BUYING THAT DIAMOND RING

BUYING DIAMONDS 

The Diamond Jewelry Market has been flooded with absolute junk, a market that was previously dominated by real, naturally mined diamonds. Since the advent of cheap cubic zirconia, cheap lab diamonds, and cheap simulated diamonds, people have been invited to embrace this deception.  Diamond simulants and  fake diamonds are essentially given fictitious and arbitrary values with the hope that the gullible and fickle minded will buy into this imitation market by investing their hard earned monies in worthless trinkets. Then they back-up the "trinket's value" with some dubious certificate to give it some form of imaginary status. However, the intelligent among them blatantly refused to get sucked into the junk jewelry market regardless of how beautiful the "jewelry" looks, purely because the junk is absolutely worthless. Bottom line, Diamond or nothing!

Fake Solitaire Diamond (Cubic Zirconia) in EP gold ring.

The cheap lab synthesized junk and fake diamonds are usually set in gold-plated / gold-overlay / rolled-gold /electro plating (EP) / gold-filled / rhodium plated or sterling silver or vermeil but I have seen them set in  solid white gold and solid yellow rings, solid gold  bracelets, broaches and pendants ranging in purity between 9kt and 24kt, and all I can say is, "What a waste of good gold".  A solid gold ring set with a naturally mined diamond, even if its but a chip that doesn't have the greatest clarity nor the best colour,  

is far more precious than a huge
worthless simulate  with the greatest 

clarity and the best of colour. 

Besides CZ and other simulants lack the hardness and the unique flaws of natural diamond, because its man-made and mass produced. In essence, that is what makes Diamonds great — God created, not man made. 

Fake Diamond (Cubic Zirconia) in EP gold ring.

Moissanite is  a naturally mineral that is extremely rear. Initially it was thought to be diamond but turned out to be of silicon carbide based. As such Moissanite  is currently chemically synthesized in laboratories and even passed off as diamond by the unscrupulous yet it doesn't have any real value and should be avoided in preference of real diamonds. They are cut differently and resemble the reflectiveness of a disco ball and easily distinguished from diamond.  Moissanite   is not as hard as diamond but its harder than Sapphire. There is an electronic device called a Moissanite tester that can determine whether any stone in question is synthetic Moissanite or the even  cheaper laboratory simulated cubic zirconia [zirconium dioxide (ZrO2)]. Synthesized Zirconia isn't very hard and is easily scratched, optically flawless and usually colorless, but can be made in a variety of different colors.  It is often tinted white and used in dentistry to make teeth or dentures. There are also  several electronic devices called Diamond testers that can test whether any stone in question is a real Diamond or synthetic Moissanite or fake Zirconia.  

Teeth made of Cubic Zirconia 

"Buying a diamond ring for your engagement
 or for your wedding ring can be a really
 wonderful experience or a freaking
nightmare considering that there
are so many fakes and imitation
jewelry on the market today".

Invariably when buying a diamond, the sales assistant is going to confuse you, when he or she starts talking pointers, VVS, I3, 3-sprong, 4-sprong, 6-sprong, RBC, colours D-Z, etc, and the rest of the jargon that goes with the diamond industry. But most of this has been explained in previous blogs. What you need to know, or at least look at, is the carat to millimeter conversion for RBC Diamonds because the sales person will sell you the diamond by carat weigh and not the physical size.  Right below this passage is a carats to millimeters conversion table to make selecting a real diamond easier.  The fakes are also sold by carat very much like the real thing, so all I can say is Beware! And don't be a fool because a fool and his money is soon parted.

Bear in mind the price of the diamond is directly related to its physical size (carat), its colour and clarity. Looking at the table below, a 1.0 mm diamond (.005 ct) could cost as little as $4.00 whereas a 6.5 mm diamond (1.00 ct) could cost around $3000.00, whereas a 11.25 mm diamond (5.0 carats) could cost around $35 000.00 or more depending on the 4 C's. 

Diamond mm to ct Conversion Table

1.0mm  =  .005 ct
1.1mm  = .0065 ct  
1.2mm  = .008 ct
1.25mm = .01 ct (1/100th carat aka 1 pointer)
1.30mm = .120 ct
1.4mm  = .0125 ct
1.5mm  = .015 ct
1.6mm  = .0175 ct
1.7mm  = .02 ct (1/50th carat aka 2 pointer)
1.8mm  = .025 ct
1.9mm  = .03 ct  
2.0mm  = .03 ct  
2.1mm  = .35 ct
2.2mm  = .04 ct (1/25th carat aka 4 pointer)
2.3mm  = .045 ct
2.4mm  = .05 ct (5 pointer)
2.5mm  = .06 ct  
2.6mm  = .065 ct
2.7mm  = .07 ct  
2.8mm  = .08 ct
2.9mm  = .09 ct
3.0mm  = .10 ct (1/10 carat aka 10 pointer)
3.1mm  = .11 ct
3.2mm  = .12 ct
3.3mm  = .14 ct
3.4mm  = .15 ct
3.5mm  = .16 ct
3.6mm  = .17 ct
3.7mm  = .18 ct
3.8mm  = .20 ct (1/5 carat aka 20 pointer)
3.9mm  = .225 ct
4.0mm  = .25 ct (1/4 carat)
4.1mm  = .275 ct 
4.2mm  = .30 ct (30 pointer)
4.3mm  = .3125 ct
4.4mm  = .33 ct
4.5mm  = .35 ct
4.6mm  = .375 ct
4.7mm  = .39 ct
4.8mm  = .40 ct (40 pointer)
4.9mm  = .43 ct
5.0mm  =  .47 ct
5.1mm  = .485 ct
5.2mm  = .50 (1/2 carat aka 50 pointer)
5.3mm  = .55 ct
5.4mm  = .60 ct (60 pointer)
5.5mm  = .63 ct
5.6mm  = .65 ct
5.7mm  = .07 ct (70 pointer)
5.8mm  = .75 ct
5.9mm  = .775 ct (3/4 carat)
6.0mm  = .80 ct (80 pointer)
6.2mm  = .85 ct
6.4mm  = .95 ct
6.5mm  = 1.00 ct (1 full carat)
6.6mm  = 1.10 carats
6.8mm  = 1.17 carats
7.0mm  = 1.25 carats
7.2mm  = 1.33 carats
7.4mm  = 1.50 carats
7.6mm  = 1.60 carats
7.8mm  = 1.75 carats
8.0mm  = 1.90 carats
8.2mm  = 2.00 carats (2 full carats)
8.4mm  = 2.15 carats
8.5mm  = 2.25 carats
8.8mm  = 2.50 carats
9.0mm  = 2.65 carats
9.2mm  = 2.85 carats
9.5mm  = 3.00 carats (3 full carats)
9.6mm  = 3.25 carats
9.75mm = 3.50 carats
10.0mm = 3.75 carats
10.25mm = 4.0 carats (4 full carats)
10.50mm = 4.25 carats 
10.75mm = 4.5 carats
11.00mm = 4.75 carats
11.25mm = 5.0 carats (5 full carats)

DIAMOND

COLOURED DIAMONDS

Diamonds are a girls best friend and are available in sizes ranging from smaller than 100th of a carat to as large as several carats, each priced accordingly. These diamonds are also available in almost every colour imaginable though white diamonds have always been the diamond colour of choice, purely because of its abundance. In the white range, diamonds leaning towards any particular colour tends to have a lower value, however if the diamond is vivid it tends to have a much higher value  than even the highest quality of white diamonds.  The Cullinan diamond is an example of highest grade colorless diamond which is both internally and externally flawless, valued at more than $400 million. Examples of other highly prized colour diamonds are the Blue Hope Diamond, featured in the movie Titanic, the pink Steinmetz Pink diamond and the Moussaieff Red Diamond, etc. Coloured diamonds are called fancy diamonds and are classified differently than regular clear diamonds.

The Cullinan Diamond's mate is the size of a chicken egg.
Mined at the  Cullinan mine South Africa's and i weighs more than 100 grams.

Naturally coloured diamonds change into a their various colours because of varying conditions they are  naturally exposed to, whilst they are being formed, making them no different from any other diamond because they are totally natural.  Natural Colour Diamonds are the world's most concentrated form of wealth and are the most valuable gemstones on earth. Whereas synthetically manufacture diamonds are essentially worthless, unnatural, normally flawless and shiny. 

It is therefore easy to recognise them because almost every diamond out there have some form of black carbon spots within, that didn't complete its transformation into diamond. These range from VVS1 to VVS2 to VS1 to VS2 to SI1 to SI2 to I1 to I2 to I3. Meaning it is better to have a diamond with an internal flaw than to have a flawless synthetic diamond or a simulated diamonds that is made in a laboratory. Synthetic and simulated diamonds should however never be confused with real diamonds that are synthetically radiation treated by gemologists in a laboratory to enhance there appearance.  

Regardless of where the diamonds are mined or which country they comes from, coloured diamonds can be extremely fashionable and are very rare, hence gemologists colour diamonds to increase their appearance and their value. People tend to mistake colour diamonds for different coloured gemstones, confusing Red Diamonds for  Ruby  or Garnet or Tourmaline or Andesine, etc. Or they confuse Blue Diamonds for Tanzanite, Sapphire, Aquamarine, Aquamarine, Topaz, etc. Or they mistake Green Diamonds for Emerald, Tourmaline, Peridot, Jade, Sapphire or Agate. Or they confuse Champagne Diamonds for Tiger's eye, Agate, Tourmaline, etc. Or they mistake Black Diamond for  Onyx, Agate, Sapphire or Tourmaline and the list goes on.

Natural Fancy Diamonds. 1 Diamond out of 10,000 diamonds is a Natural Colored Diamond. Besides no two fancy diamonds are alike.

Having said that, many people give different meanings to coloured diamonds and believe in its meanings,  much like they have attributed to different coloured gemstones.  It is believed Red coloured diamonds represents confidence and power and in Chinese culture,  red symbolises good luck, good fortune and joy.. 

Pink coloured diamonds are representative of creativity, love and romance and most women simply love pink.  Orange coloured diamonds symbolise energy and enthusiasm and Japanese equate orange with the rising sun and the source of Chi. Yellow coloured diamonds represents friendship, happiness and joy and every marriage could do with a large dose of that. Green coloured diamonds symbolise wealth and nature. Blue coloured diamonds represent peace, spirituality and good health and tje ideal gift  for  brides to wear  “something blue” on wedding day.

The colour Black is often seen as a negative colour, but a black coloured diamond have recently become widely popular and represents sophistication. Black is beautiful and expensive too. 
Purple or violet coloured diamonds represent luxury, nobility and spirituality and has always  seen as a royal colour and worn since the time of the Roman empire as a statement of power. Champagne or tan/brown coloured diamonds are often connected with the earth, eco-friendliness and represent harmony. But these meanings should not necessarily be taken to heart and  are purely symbols created by people for fun and the love for nice things.  When choosing a coloured diamond as a gift, base your decision on the significance of the person who will be wearing it rather than on hype. Enjoy!