonds with proportions and finish that make them look relatively lifeless to the eye. Such stones are ok for industry but not for jewelry. Sparkle The 'sparkle' of a diamond is the combination of fire and brilliance. The light that reflects out of a diamond as it moves. Sometimes called "scintillation" by older dealers. Stones A word for diamonds and other precious gems.

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Price of Diamonds

Symmetry A diamond should by symmetrical. Symmetry is the grade used to describe the uniformity of the cut of the diamond. This can range from excellent down to poor. The un-symmetrical a diamond is the poorer will be the quality of light through the stone. Table The top or large flat face of the diamond is called the table. It should be in proportion to the rest of the diamond to gain the best fire and brilliance. Tourngat Diamonds cut to fit very strict requirements for depth percentage and table percentage. These outstanding proportions maximize fire and brilliance in the diamond. Also a region of northern Quebec.

Weight the weight of a diamond is measured in car-ats.A carat is .2 grams. A gram of diamond would be a massive 5 carats. Very large in dia-mond terms although the actual diamond is physically small. Wholesale Wholesale prices are listed PER CARAT to show this price difference. For instance, a 1/2-carat round brilliant diamond of G/VS2 quality may sell for $3,600 per carat ($1,800 for the stone), whereas a 1-carat stone of the same quality would likely cost $6,300 per carat ($6,300 for the stone) because it is twice the size and more rare. Zirconia Also known as Cubic Zirconia, this is a sub-stance often used as a substitute to genuine dia-monds. It is a carborundum substance and easi-