Diamonds are forever

Diamond is the crystallized form of carbon. Carbon crystallizes in a cubinc system which is the strongest and most symmetrical known on Earth, and is born hundreds of miles below the Earth's surface.

How Diamonds were formed?

Diamonds were formed more than 70 million years ago when diamond-bearing ore was brought to the surface through volcanic eruption. After the magma cooled, it solidified into blue ground, or kimberlite, where the precious rough is found today.

The durability of a gem depends on both its hardness and toughness. Diamond, although highest on the scale of hardness (rated 10 on the Mohs scale), is not as tough as some gems because of its good cleavage. (Cleavage is the tendency of a diamond to split in certain directions where the carbon atoms are furthest apart.) Diamonds have a very high degree of transparency, refractivity and dispersion or 'fire' which gives rise in cut diamonds to a high degree of brilliancy and a display of prismatic colors. A diamond's fiery brilliance makes it cherished above all other gemstones by the majority of people. Diamonds occupy a position of incomparable demand (Source: Diamond Ideals).

First of all find out here most beloved shape. You can choose from among round, oval, princess-cut, emerald-cut, marquise-cut and radiant-cut diamond, just name few of them. The most common cut is round then, the princess-cut comes secondly.

CUT – The cut is the most important characteristics of the diamond which largely affects on its sparkles and brilliance. A poor cut can make a beautiful diamond look dull despite of its perfect color and clarity.

COLOR – The most valued and priced diamonds are the colorless. Choose the colorless or near-colorless which has no noticeable color. This would be the best buy diamond.

CLARITY – Diamonds must be free from internal inclusions or flaws and most rare. Diamonds with no inclusions that visible to the unaided eye are highly valued.

CARAT WEIGHT - The larger the diamonds the more rare they are. Diamonds values rises exponentially along with its carat weight. You must have clear understanding of diamond’s cut, color and clarity. With all of these, you can now have the ability to balance its quality with the size of the diamond you want.

Size – Target the diamond size that suits your budget taking into considerations the shape and the four “C” which are important.

Certification – You are not buying cheap costume glass jewelry. So, you must insist having the diamond certification. This must be certified by respected independent gemological laboratories such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL) and/or any other authorities.

These are the metals that will hold, protect, present and set your precious diamonds. If you are not yet sure which metal to choose, here are their differences for comparative reasons:

PLATINUM

Platinum is the strongest and purest metal for jewelry that will last for a lifetime. Platinum in more rare compared to gold. It is composed of 90 – 95 percent pure platinum. It is very resistant to damage and difficult to repair. It won’t also tarnish. It will develop a characteristic patina.

18K GOLD

Gold is the most common setting metal and classic. Gold is composed of 75 percent gold and 25 percent metal alloy which strengthens the 18k gold. It is less expensive than platinum. It is easily damage because it is a softer metal yet it doesn’t tarnish and can be easily repaired.