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Welcome to: DIAMONDS NEWSLETTER Issue: 2001-08
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 August Birthstone: Peridot The Diamond Marketplace Famous Diamond People Diamond Copycats Ideal Cut Fancy Colored Diamonds Platinum as a Jewelry Metal Online Spending Trends Black Diamonds: Hot Trend But Be Careful Price Calculator Diamond and Jewelry Books Internet Marketing ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AUGUST BIRTHSTONE: PERIDOT ============================= Today's birthstone for August, peridot was also a favorite of the ancients. This lovely transparent yellowish green to deep chartreuse stone was quite a powerful gem. It was considered an aid to friendship and was also believed to free the mind of envious thoughts. Because of its yellowish color, it was also believed to cure or prevent diseases of the liver and dropsy. And if that's not enough, if worn on the left arm it would protect the wearer from the evil eye. Peridot is also popular today, but probably more for its lovely shade of green than its professed powers. While not particularly brilliant, the richness of the is color can be exceptional. It comes in shades of yellowish green to darker, purer green colors. Unfortunately, because of its rarity most people never see peridot in the deeper, purer green color that is so prized. Some caution should be exercised in wearing peridot. It is not a very hard stone and may scratch easily. Also, some stones- like green sapphire or green tourmaline-can look like peridot and be mistaken or misrepresented. THE DIAMOND MARKETPLACE ============================ In diamond bridal jewelry, the current demand is for: * G-H color and SI-VS clarity * Sizes form 1-1.5 carats and over 2 carats * Round brilliants and princess cuts * Ideal cuts FAMOUS DIAMOND PEOPLE: DIAMOND JIM BRADY (1856-1917) ===================================================== "Them that has 'em wears 'em," said Diamond Jim Brady, a man who did much to popularize diamonds in the United States. Born poor, honest, and Irish, James Buchanan Brady was a salesman of extraordinary abilities. During the "Gay Nineties," when American railroads were expanding across the continent, Brady made a fortune estimated at more than #10 million selling railroad cars. During World War I, he sold 38,000 cars to the French government in one sale. Brady had a different set of monogrammed jewelry for every day of the month, including a "Transportation Set" comprised of a jewelled rail car, tank car, and caboose studded with 2,548 diamonds and other precious stones. He personally owned more than 20,000 diamonds, and sometimes wore $25,000 in jewelry on single day (a fortune in that day). When he died, Brady's will left a few of his most elaborate pieces of jewelry to long-time friends. The rest of his fortune went to charity. DIAMOND COPYCATS ============================================= Cubic zirconia dates to 1937, when two German mineralogists discovered the cubic form of zirconium oxide. Soviet scientists learned how to "grow" this mineral in a laboratory in the 1970s, and Swarovski & Co. began producing it for mass consumption in the 1980s. As it became more widely available, CZ quickly became popular with jewelry designers. New developments have led to a sparkling array of CZ in every color imaginable. Though cubic zirconia looks like diamond, there are some noticeable differences. CZ has slightly less brilliance than diamond and a hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale [diamond is 10]. CZ is 75% heavier and, because it's grown in a controlled environment, a crystal isn't used if it's not perfect. Moissanite was discovered in 1893 when Nobel-prize-winning scientist Henri Moissan uncovered minute quantities of a new mineral from a meteorite that crashed thousands of years before. In the late 1980s, Cree Research, Durham, NC, developed a way to produce moissanite crystals in a lab. In 1995, a master diamond cutter discovered that when cut properly, created moissanite crystals could look like diamond. Moissanite's color is comparable to I-J-K colors of diamond, is 9.5 on the Mohs scale and has a refractive index of 2.648- 2.691 (diamond is 2.417), dispersion of 0.104 (diamond is 0.044) and specific gravity of 3.21 (diamond is 3.52). IDEAL CUT =================== An Ideal Cut round brilliant diamond is one which is cut to a specific range of proportions (Ideal proportions) and also has an Ideal (0) grade for both polish and symmetry. This has been defined by the American Gem Society Labs. as the top, or zero grade, in their grading system. Diamonds attaining this grade are sometimes referred to as AGS000 (AGS triple zero's). The proper grade, however, is simply AGS0 (AGS zero). This cut grade has also come to be called the "American Ideal Cut" based on its acceptance in this country. A true AGS triple zero or triple ideal is a diamond where the proportion (cut), polish and symmetry are all at the top (zero) grade. Unfortunately, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) does not provide a cut grade in its grading report. They provide only the table % and total depth % for the stone. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the individual contributions of the crown, girdle and pavilion to the total depth and no crown or pavilion angles are given. In order to determine if a GIA-graded diamond meets the AGS Ideal (0) grade for proportion, it is necessary to measure the stone for all the missing data. Fortunately, this can be done quite quickly and easily using an automated proportion analyzer called a "SARIN" (after the Co. which produces it) whose s oftware can be programmed to AGS specifications. Thus, since GIA grades of Excellent for polish and symmetry are considered equivalent to the AGS Ideal grades, a GIA-graded diamond can, with a Sarin analysis give as much information as an AGS grading report. This information is important in making an informed buying decision. FANCY COLORED DIAMONDS ============================================== The GIA grades the saturation of color by 9 different verbal categories. They are: Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Dark, Fancy Intense, Fancy Deep and Fancy Vivid. Normally, Faint, Very Light, and Light in sizes under three carats are not considered exceptional enough to pay premiums for. To collect or mount in jewelry, these stones will often trade in the same ranges as nice white diamonds. Often mounting a stone in these saturation categories will "kill" the color. Light pink and blue in a larger stone may be desirable, if, and only if, the stone doesn't turn white when mounted. Diamond dealers often refer to these color categories as those you "have to read the certificate to find the color". Generally avoid these stones unless you are looking at eye clean 5-15 carat "light" pinks or blues. They will be expensive stones. The rarest and most valuable colored diamonds are vibrant reds. In fact, one of the highest per-carat prices ever paid for a diamond was for a purplish red stone weighing just over 0.95 carats. Sold at auction in 1987, this fiery beauty brought an astounding $926,000 per carat. More recently, a 5.11 carat red diamond is rumored to have sold privately for $8 million. However, not all fancy colored diamonds sell for such colorful prices (please excuse the pun). PLATINUM AS A JEWELRY METAL ==================================== Throughout the world, platinum jewelry is made in a purity of at least 85 per cent platinum, and in Europe and the USA, 95 per cent is the norm. Other platinum group metals - palladium, ruthenium and iridium - and copper and cobalt are commonly alloyed with platinum to optimize its working characteristics and wear properties. One of the main advantages of platinum for jewelry fabrication is its strength and resistance to tarnish. It can be repeatedly heated and cooled without hardening and oxidation effects, while even the most slender sections of platinum permanently retain their shape, providing a secure setting for diamonds and giving jewelry designers a freedom of invention not always possible with other materials. Perhaps the best example of platinum's technical virtuosity is the tension ring, in which a gemstone is held in place by the tensile strength of the platinum ring shank alone. Platinum does make certain demands on the jeweler's skills. It requires high temperature melting and casting equipment (pure platinum melts at 1769'C) and a scrupulously clean working environment. Careful attention to polishing technique is needed to achieve the highly reflective finish which shows a diamond or other precious stone at its best. ONLINE SPENDING TRENDS ==================================== Though Internet users are spending more time at retail sites, online spending is down. Forrester Research reported online spending fell to $3.2 billion in June from $3.9 billion in May. Online shoppers spent an average of $245 per person online in June, a decrease of $20 from May. Internet usage overall, however, is up. Neilson/NetRatings reported 58% of U.S. households, nearly 102 million households, are online. In July, Internet users spent an average of 10 hours and 19 minutes online, up 7% from a year earlier. The growth in Internet use, Neilson/NetRatings reports, is driven by late adopters and more aggressive use from the enormous Internet population. While there has been a drop in online jewelry sales the past several months compared to last year, forecaster agree that online jewelry sales will outpace the growth of consumer e-commerce as a whole in the next three years. As customers gain experience and here more success stores about online diamond and jewelry buying, their increased confidence translates into increased sales. BLACK DIAMONDS: HOT TREND BUT BE CAREFUL ================================================= Black diamonds are not new. They have been a curiosity for centuries, but is a recent new trend for jewelry. They are typically opaque, very heavily included, often with surface reaching inclusions and fractures that mar desirability. They are also very difficult to cut, so you often find them in poor makes. Buyers need to be aware that most of the black diamonds currently being used in jewelry is treated and not natural. There is nothing wrong with using treated black diamonds as long as you are told they are treated and you pay the appropriate price, as opposed to the more expensive natural black diamonds. Since the natural black diamonds are so hard to cut, melee sizes used in pave work is almost always treated. Here are some simple test for determining natural versus treated. * Under strong light, treated diamonds have edges that appear deep brown rather than black * When the surface is examined with a 10x loupe, treated diamonds seem spotty or the color is uneven * When tested with a electronic diamond tester, treated black diamonds generally are indicated as "not diamond." While the treated black diamond is in fact a diamond, the electronic diamond tester indicates it is not because during the treatment, the material becomes very electrically conductive. PRICE CALCULATOR ================ Probably the most popular feature of our web site is the diamond price calculator where shoppers can input a shape, color grade, clarity grade, and carat weight to determine an estimate of our price for that type of diamond. If you haven't tried it yet, check it out at: http://www.dsourceva.com/cost.htm#calc DIAMOND AND JEWELRY BOOKS ========================= 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 ========================= 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 ============================= 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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