Diamond Education & Diamond Information

The 4 C's + 1

When choosing the one perfect loose diamond either for yourself or for your special someone you need to pay attention to the 4 C’s in order to make the right choice and an investment for life.

C 1: CUT

All ExquisiteCreationsJewelry.com Diamonds are carefully selected and cut to perfection to emphasize the dazzling beauty of a Diamond.

The cut of a Diamond is a key to its magical brilliant glow. The Diamond is cut to maximize its natural sparkle. A Diamond may have a perfect color and clarity but a poor cut dramatically worsens the Diamond’s brilliant appearance. A Diamond may be cut in many different shapes: round, princess, baguette etc, but any shape it may be turned into must be of perfect proportions.
The Diamond shines and sparkles the most when it is ideally cut, allowing the light to travel through the Diamond and exit in a heirloom radiance of a colorful rainbow. If a Diamond is improperly cut, the light is lost and the Diamond appears dark and dull and doesn’t sparkle.

 
- Shallow cut: When a Diamond is shallow, the light is lost out the sides and the Diamond looses its captivating brilliance;
- Deep cut: When a Diamond is cut deep, the light escapes out the bottom and the Diamond appears dark;
- Ideal cut: Allows the light to travel freely through the Diamond and exit in a rainbow of sparkles.

POLISH AND SYMMETRY

Just like a cut, polish and symmetry dramatically affect the appearance of a Diamond. Poor polish will leave a Diamond’s facet dull and that will have a Diamond appear blurry and sparkling poorly. Symmetry allows the light to travel freely through the Diamond and poor symmetry will dramatically subtract from the Diamond’s appearance.

C 2: COLOR

The Diamonds differ in color. Some appear naturally colorless and are considered to be the most precious because of their rare find while others are not colorless. The Diamond’s color is defined according to a scale from D to Z.

• D is an absolutely colorless and a rare Diamond.
• E is also a colorless Diamond can be detected by an expert gemologist, also a rare Diamond.
• F is considered to be colorless, however very slight color can be detected by an expert gemologist.
• G-H, these are near colorless Diamonds. The color is noticeable only when compared to Diamonds of higher grade, at the same time these Diamonds provide the greatest value. Most of the diamonds used in jewelry items carried by ExquisiteCreationsJewelry.com are G-H color.
• I-J quality Diamonds are near colorless. Color is slightly detectable.
• K-Z grade Diamonds are not carried by ExquisiteCreationsJewelry.com. These Diamonds are considered to have a noticeable color to them that detracts from the beauty as well as the value of a Diamond.

Please note that ExquisiteCreationsJewelry.com also carries fancy yellow and other colored Diamonds. Colored Diamonds are graded according to a different color scale than white Diamonds. The scale presented here offers the range from the best to the worst quality of white diamonds and it doesn’t reflect the quality of Fancy Colored Diamonds.

C 3: CLARITY

Just as color, clarity defines the natural quality of a Diamond. Absolutely clear Diamonds are rare and therefore are most expensive. Clarity means that the Diamond may or may not have the natural inclusions such as scratches, trace of minerals or other characteristics that can detract not only from the beauty but also from the value of the Diamond.  There is also a scale on measuring the clarity of a Diamond:

• FL, IF means Flawless, with no internal or external flaws. These Diamonds are rare.
• VVS1, VVS2 means Very Very Slightly Included. It is very difficult to see inclusions even under a 10x magnification. These Diamonds are considered of excellent quality.
• VS1, VS2 means Very Slightly Included. The inclusions are not visible to the unaided eye, and barely visible under 10x magnification.
• SI1, SI2 means Slightly Included. Inclusions are not typically visible to the unaided eye, although they are visible under a10x magnification. These diamonds provide a very good Diamond value; Most of the diamonds used in jewelry items carried by ExquisiteCreationsJewelry.com are SI clarity and some are VS clarity.
• I clarity means that there are slight inclusions to the Diamond that are visible to the unaided eye.

C 4: CARAT

The Total Carat Weight (ctw.) determines the total weight of Diamonds that you have in your Diamond jewelry. There can be one Diamond or a number amount of diamonds. For example: If you have 5 diamonds in your ring each weighing 0.25 carats, then total carat weight of diamonds in your ring is 1.25 carats.

C 5: CARE

As you know, Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth. They are uniquely resistant to damage by heat or scratching, and can be cut or polished only by another Diamond. Only an extremely hard blow to the girdle can cause a Diamond to chip. By having your Diamond set in a relatively protective setting, and remaining conscious of it on your finger, you can keep your Diamond intact for a lifetime.

Note that exposure during ordinary wear to perspiration and household chemicals, like chlorine and hair spray, can cause buildup that dulls the surface of a Diamond.
We suggest periodic cleanings to keep the Diamond brilliant and refractive.

If you decide to clean your Diamond Jewelry at home, you can use a solution of one part ammonia and six parts water. Simply dip your Diamond Jewelry into the solution for a short period of time and that should take care of the build up that forms on your Diamond Jewelry as you wear it. Another way of cleaning your Diamond Jewelry is by hand, scrubbing gently with a soft brush to loosen most dirt and greatly increase the brilliance of the diamond, but be careful not to scratch the metal of your setting.

We advise that at least once a year you have your Diamonds cleaned and setting checked by a professional.

It is also a good idea to have you Diamond Jewelry stored individually in soft cloth pouches when not being worn. That will prevent the Diamond or Diamonds from scratching or dulling other jewelry.

Introduction to Gold and Platinum

Without gold, it is said, there would be no jewelry. For thousands of years, men have fought, sailed oceans, braved jungles and moved mountains for gold. Every great civilization has left a legacy of gold jewelry that unfailingly dazzles the modern eye.

Too soft for tools or weapons, gold was thought to be the metal of the sun, coveted for its natural beauty and worshiped for its mystical powers. Today, gold is cherished not just as a rare precious metal. Its physical properties are unrivaled for creating fine jewelry.

Stretch an ounce of gold into 50 miles of fine wire. Hammer an ounce into a square, 100 feet wide. It resists tarnish and rust. It is immune to corrosion, oxidation and acids. Gold's value comes from both its beauty and scarcity. All of the gold mined in the past 6,000 years would fit into a cube 60 feet tall.

What are Karats?
Karats are a measure of the percentage of gold to alloy contained in gold jewelry. Gold is mixed with alloy for strength. Metal stamped 24K, meaning 24-karat gold, is considered pure gold and too soft be used for jewelry. More common 18K gold contains 75% pure gold. Jewelry marked 14K appears the most widely. Anything under 10K cannot be labeled or sold as gold.

Yellow gold, capturing the metal's classic natural color, is by far the favorite. Copper and silver are the alloys used most with yellow gold. For the fashion-conscious, white gold is hot and trendy.

The value of gold jewelry is based on several factors: fineness or karat count, weight in grams and the workmanship reflected in the piece.

Platinum The Royal Metal
From ancient Egypt to pre-Columbian South America, platinum plays a leading role in the creation of exquisitely fine jewelry. Not until the 18th century did it begin to appear in the jewelry of Western Europe. It soon became the metal of royalty.

Platinum ranks among the rarest of metals. Ten tons of ore yield one ounce of platinum. For every 15 to 20 ounces of gold extracted, only a single ounce of palladium is mined. Mountains of rock must be crushed to meet world demand and the refining process takes nearly a half-year. Unlike gold, which doesn't work well in its purest form, platinum is used in jewelry at 90-95% purity. Platinum of this fineness is stamped 900Pt, 950 Plat or just Plat. Even in this pure state, platinum contains five other metals -- iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium and ruthenium. Like gold, it is tarnish and rust resistant.

Safekeeping Gold and Platinum Jewelry
Many of us treasure the gold and platinum jewelry pieces that have become family heirlooms. Proper care protected the jewelry as it passed from generation to generation. When you purchase gold or platinum jewelry from  ExquisiteCreationsJewelry.com , we hope you will follow a few simple rules for its care and safekeeping. Avoid harsh chemicals or abrasives. Don't wear rings, bracelets and other jewelry while working with power tools. Store each piece separately in a soft cloth pouch or in the separate compartments of a jewelry case. Check that gem settings are secure. If not, ask a professional jeweler to re-set them.