<![CDATA[Dollar Counts eCommerce treasures - Diamond treasures]]>Sat, 12 May 2012 17:19:48 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Ever Wondered Where Diamonds are Mined?]]>Mon, 16 May 2011 12:59:15 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2011/05/ever-wondered-where-diamonds-are-mined.html

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The Argyle Diamond Mine located in the Kimberley region in the far north east of Western Australia. Owned by Rio Tinto, this mine is the world’s largest single producer of diamonds by the volume. However, due to the low proportion of gem quality diamonds, it is not the value leader. It does, however, produce 90-95% of the world’s supply of pink diamonds. Additional information about this mine can be obtained directly from the official website of the Argyle Diamond Mine.

Diavik is also owned by Rio Tinto, located in Canada, it is a very large mine which is situated north of Yellowknife and south of the Artic Circle on an island. The island is connected by an ice road. It is also an important part of the region's economy employing more than seven hundred (700) people and producing more than 8 million carats annually. You can obtain additional information about the Diavik Diamond Mine directly from their website.

Ekati diamond mine is owned by BHP Billiton and located south of the artic circle in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The Ekati was Canada’s first operational diamond mine. Diamonds mined here are sold under the Aurias trade name. Authenticity is verified through Canada Mark service. Canada Mark service is also owned by BHP Billiton Diamonds, Inc. located on the Web at Ekati Diamond Mine

Baken diamond mine is located along the lower Orange River in South Africa. It is owned and operated by Trans Hex. The average size stone for 2004 was 1.29 carats. In 2004, this mine produced a 78.9 carat D color flawless diamond that sold for more than 1.8 million dollars (US), as well as a 27.67 pink diamond that was sold for over 1 million US dollars.

Merlin is the second of only two diamond mines in Australia. No longer operating, it was owned by Rio Tinto and sold to Striker Resources, who has explored the possibilities of reopening the mine.  

Orapa is the world’s largest diamond mine. It us located 240 Km west of Francistown. The mine is owned by
“Debswana” which is a partnership between DeBeers and the government of Botswana. This mine operates 7 days a week. It maintains pre primary and primary schools for its employee’s children. There is also a 100 bed hospital and game park. This mine began production in 1971 and is the oldest mine owned by the Debswana Company.

The Premier mine located in Cullinan, South Africa produced the largest gem diamond ever in 1905. The Cullinan Diamond weighed 3,106.75 carats. This mine also produced the Golden Jubilee diamond which weighed 545.67 carats. This mine is owned by the De Beers Company and was renamed The Cullinan Diamond Mine in 2003 in celebration of its centennial. Additional information from an entire list of diamond mines can be found on the Wikipedia website.
]]><![CDATA[Can Synthetic Diamonds be Bonded?]]>Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:37:57 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2011/04/can-synthetic-diamonds-be-bonded.html

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Bonded Diamonds

Before you start shopping for diamonds, consider dealing with a bonded jeweler. Bonded jewelers sell bonded diamonds, and there are very few bonded jewelers in the world. In fact, out of all of the jeweler’s in the world, only about 5% of them are bonded. Buying a bonded diamond will cost more than buying a non-bonded diamond, but when you look at what you get with the bonded option, you will see that it is well worth the extra expense.

First, bonded diamonds have a buy back policy for the life of the diamond. No matter how long you have had the diamond, you can take it back to the bonded jeweler and sell it back to him or her, for a 100% refund. If a jeweller does not offer a 100% buy back guarantee, for the life of the diamond, then you should take a closer look at the diamond to see what is wrong with it.

Bonded diamonds also have a breakage policy. If the stone breaks or chips, the bonded jeweler will replace it with a new one – one time. No jeweler would ever offer such a policy on any stone that was not 100% natural, so just the offer of such a policy should give you piece of mind concerning the quality of the diamond. Bonded diamonds are natural and untreated.

Bonded diamonds increase in value, with a fixed appreciation rate that is designed to keep up with inflation. This means that a diamond that is worth a certain amount of money today will be worth more in the future, as the price of diamonds continues to rise. This generally does not apply to buy backs, however. It typically applies to trade-ins. Alternately, by purchasing a bonded diamond, you are protected against the possibility of a market crash.

If a market crash occurs, the value of diamonds will drop. However, the bonded jeweler guarantees to refund you the difference between what the diamond is now worth and what you paid for it before the market crash. It may be difficult to find a bonded jeweler in your area, but if you can, this is who you want to deal with, as opposed to dealing with an un-bonded jeweler. Specifically tell the jeweler that you are only interested in bonded diamonds.  You can find a bonded jeweler in your area by using various online resources, or by calling the local jewelry stores.

Synthetic Diamonds

The first synthetic diamonds were produced by General Electric in 1954. A synthetic diamond is basically a rock that has the durability, refractive index and hardness of a natural diamond – but it is made by man. A synthetic diamond should not be confused with stimulant diamonds, such as glass, cubic zirconia, or moissanite.

Although the technology for synthetic diamonds came into play in 1954, no synthetic diamond was ever seen on the market until the 1990’s. This was due to the fact that it took many years for General Electric to produce a synthetic diamond that could compare with the quality of a natural diamond – and when they figured out how to do it, they found that it cost more to produce a synthetic diamond than it did to mine and cut natural diamonds.

Finally, a small company by the name of Gemesis Corporation figured out a way to produce synthetic diamonds that were of the same quality as natural diamonds, at a cheaper price. Today, Gemesis produces synthetic white diamonds, and colored diamonds as well. These diamonds sell for about 1/3 of the cost of a natural diamond, but there is a shortage of them, and they are hard to find. In fact, it seems that synthetic diamonds are rarer than natural diamonds!

After reading and fully digesting the above information relating to "bonded diamonds" and "synthetic diamonds" we learn that only natural diamonds have been bonded as a matter of good business and authenticity, so the question then is, will the manufacturer of a synthetic diamond bear the responsibility of bonding his own product? And the answer to this question depends solely on the manufacturer of the synthetic diamond.
]]><![CDATA[How to Care for Your Diamond]]>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:19:53 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2010/12/how-to-clean-a-dirty-diamond.html
   

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What Are Dirty Diamonds?

A dirty diamond is one of two things: a rough diamond, or a diamond that hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Rough diamonds are uncut and unpolished – hence, they are dirty. But that type of dirty diamond will soon be cut and polished and sitting in a beautiful jewel box in a display case. Then someone will purchase it, and before long, it will become a dirty diamond once again. Diamonds become dirty. When you wash your hands with a diamond ring on, soap scum clings to it. When you put on hand lotion, it gets grease on it.

Shower with your diamond earrings or necklace, and again, you get soap scum. In one short day, your brand new diamond could be dirty! Purchase an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner the same day that you purchase your diamond jewelry, and use it every single day, without fail. The clarity of the diamond changes when the diamond is dirty – it loses its sparkle. By taking one minute each day to clean your diamond jewelry, you can avoid this, and your diamonds will never be dirty!

How to Care for Your Diamond

Caring for a diamond takes more than occasional cleanings. Diamonds are forever, but they can be damaged if you are not careful. By learning how to properly care for your diamond, you will ensure that your diamond is indeed forever. First, you should take your diamond jewelry to a jeweler once a year. Have him check the mountings and prongs that hold your
diamond in place. Have him make any needed repairs. This will prevent your diamond from falling out of its setting and
becoming lost.

Diamond jewelry that is not being worn, or diamonds that are loose should be stored in a fabric lined jewel case, or in a jewelry box where it can be kept separate from other jewelry. Each piece should have its own compartment. This will keep diamonds from becoming scratched, and it will also keep your diamond from scratching other jewelry as well.
Remove your diamond jewelry when doing physical work. Diamonds can be chipped and scratched easily.

Also avoid allowing your diamond to come into contact with bleach or other household cleansers – this can damage or change the color of the settings and mountings, and it may even irreversibly change the color of the diamond!
]]><![CDATA[The Couples Diamond]]>Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:21:04 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2010/11/the-couples-diamond.html

 

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The smart groom-to-be does his research before buying his fiancée a diamond ring! There are more styles and cuts to choose from than ever before. It’s not enough to be educated about the four Cs of diamonds – cut, color, clarity and carats. Now there are all types of diamond cuts and settings to choose from.

The most popular style is still the round brilliant. It’s one of the earliest cuts ever developed and now relies on precise mathematical equations to create a stone with fire and brilliance that the earliest gem cutters could only have dreamed of.

But many brides want something completely unique. There are many traditional cuts to choose from. A pear-shaped is just that – wider at one end than the other. Or she can choose an oval, emerald or heart-shaped diamond. There are other cuts with unique faceting, such as the square princess-cut diamond.

Some cuts are patented, like the elongated Ashoka diamond or the Asprey & Garrard Eternal cut diamond.
Other branded and patented cuts include:
  • Elara – a square-cut diamond with rounded corners
  • Asscher – a square diamond with rounded facets that gives an unusual complexity to the diamond
  • Couples Diamond – this diamond is faceted to reveal either a circle of hearts or arrows inside. It’s a truly unusual diamond that requires precise cutting for the image to appear properly.
The price of a diamond increases exponentially with its carat weight. A one-carat diamond costs much more than 10 10-point diamonds and a two-carat diamond costs more than twice as much as a one-carat diamond (given equal quality in other areas).

One way to enhance a ring is with embellishments such as baguettes or trillions. A baguette is a small emerald-shaped diamond that can be placed on either side of the main stones and a trillion is a triangle-shaped diamond that also is a good enhancement to the center stone..

]]><![CDATA[Selecting Your Diamonds]]>Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:14:47 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2010/10/selecting-your-diamonds.html
  

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Diamonds are graded for certification by laboratories using grading criteria. Four of these criteria are critical to understand when making a diamond purchase or investment. Known as the “Four C’s” these criteria are: color, cut, clarity and carat.  Color is the result of the composition of a diamond and it does not change. When a jeweler is describing the color of a diamond they are referring to the presence or absence of color in white diamonds. Because a diamond with no color allows maximum light to pass through, colorless diamonds are preferred for their sparkle.

Cut refers to a diamond's reflective quality. Most diamonds are cut with 58 facets. The brilliance of diamonds is heavily dependent on the cut. The different angles and the finish of a diamond determine its ability to reflect light and cause its brilliance and fire. Remember that the cut of a diamond can have an impact on its durability as well as its beauty. Some cutting faults can make a diamond prone to breakage. A diamond that is cut too thin can also cause light to leak out of the back and the diamond will lose some of the sparkle and appear not to shine. So, as you can see the Cut is probably the most important of the Four C’s.  
 
During the formation process, inner flaws, or inclusions occur in most diamonds. The number and size of these inclusions
determine what is referred to as the clarity of a diamond. Diamonds that are clear create more brilliance and therefore are rarer and highly priced. To be considered“flawless”, a diamond must have no surface or internal imperfections visible upon being viewed by a skilled diamond grader using 10 power magnifications.

Carat is the unit of weight by which diamonds are measured. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 segments called points. 150 points would equal one and a half carats.  When you go to the store to make that all
important diamond purchase, do not be shy!  Ask questions, get the answers needed to make an informed purchase. Shopping for certified diamonds enables you to make an informed selection. Knowing the “four C’s” allows you to comparison shop and purchase the best diamond at a fair price.  But, before making a purchase, shop around and decide what shapes and styles really appeal to you. Enjoy your diamond for years to come!

   

  
]]><![CDATA[Cleaning Your Diamonds]]>Sun, 19 Sep 2010 21:02:54 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2010/09/cleaning-your-diamonds.htmlThrough our day to day movements diamonds we own get smudged and soiled.  Even when we are not wearing them, they collect dust.  Lotions, soaps, our natural skin oils, can cause film and grime on diamonds and inhibit their brilliance.  Want to keep that Brilliance and Shine? Diamonds require cleaning so that maximum amounts of light can refract fiery brilliance.  Remember that all it takes is a few minutes and a little care to keep that diamond as fiery as the day you first saw it.

You can use a small soft brush such as an eyebrow or lip stick brush and soap and water to clean your jewelry.  Simply make a bowl of warm sudsy water with a mild detergent and place your pieces in the mixture.  Then brush the diamonds with the soft bristles of the brush while they are in the suds. You will need to make certain that you rinse them clear of the suds after cleaning them.  You can use a small kitchen strainer such as a tea strainer to contain them while rinsing under warm water.  Use a lint free cloth, or a jewelry polish cloth to pat them dry.

If your diamonds are in need of a stronger cleansing, you may want to soak them for 30 minutes in a solution of half and half water and ammonia.  Once they have soaked for 30 minutes, remove them and gently brush the mountings with a small brush.  Then replace the pieces to the solution and swish them around in the mixture before removing them to rinse and pat dry.   If you find your self too busy to be mixing soaps and ammonias, many department stores sell liquid jewelry cleaners.  Most are kits, with everything you need included.  You need to read the labels to determine the one that is right for your diamonds and other jewelry. Read the complete directions and follow all the precautions.

And if you find yourself more the “high-tech type”, even in your diamond cleaning routine, there are multiple ultrasonic cleansers on the market.  These machines use high-frequency to create a cleaning motion.  
All machines are not the same, so please read the instructions before using. Only you can choose the cleaning method right for you.   But, it is essential to keep your jewelry clean to keep it brilliant and sparkling.  Between cleaning, try not to touch your clean diamonds with your fingers or handle your jewelry by its edges. This will
help maintain its shine and brilliance for longer periods.

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]]><![CDATA[How to Sell A Diamond]]>Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:38:18 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2010/09/how-to-sell-a-diamond.htmlThere are many reasons why you may want to sell a diamond that you own. Perhaps you’ve gotten divorced, or you are strapped for cash. The why(s) don’t really matter – getting the best possible price is what counts! The way to obtain the best price for your diamond is to take your time and not be in a rush. Slow down, and carefully consider all of your options – there are many.

First, have the diamond appraised. In fact, have it appraised by two or three jewelers to get an accurate idea of the diamond's value. Tell the appraiser that you want the diamond's Rapaport Value. This is the wholesale value of the diamond, and it basically tells you the highest price that you can sell your diamond for. If your diamond has no certificate, you should consider getting a certificate from GIA. This may help you get a better price for the diamond as well.

Second, try to sell the diamond yourself, to people you know. Friends and family members may be interested. If you don’t have any luck with friends or family members, you should turn to outside sources. Absolutely avoid pawn shops! A pawn shop will only offer you about 10% of what the diamond is worth! Also avoid offers of selling the ring on consignment. There are many things that can go wrong, and there is no shortage of diamond scams – even in well known jewelry stores.

Third, If the diamond is important, you should strongly consider auctioning it off through one of the famous auction houses, such as Christie’s or Sotheby’s. If it isn’t what is considered an ‘important’ diamond or a high-end diamond, you should try to sell it to an individual using classified ads, or even eBay. However, selling to an individual that you do not know could put you in danger – especially if the diamond is worth a lot of money.

Your final option should be a jewelry store. It is vital that you not let your diamond out of your sight while in the jewelry store – you might find that the diamond you walked in with is not the same diamond that you walk out with! The jeweler will try to tell you that your diamond is of poor quality or low weight. Inevitably, there will be some problem with the diamond. This is where your appraisal and/or certificate will come in handy. If the jeweler is fair, they will offer you between 60% and 80% of the value (the Rapaport Value). Do not accept anything less than this. Again, do not let the diamond out of your sight until you have been paid for it.

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]]><![CDATA[Colored Diamonds]]>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:23:58 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2010/08/colored-diamonds.html
Fancy colored diamonds are always popular because of their sparkling beauty.  Gemologists have developed new ways to create versions that are affordable for the average person - by treating less desirable diamonds. These less desirable diamonds are treated with irradiation followed by intense heat.  This turns brown and yellowish diamonds into beautifully colored diamonds that you can afford.  This produces stunning greens, blues, yellows, reds, purples and other colors.  These colors are considered permanent, but there is a possibility they could change during repairs if a high heat is used.

Treatments like irradiation make it possible for more people to own these vividly colored diamonds. Most natural colored diamonds are rare and also extremely expensive. When shopping for colored diamonds you need to assume that any affordable fancy colored diamond has been treated.  You could ask about the stones origin and request to view a lab certificate to verify authenticity. Synthetic colored diamonds are another option if owning a colored diamond is something you desire but cannot quite afford. They are real diamonds, but they are created in a lab.

Natural fancy colored diamonds get their coloring from different trace elements present in the stones, such as nitrogen, which produces a yellow diamond.  A diamond can be colored by exposure to radiation during its creation.  An example of a diamond affected by radiation is a Green diamond. Another way that a natural colored diamond gets color is by its inclusions.  Regarded as flaws and undesirable in a colorless diamond, inclusions give unique tones and brilliant flashes of color in a fancy colored diamond. Remember that Natural fancy colored diamonds are very expensive, and as such, any colored diamond labeled to be sold as natural should be accompanied by a certificate from a respected grading lab.

A "fancy" diamond is a natural diamond that has color.  These colors vary from red, green, purple, violet, orange, blue and pink – and most shades between.  Fancy colored shades vary from faint to intense. The most famous diamonds in the world are Colored diamonds.  The Tiffany Diamond, which is yellow and the Hope Diamond which is blue are colored diamonds.  Colored diamonds have an amazing financial track record.  The value has never decreased on wholesale level in more than 30 years.  Blue and pink diamonds have doubled every 5 years of a strong economy.   In the 1970’s you could have bought a very high quality blue diamond for about 50K and today the very same stone would be worth between 2 and 3 million.


]]><![CDATA[Among Colored Diamonds, Some Are Rather Famous]]>Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:30:45 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2010/08/among-colored-diamonds-some-are-rather-famous.html Among the most well known diamonds is the Hope. This 45.52 carat steel blue diamond is currently on display at the Smithsonian. The legends of the ill-fortune and curse bestowed on the possessor of the Hope Diamond are many.  This diamond was donated to the Smithsonian in 1958. The Hope was originally a rather flat, blocky 110-carat rough.
The Dresden Green stands out among the natural colored diamonds. It is the largest green diamond in the world weighing 40.70 carats. This diamond is historic, large and has a natural green color with a slight blue overtone.  These facts make it virtually priceless.

The Conde Pink is a pear shaped and weighs 9.01-carats.  This pink diamond was once owned by Louis XIII. The Tiffany Yellow diamond is a beautiful canary-yellow octahedron weighing 287.42 in the rough (metric) carats discovered in either 1877 or 1878 in South Africa.  The gem after cutting boasts the extraordinary weight of 128.54 carats. And until recently, was the largest golden-yellow in the world. The Koh-I-Noor  ( Mountain of Light )  is now among the British Crown Jewels. This diamond weighs 105.60 carats.  First mentioned in 1304, it is believed to have been once set in Shah Jehan‘s famous peacock throne as one of the peacocks eyes.

The Agra is graded as a naturally colored Fancy Light Pink and weighs 32.34 carats. it was sold for about 6.9 million in 1990.  Since this sale, it has been modified to a cushion shape weighing about 28.15 carats. The Transvaal Blue is pear cut.  This blue diamond weighs 25 carats. It was found in the Premier Diamond Mine in Transvaal, South Africa. The Great Chrysanthemum was discovered in the summer of 1963, in a South African diamond field.  This 198.28-carat fancy brown diamond appeared to be a light honey color in its rough state.  However, after cutting, it proved to be a rich golden brown, with overtones of sienna and burnt orange.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a pear-shaped 69.42 carat diamond.  Cartier of New York purchased this diamond at an auction in 1969 and christened it "Cartier." The next day Richard Burton bought the diamond for Elizabeth Taylor. He renamed it the "Taylor-Burton”.  In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor put the diamond up for sale.  Prospective buyers had to pay $2,500 each to view the diamond to cover the costs of showing it.  Finally, in June of 1979, the diamond was sold for nearly $3 million dollars.

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]]><![CDATA[Select gemstones: Common and uncommon]]>Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:56:31 -0800http://www.dollarcounts.com/2/post/2010/08/select-gemstones-common-and-uncommon.html Gemstones quite literally can take your breath away when you see them. We have all probably seen a beautiful diamond or sapphire ring and exclaimed: Is it only the beauty that gem which makes them so valuable? Or, what a beauty of a gem! So most of us may wonder why else are they valuable to us?

Most gemstones are minerals that occur naturally in the earth. The most common is quartz, which is made of silicon and oxygen, two of the most common substances found on our precious planet. Even though most people don’t find such crystals unless specifically looking for them, there are still relatively common in the gem world.

One quality that determines the value of a gemis how rare it is. A diamond, believe it or not, is actually the more common gemstone. However, the sales and distribution of diamonds are tightly controlled, which keeps the demand for diamonds of any characteristic in high value. Certainly perfect, flawless diamonds are truly rare, but diamonds themselves aren not particularly rare.

Other gemstones such as sapphires and rubies which are part of the beryl family of minerals are much more rare than diamonds. Rubies are rarer than sapphires and top quality colors in both are extremely rare.

A mineral called benitoite (pronounced bu-ne-tu-it) is found only in the San Benito valley in California, where only a few hundred carats of it are found each year. It is the state gem of California and is a hexagonal-shaped crystal. It can be cut and polished to produce sapphire-colored gemstone jewelry.

Some gems are even rarer than benitoite. They’re so rare, that only three or four of them exist in the world. And the location where the gemstone was found can make a big difference as well. While peridot is a fairly common gem, there were actually several carats of peridot discovered in a meteorite, making that one of the rarest gems ever!



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