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A Gem-Wise Guide To Buying a Diamond  by: Richard W. Wise Who doesn't love a diamond? Known as the traditional gemstone for an engagement ring, diamonds have steadily risen in popularity since the early 1940s, when Harry Openheimer the president of the De Beers cartel visited New York to meet with Gerold M. Lauck the president of N.W. Ayer, a leading advertising agency. The value of diamond sales had declined 50% by the end of World War I and Openheimer was determined to do something about it, Lauck’s suggestion; manufacture a tradition. So successful was the campaign that in 1967 De Beers hired J. Walter Thompson to create a similar “tradition” in Japan, a country with absolutely no history of diamond giving. As a result, today over 90% of all Japanese women receive a diamond engagement ring. Although everyone loves a diamond, few people know how to wisely choose one when standing at the jewelry counter. Here are five tips on how to buy your perfect diamond: 1. Diamonds are graded using the 4 Cs. Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat weight but they are not of equal importance. 2. Cut is the first C. Very well cut round diamonds are called ideals. Diamonds are cut for weight. They have no color and no nutrititional value. Diamond is all about sparkle. Fine cutting delivers the sparkle. 3. Never buy a clarity grade above VS2. Diamonds are graded using a 10x magnifier. A diamond graded Flawless and one graded SI1 (slightly included) are visually identical. The first and last time you will use magnification is the day you buy the stone. 4. Diamond color is based on tonal variations of the color yellow on a scale of D-Z. There is no A, B, or C. The more yellow the lower the grade. The first four colors D-G show no yellow when viewed face-up. Want to save money? Think about a G. 5. Look for moderate blue flourescence. About 1/3 of all diamond flouresce blue in ultraviolet light. While we can't see unltraviolet we can see its affects. Blue is the complement of yellow. Thus, blue flourescene will cancel out yellow and make the diamond appear whiter and more beautiful as well. A flourescent H may look like a D. About The Author Richard W. Wise is a Graduate Gemologist and President of R.W. Wise, Goldsmiths, Inc. His early interest in gemstones led him to write extensively about precious stones. For more information visit his website at http://www.secretsofthegemtrade.com. This article was posted on January 30, 2006   View More Videos from the "Women" category: Is Kirsten Dunst Fashion Icon or Fashion Fail Matthew Williamson's 2010 Spring/Summer Collection Toni Maticevski Interview - Fashion Week NY Fall 2010 Instant Update: Work Chic   Read More Articles from the "Women" Category: IVF Success and Older Women by Jodi Panayotov Menopause Symptoms And Solutions by Susan Megge Folic Acid - An Overview by Whitney Lasseter Edward Talurdey Shows You How To Catch Your Cheating Lover by Steven Yeoh That's My Bag by Maxine Greco Drop The High Street Drag - Shop For Style Online! by Katharine Edmondson Are American Women Driving Their Men Away? by Sarah Tanner Six Steps To Planning A Hawaii Beach Wedding From Afar by Blake Kritzberg Diamond Earrings: Superiority and Endurance by Sam Serio Great Makeup Tips To Transform Your Face by Asuncion Parra Llorente << Back to "Women" Index

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