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Welcome to: DIAMONDS NEWSLETTER Issue: 2001-04B
The diamond, gems and fine jewelry information resource for clients and friends of Diamond Source of Virginia, Inc. http://www.DSOURCEVA.com (unsubscribe instructions at bottom of this newsletter) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If you know of someone who will be getting engaged or celebrating a special event such as an anniversary, birthday, or baby's birth forward this newsletter to them so they will know where to save money on a diamond or fine jewelry! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS ISSUE'S TOPICS Office Closed Ideal In Fancy Cuts Looking For Something Really Special? Bulletproof Beauty $500 Million Heist Foiled in London Platinum Prices Have Soared Clarity Grading Octahedron Where Diamonds Form Diamond and Jewelry Books Internet Marketing ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OFFICE CLOSED =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Our office will be closed from noon, Thursday April 19 until it opens again on Monday, April 23. If you need to contact us, please leave a voice message or email. IDEAL IN FANCY CUTS =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D While there is a wealth of information about the various definition of ideal cut round brilliant diamonds, most consumers have no idea what constitutes great cut for the fancy cut diamonds such as pear, heart, oval, marquise, princess, emerald or radiant. There is no one industry standard for round let alone fancy cuts, but there are some specific guidelines that we use when we search for diamond. Each fancy shape has its own set of depth percentage, table percentage, crown height percentage and length to width ratio that will increase the likelihood that the diamond will have great brilliance, sparkle and beauty. If you are shopping for a fancy cut diamond and are interested what specifications define the top cut class for that shape, give us a call and we will be happy to discuss this with you. LOOKING FOR SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL? =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D We will be attending the annual JCK Jewelry Show in Las Vegas the first week of June. This is your opportunity to get access to wonderful designer jewelry at a fraction of regular retail prices. With almost 3,000 booths of diamonds and jewelry from all over the world, this trade show brings the most beautiful jewelry in the world to one place. If you have special piece of jewelry you've always wanted but didn't think you could afford, give us a call so we can find it for you. The same goes for color gem stones since we can hand pick from the most beautiful colored stones in the world for your special ring, pendant or bracelet. While the Diamond Source of Virginia does not have an inventory of diamonds or jewelry, we have accounts with the leading wholesalers and designers across the country and can special order your custom jewelry or pick it out in person at this show. We go with our shopping list for our customers and return with the best of the best. If you have a special request, please give Anne a call at 888-477-8385 and tell us what you want. BULLETPROOF BEAUTY =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Beauty meets the bulletproof vest in a gown designed for Miss Israel to wear at the Miss Universe pageant next month. The top of the silk dress, embroidered with diamonds and pearls, is covered by an army-issue flak jacket adorned with diamonds for a so-called softer look, the Associated Press reported. The dress sends a message that everyday life should go on despite renewed violence, its designer said. ``I want people in Israel to continue to go out,'' said Galit Levi, a Tel Aviv fashion designer. ``But be careful.'' Levi also designed two prior Miss Universe dresses. In 1998, her design featured the faces of Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat and Bill Clinton, leaders known for Middle East peace efforts. In 1999, the first Arab Miss Israel, Rana Raslan, wore a dress with a large red Star of David, an Israeli symbol. Ilanit Levy, an 18-year-old soldier from Haifa, will wear the bulletproof dress in the Miss Universe competition May 11 in Puerto Rico $500 MILLION HEIST FOILED IN LONDON =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Would-be thieves crashed a bulldozer into London's Millennium Dome on Nov. 7, hoping to snatch $500 million worth of diamonds=01*including the spectacular 203-ct. De Beers Millennium Star. The robbers planned to make their getaway in a speedboat waiting on the Thames River. It would have been the world's largest robbery, but the diamonds were already gone from their tented exhibition arena, and Scotland Yard was waiting. Officers disguised as cleaners overpowered the robbers, and a dozen men were arrested without a shot fired. Tipped off by police, dome officials had replaced the gems with crystal fakes. De Beers officials say the pear-shaped Millennium Star is arguably the most perfect large diamond in the world. Four men were arrested after trapping themselves in the vault that usually houses the diamonds. Police picked up another near a speedboat on the river, and a sixth man on the opposite shore. Six others were apprehended later in southeastern England. Representatives of the New Millennium Experience Co., which operates the dome, said the diamonds are displayed in an exhibition area of the facility called the "money zone" and are closely guarded. The Millennium Star is displayed in a reinforced glass cylinder, and the area has alarms and security cameras. The collection also features 11 large diamonds of a distinctive vivid blue color. Police said the robbers, apparently disguised as workmen, crashed through a perimeter fence and drove the bulldozer past security guards at around 9:30 a.m., shortly after the attraction opened for the day. As they entered the building, they donned gas masks before unleashing smoke bombs. Fortunately, none of the estimated 100 visitors in the tent were nearby. Disguised police were positioned around the inside of the dome. After the robbers went into the vaults and became trapped, they were ordered to come out at gunpoint by the officers. The intruders were captured as they bashed at the display cases with hammers and sledgehammers. PLATINUM PRICES HAVE SOARED =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D For the past ten years, platinum prices have fluctuated between $350-$450 per troy ounce on the commodity markets. In the second half of 1999 the prices start a climb that saw prices move from $350 to almost $650 per ounce at the start of this year. This increase is mostly due to the big increase in demand in platinum jewelry while supplies have not been able to keep up. Check out the price chart at http://futures.tradingcharts.com/prairielinks/PL/M that plots this trend. Note how there are some weeks where the price has $100 swings. The impact on you the consumer is two fold, the prices you pay today are almost twice what they were a year ago and the supply of parts for mountings and jewelry can sometimes take weeks to restock. The other impact is that if you bought jewelry with significant platinum content, it is now worth more and would cost more to replace. If your appraisal is more than one year old, you might want to consider having it reappraised for insurance purposes. CLARITY GRADING =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Undoubtedly, size is an important factor in determining the clarity grade. The more difficult it is to see an inclusion, particularly face-up, the less it will influence the clarity grade. Almost as a part of size, the number of inclusions must be considered. Clarity grading does not, however, consist of merely counting inclusions, but rather judging how readily that number can be seen. A stone could, for example, have a number of minute pinpoints and still be graded high on the scale. Usually one or two of the largest inclusions will establish the grade. Additional inclusions, if small or minute, will have little or no effect on the grade. The position of an inclusion affects how readily it can be seen. Cutters call the area seen through the table the "heart" of the stone and make every effort to orient rough stones so that inclusions are not visible through the table of the finished stone. The preferred position for inclusions is under the bezel facets or near the girdle because they are less noticeable there. Sometimes inclusions are located where they cause multiple reflections in the pavilion facets when you look at the stone in the face-up position. Such reflectors lower the clarity grade more than similar non-reflecting inclusions. The type of inclusion can sometimes influence the clarity grade. Most inclusions do not threaten a diamond's durability. Remember, long before a stone ever reaches the consumer, it has already been subjected to considerable heat and stress in both the cutting and manufacturing processes. It is unlikely to get rougher treatment simply by being worn. But large cleavages or feathers, particularly when they reach the table or extend from the crown through the girdle, are potentially hazardous since they could be extended by a severe blow. Most inclusions are white or colorless, but sometimes they are black, brown, dark red, or green. These, or course, are easier to see and lower the clarity grade more than a colorless inclusion. However, curiously enough, a dark inclusion dead center under the table is often surprisingly inconspicuous. Most inclusions have little impact on the beauty of the diamond since they are not visible with the naked eye. The high price associated with high clarity has more to do with rarity than beauty. If most diamonds were flawless, it is likely that included diamonds would command the greatest interest and price. OCTAHEDRON =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D The octahedron is the most common form of gem quality diamond crystals. The octahedron is shaped like two pyramids, one upside down and fastened at the bases. Perfectly formed octahedrons, called glassies, are among the most striking of all mineral crystals. Rough crystals with this shape are well suited to be cut into the popular round and princess shapes. WHERE DIAMONDS FORM =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Diamonds form only under certain chemical, temperature, and pressure conditions. Scientists estimate that the necessary conditions of temperature and pressure can exist in parts of the Earth's mantle (inside the crust) between 75 and 120 miles beneath the Earth's surface. Almost all diamonds are carried to the surface by a specific type of peridotite rock called kimberlite. The Australian diamonds were carried by a similar type of rock called lamproite. For billions of years, kimberlites have periodically carried diamonds to the Earth's surface. We call diamond deposits in kimberlite pipes primary deposits. The kimberlite itself is not very tough so it breaks down with sunlight, heat and cold, wind and rain, and other environmental forces. The diamonds often get washed out of the pipe and into the beds of rivers where they gather in potholes and eddies. These are called alluvial deposits. If the river currents are strong enough, they may carry their diamonds all the way to the sea. There the stones either settle to the bottom or are washed back onto the beach. These diamond rich areas are called marine deposits. Diamonds found in alluvial and marine deposits and in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are said to be from secondary deposits. DIAMOND AND JEWELRY BOOKS =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D One of the best ways to be a better shopper for diamonds and fine jewelry is to read one or more of the great books listed at the following web page: http://www.dsourceva.com/books.htm INTERNET MARKETING =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D If you or any of your friends have a web site and want to know how to get more visitors, check out some of the tools we have found to help with internet marketing at: http://www.dsourceva.com/internetmarketing.htm TOPICS FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D If you have any topics, questions, or issues you would like to see addressed in future DIAMOND NEWSLETTERS, please send us an email. Thank you. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter, simply reply to this email and in the subject line put only the words: unsubscribe diamonds +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Denny & Anne Reinke Denny@DSOURCEVA.com 1-888-477-8385 (toll free) Diamond Source of Virginia, Inc http://www.DSOURCEVA.com
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