What springs to mind when you think of the word "Diamonds"?

Something that glitters and dazzles; a lump of coal that has been under immense pressure for a very long time; the hardest surface known; a gem; a symbol of purity & strength or a way to express your innermost feelings for someone special? Perhaps you just see a particular shape - well diamonds are all these things.

Diamonds are undoubtedly a woman’s best friend and a man’s too. How easy is it to know that a diamond will always make a perfect gift for the lady in your life. Sounds too easy to be true - well in reality it’s just a little more difficult than that. Anf if you're interested in antique diamond jewelry, you'll need to be even better informed. Let me help you along...

To select diamonds correctly you will want to know something about the 4 C’s first. Cut, Clarity, Color & Carat. This website will help you to understand the essential basics so you can move forward with greater certainty & confidence that you will make wise decisions.

Cut
If you’re looking for diamond jewelry you’ll want to think about the different shapes. Many people confuse "shapes" with "cuts". "Cut" refers to the diamond’s reflective qualities, not to its shape as such. This impacts on how it looks. Cut names include "ideal", "fine", "shallow" or "deep". We all know the classic diamond "shape" but you’ll also find them in oval, marquise, emerald (rumored to be Donald Trump’s choice for his engagement to Melanie Knauss in 2004), heart, pear, princess & trilliant shapes. The Asscher shape, a stepped square with cropped corners, is becoming increasingly popular these days. So be sure which your loved-one prefers.

Clarity
Then there’s a very scientific measure of Clarity. The clearer a diamond, the higher its value. You’ve possibly heard of "flawless" diamonds - that means that there are no external or internal imperfections in that particular gem. These are extremely rare and are given an "F" measure of clarity - flawless. "IF" means that there are no internal flaws - also extremely rare. Then you’ll get VVS - very very slightly imperfect - only a trained gemologist with 10X magnification would see them. Moving down the scale you’ll find VS for very slightly to SI, slightly included and finally I for included. So be sure of what you’re getting because values differ greatly.

Color
Color refers the presence of color in a white diamond. A particular diamond’s color never changes, after all it’s probably already about 3 billion years old. Gradings G to I are virtually colorless. Diamonds become more yellow as their grade approaches X, and there are also several exotic colors right to the black diamond. .

Carat
Size does matter but it’s definitely not a measure of your love. Carat refers to the size of diamonds as measured by their weight. 1 Carat = 200 milligrams, or 0.2 grams.

So, before you go shopping to buy a diamond ring or perhaps a very specific diamond earring, spend some time here and learn the basics so that you’ll be able to shop with confidence.

"Diamonds are indeed a girl’s best friend!"

Happy Diamonds Hunting!