Diamond depicts true love. It depicts deep rooted faith and commitment. The shine in the diamond brings a spark to the eyes of your beloved when you gift it to her. That’s the magic of diamond engagement ring.

Earlier diamonds were related only to the royal class. But with the advent of Dee Beers, diamond came under the reach of normal people. ‘Diamonds are forever’ was the tag line of De Beers. And now these tiny bits of pieces will surely reside in the heart of the women, forever.

So the next time, on any special occasion, do not miss the chance of gifting a diamond engagement ring to the most important lady of your life. But before buying a diamond engagement ring one should be cautious and keep certain things in mind.

To avoid spending huge amount on a piece that’s not worth it, keep in mind the 4 C’s of diamond. The 4 C’s of diamond are Cut, Clarity, Carat and Color. Isn’t it interesting to know that thousand million diamond engagement rings are sold every year and still people lack knowledge about a perfect piece of diamond.

Out of the 4C’s of diamond, the diamond cut is the most important. But one should not confuse between diamond cut and diamond shape. Shape is just the outward appearance.

To know about the quality of the cut of the diamond, remember that the incident light should enter the stone through the table and crown and should travel towards the pavilion where it reflects from one side to the other before bouncing back out of the diamond’s table toward the observer’s eye.

If we discuss about the color of diamonds, we should first clear the concept that diamonds are always colorless. Though the diamonds comes in various colors, diamond engagement rings are often taken as colorless.

In terms of clarity, diamonds are measured in the scale of Imperfect 3 and Flawless.

Thus, before buying any diamond engagement ring, keep in mind the cut, clarity, color and carat of diamond. This will help you make your shopping a success.

If confused about where to buy a diamond engagement ring, then log on to a reliable and esteemed online diamond store. These days’ buying online diamond engagement rings is no more a tough job. Clearly read the details of the engagement ring of your choice and order online. It will reach your doorstep within a couple of days.

Make her heart merrier with a beautiful diamond engagement rings; and see how much more she loves you.

De Beers started the very successful advertising campaign A Diamond Is Forever in 1947.  The Advertising Age magazine has voted this to be the most recognizable advertising line of the twentieth century.  This advertising campaign was designed to discourage diamonds owners from putting their old diamonds back into the market.  The success of this campaign turned diamond into the symbol of eternal love and dramatically increased demand for the gems.

The ability to create cubic zirconium happened in the 1950 but it was not until 1979 that it became economically feasible to mass-produce and use them as a diamond substitute.  Only a gemologist can tell the difference between a diamond created by nature and a diamond created in a laboratory.

There are several companies that are investing a lot of time and money in developing a laboratory-grown diamond process and are doing quite well.  Because of the diamonds optical, thermal, chemical, and electronic properties, laboratory-grown diamonds have a lot of potential to affect many industries and not just the Jewelry industry.

Gemesis is a company founded in 1996 and based in Sarasota, Fla., that is growing diamonds in high-pressure, high-temperature crystal growing chambers.  Each chamber starts with a tiny diamond crystal or diamond seed that is bathed in a molten solution of graphite and a metal-based catalyst at about 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit and 58,000 atmospheres of pressure.  The diamond begins to grow, molecule by molecule and in about three and a half days a gem-quality 2.8 carat rough diamond has been created.

A rough diamond of this size can create a diamond of about 1.5 carats that has been cut, polished, and is ready for mounting in a setting.  Naturally occurring colored diamonds will show color because of the trace amounts of impurities in them.  Replacing fewer than five atoms per 100,000 of carbon atoms in a diamond crystal lattice with nitrogen atoms gives a diamond with a yellow coloration or tint.  These diamonds sell for about $4,000 per carat, which is about one third of the cost of a mined diamond.

The company adopted the term Gemesis Cultured Diamond to distinguish its laboratory-grown diamonds from the mined diamond to assure that consumers were not being misled as to the nature of the product.  The first commercial production of gem quality diamonds, were made in 2002.

The company business strategy changed in 2005 from producing from offering individual loose, cut and polished diamonds to retailers to producing and selling only rough stones in lots to jewelry manufactures and designers similarly to the way in which diamond mines sell natural diamonds. 

The man-made diamonds made today are of a better quality than the natural ones.  A trained jeweler will be unable to determine a real one from a made-one unless he had some very expensive equipment.  Insist on a certification before purchasing a diamond for investment purposes.  It will tell you the stone’s carat weight, its color and clarity, and its flaws.  If the seller is unwilling to supply a certification with the diamond then he may not be telling the truth and you should find someone who will.  After all when you want to sell the diamond the new owner will want a certification from you.

minesite.com the leading internet paper for the mining industry, said: “It was good timing for De Beers to combine the announcement of its change in policy from ‘buyer of last resort’ to supplier of choice, threatening to withdraw CSO (Central Selling Organisation) site-holder status from anyone found to be involved in the trade. But that is all it was – timing. Anything that can persuade the authorities in the States [the US district court of New York ruled on 7 August that De Beers had violated a number of anti-trust laws from April 1995-April 2001] that it is now the holy joe of the diamond industry, not just some monopolistic exploiter, has to be utilised.”

What is being done?

NGOs generally refuse to call for a diamond boycott, fearing it would harm clean diamond trading countries such as South Africa and Botswana. A boycott could tarnish the ‘purity’ of the diamond image, “It works better as a threat, an advertising campaign with a picture of a diamond dripping with blood, says David Earnshaw, Oxfam adviser in Brussels. “Jewellers are aware of the threat of public campaigning, this would be very powerful argument, and they know the dangers of not behaving responsibly.”

Last year the diamond industry and a group of NGOs created a certification scheme whereby diamonds would only be exported from producer countries in sealed containers, accompanied by certificates stating the country of extraction.

The US passed the Clean Diamonds Act through the House of Representatives. Supported by the Jewellers of America, it will allow only diamonds exported from countries with ‘rough controls’ (an internationally recognised warranty that rough, cut and jewellery diamonds are mined legitimately), into America. Jewellers will then be able to assure customers they are purchasing ‘clean diamonds’. The act was introduce to the Senate in March 2002, where Senator Dick Durbin claimed it would “help put an end to the atrocities that have devastated the lives of so many innocent men, women and children.”

But in the UK, jewellers, according to Yearsley, are not campaigning on the same scale. Indeed one source in the diamond industry referred to conflict diamonds as ‘old hat’. While the source welcomed a certification scheme, they felt it was difficult to follow the line from a supplier from start to finish, acknowledging, “there is an old rogue in any trade.”

Global Witness believes there is still time to develop a strong regulatory system, but some countries may not be prepared to open up their diamond industries to international scrutiny. China and Russia especially have reservations. A Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) report criticised Belgium’s Diamond High Council, the Belgian system is not neutral and an invitation to corruption. PAC, develops policies beneficial to African and Canadian societies and point to links between Antwerp and the Russian Mafia. Russian organised crime has found it easy to work within this poorly regulated market economy since communism collapsed. “Cases of fraud in the Antwerp diamond and banking trade are legendary and Antwerp has become one of the primary world centres for Russian organized crime.” The Russian President has, however signed a decree to extend the ban on uncertified Sierra Leone diamonds.

International implementation of the Kimberley Process (KP) legislation, will introduce tougher background checks on those applying for exploration licenses and mining permits in South Africa. Amelia Bookstein, policy adviser at Oxfam, feels even watered down; KP would result in stronger campaigning against the diamond industry, perhaps even a diamond goods boycott. Recently De Beers and the Jewellers of America (JA) responded to the Al-Qai’da tie to diamonds by urging a swift conclusion to the Kimberley Process.

In the film Diamonds are Forever, baddies Mr Kidd and Mr Wint, after killing a middleman with a scorpion, remarks, “Curious how everyone who touches those diamonds seems to die.” Consumers should be aware that this does not just apply to fiction – many diamonds are helping to fund conflict and terror just as lethal as a scorpion sting.

What Consumers can do

USA

65 percent of the worlds diamonds are bought in the US. In 2001, The US House of Representatives passed a compromise version of the Clean Diamonds Act (HR 2722). This gives the president authority to impose sanctions against countries, which don’t have system of controls on rough diamonds if they are deemed to be a matter of national security. The bill awaits approval from the congressional committee, but there is little doubt that this will happen. Matthew Runci, the Executive Director, of the World Diamond Council says, “The diamond and jewellery industries have been in the forefront of those who have fought for this legislation. Our goal is to keep conflict diamonds out of the United States, which is the world’s largest diamond market. By taking this essential step, we will be on the way toward drying up the profits of those who traffic in conflict diamonds and of ensuring jewellery purchasers throughout the United States that the stones they are purchasing truly are symbols of love and beauty.”

The Jewellers Association of America along with NGOs campaigned relentlessly for conflict-free diamonds with grass roots campaigns and lobbying. Contact global witness for more details.

UK

In 1991 Britain imported 107m in rough diamonds. For almost 41% of these imports Switzerland was recorded as the ‘country of origin’. Switzerland is not known for its diamond mines, which means it is impossible to judge the actual provenance of these diamonds.

The UK government’s policy on conflict diamonds has come under attack from a leading Botswana diamond businessman, Louis Nchindo, the head of Desman (a joint venture between De Beers and the Botswana government) says that the policy is destroying economies counting heavily on legitimate diamond sales, like Botswana. In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Nchindo says the former UK Minister for Africa, Peter Hain, used the issue to support the Labour governments claim to have an ethical foreign policy.

Looking for ethical gift companies that dont exploit children?

Where did the two months of salary idea come from?

The origin of the two months’ salary began with DeBeers, the largest diamond producer and diamond marketer in the world. In 1947, DeBeers decided to promote diamonds following the depressed wartime market. DeBeers launched a marketing campaign with a New York advertising firm. A copywriter penned the famous slogan “A diamond is forever” that is now synonymous with Diamonds.

De Beers wanted to bring diamonds to the masses, make them seem more affordable, instead of the wealthy and select few only being able to buy them. Accordingly, the price of a diamond for an engagement ring was set at approximately two months of salary.

This was a concept that everyone could understand, it was aimed at the groom-to-be and therefore made buying a diamond for an engagement ring achievable no matter whatever his salary was. No longer did people think of diamonds as being something which they could never afford, they now had a figure to relate to in simple terms – two months salary.

Thus the two months salary became the norm and in the mind of the groom it was the predetermined and acceptable price for a diamond engagement ring. As a general guide grooms usually spend between 10 – 20% of their annual salary on a diamond engagement ring.

There is no right or wrong amount to spend on a diamond engagement ring and many men do spend more than two months’ salary on their fiances engagement ring. Lets face it when the wedding and honeymoon are over; What is left? What will she wear every day as a memory?

The Rings! – A symbol of Your Love and Comittment

At Diamond Imports – www.diamondimports.com.au – we have an exceptional range of certified loose diamonds that create stunning diamond engagement rings.

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As a consumer, you face some unique challenges when trying to get the best price for your diamond in a safe and comfortable manner. Your starting point is to know exactly what you are selling. This is much easier if the diamond has a grading report from a major laboratory like the GIA or AGS. You have more of a challenge if there is no formal grading report. In this case, you need to find an independent appraiser who can evaluate the diamond and determine its quality and potential value.

Once you know your diamond’s specifications, you can find the current retail asking price by checking with online retailers to see what similar diamonds are selling for in today’s retail market. It is unlikely you will be able to get the going retail price for your diamond. Selling your diamond at 80% to 90% of that amount would make it sell quicker. Be realistic about your expectations. The lowest cost online retailers, not the expensive jewelry stores with double the price, set the value of your diamond.

You now know your target price and simply have to figure out how to find the right buyer for your diamond. There are several options available to sell your diamond and you need to determine which is best for maximizing your money and safety while minimizing your time and effort.

Your first thought might be to go to the closest jewelry store or pawnshop and sell them the diamond. The key to remember here is that they do not need your diamond. They can get all the diamonds they want on the wholesale market. The only reason they will buy your diamond is if the price is a fraction of the wholesale price. They hope you need the money bad enough to take 25%-50% of what you could be getting for your diamond elsewhere. They might offer you a little more if you “trade up” to something in their display case. However, this often results in you paying more for the new diamond and receiving less for your diamond than if you sold it elsewhere.

Several online brokers specialize in buying diamonds and estate jewelry from consumers. They typically have you ship the diamond to them so they can determine the amount they will pay you. All too often, this amount is much less than their preliminary estimate so you must either pay the return shipping, or accept their price. If your main priority is getting money fast, this is a valid option. If your main priority is getting top dollar for your diamond, there are better selling methods available to you.

Auctions like eBay are very popular for selling jewelry items but there is so much low quality jewelry listed, it is hard for potential buyer to find your quality diamond. You are competing with jewelry retailers whose entire business is selling on eBay so they are experts at writing the descriptions (often with exaggerated quality), taking impressive pictures and shipping their items. Even if a bidder does find your item, the odds of getting your target price are slim to nil because other retailers are advertising items with similar descriptions for about half the amount you want. Notice I did not say they are advertising similar quality, just similar descriptions. Do a search for diamond rings with GIA grading reports and you will see the vast majority of diamond rings have paperwork from sources you have never heard of before.

Other effective ways to find a buyer are classified ads in local newspapers and bulletin boards at church or work. The challenge is reaching enough people to find at least one buyer willing to pay your price. You have to be careful when doing this kind of transaction, especially if selling to a stranger. Do the transaction in a safe place and be sure you have a valid form of payment. You do not want to hand over your diamond and end up with a phony cashiers check or bad personal check.

Some jewelry stores and online retailers will sell your diamond on consignment. Online retailers with a local presence have an advantage in that they have large numbers of diamond shoppers on their website plus walk in traffic that can see your diamond in person. They also have lower overhead and prices so you can get a bigger share of the selling price. With jewelry stores often marking up prices over 100%, your share is likely to be less than half of the selling price.

Just be sure to get a written description of the item you are giving on consignment and the minimum amount you will accept for your diamond. All too often sellers are not being able to get their jewelry items back from a store or only receive a fraction of the amount they expected from the sale. However, if you have patience and a low priced, trustworthy retailer to broker your diamond, you have an excellent chance of getting an excellent price for your diamond without the hassle and safety issues of selling it yourself.

The Centenary was found on July 17th, 1986 at the Premier Mine.  Only a handful of people knew about it and all were sworn to silence.  On March 11th, 1988, the centenary celebrations of De Beers took place in Kimberly and a banquet was held to close the Kimberly Mine also known as the Big Hole.  Over 400 people were in attendance.  Representatives of several national governments of diamond-producing countries and dignitaries from various sections of the industry listened as the chairman, Julian Oglivie Thompson, declared; we have recovered at the Premier Mine a diamond of 599 carats, which is perfect in color.  Indeed it is one of the largest top-color diamonds ever found.  Naturally it will be called the Centenary Diamond.

This extraordinary mine has produced several outstanding diamonds of the most superb color, which have been cut into famous gems: The Cullinan in 1905; the Niarchos in 1954; the Taylor-Burton in 1966 and the Premier Rose in 1978.  The Premier Diamond Mine has produced close to 300 stones weighing more than 100 carats each, and 25 percent of the world’s diamonds weighing more than 400 carats each.

 Conde Pink Diamond 

Louis XIII are said to have bought the stone in 1643 after which the King presented it to Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde, and Commander of the French Army during the Thirty Years War.  It is a light pink pear-shaped diamond that weights 9.01 carats.  The stone is currently on display in the Musee de Conde in Chantilly, France.

 Cullinan Diamond 

The Cullinan 1 also called the Star of Africa, is a pear shaped diamond weighing 530.20 carats.  It is called the Cullian 1 because it was it was the largest of 9 stones cut from the Cullian Diamond.  The Cullian 1 is the 2nd largest cut diamond in the world and is part of the Crown Jewels of England.  It is currently on display in the Tower of London.

The famous blue diamonds come in different shapes including pear shaped and octagon shaped.  The cut of these valuable gems is especially important for large, colored stones and the cut must enhance the natural beauty of these wonderful gems.  Sometimes the largest stones that are found with a blue color are studied extensively before any cutting is begun.

 Cullinan II Diamond 

The Cullian II is 317.40 carat stone cut into a cushion shaped.  It is the center-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britian.  Note the 2 platinum loops on the top and bottom edges.  This feature has been added to allow the stone to be worn as a brooch or alone with the Cullinan 1 attached.