Ways to Clean your Diamond

There are a few different ways that you can provide diamond care for your precious jewelry, in particular, there are different cleaning processes you can use to keep it looking as brilliant and sparkling as the day you brought it home from the jeweler!

While there are many cleaning procedures that can be done from your own home, don’t forget that you can almost always return to the jeweler where you purchased your diamond and ask for a professional cleaning. Sometimes cleanings are included in a warranty agreement, so check your paperwork to see if this form of diamond care is provided in your agreement.

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Detergent Bath

The most commonly used method of diamond care is cleaning your diamond in a mild, warm water detergent bath. Fill a bowl with warm water, and add in a mild detergent that you have in the house. Some people use a dish detergent, while others will use a gentle bathroom cleaner. Using a toothbrush or eyebrow brush, gently brush your diamond with the sudsy water to loosen any dirt and oil that have found their way to your diamond. Afterwards, rinse your diamond by placing it into a strainer (careful to select a strainer with holes smaller than your diamond!) and running it under warm water to remove all soap. Never use chlorine bleach to clean your jewelry, the cleanser is much too harsh.

Quick-Dip

There are many cleaners on the market for diamond care. Select one and follow it’s instructions carefully for dipping your diamond into the cleanser. Once you’ve dipped your jewelry into the cleanser, you don’t want to touch the diamonds, because oils from your fingers can be easily transferred to your diamond. Allow it to dry completely and then wear or return to storage.

Cold Water Soak

Diamond care also includes a process called a “cold water soak”. Fill a bowl with a solution of half cold water and half household ammonia. Place your diamond into the cleanser and allow it to soak for at least 30 minutes. When you take it out, tap the jewelry around the mounting brackets and then swish it around in your cold water solution again as a final rinsing. You can set it out to dry on a piece of tissue paper.

Ultrasonic Cleansing

You can provide diamond care by purchasing an ultrasonic cleansing machine. These machines have a little cup that you fill with water and cleanser, and a place to insert your jewelry. Once you turn on the ultrasonic cleansing unit, it uses high speed motion to clean dirt and oils off your piece of jewelry.

Storing Diamonds

Another important consideration of diamond care is how to store your diamonds when you are not wearing them. Diamonds are gemstones that can scratch other diamonds or other jewelry, so it is recommended that you never place them into a jewelry box or case with other pieces of jewelry unless you individual wrap the diamonds with tissue paper. The best way to properly provide diamond care and store your diamond however, is to place the jewelry piece into a fabric lined jewelry box, or a larger case that has individual dividers that are each lined with fabric to protect each piece of jewelry.

Diamond clarity is the measure of flaws found in and on the outside of a diamond. The less flawed a diamond is, the more value it has and the higher the price tag. There are very few diamonds which can be categorized as having no flaws at all, however, most diamond flaws cannot be seen without magnification of at least 10 times. Because issues with diamond clarity are often undetected when looking at a diamond, some people consider this to be one of the least of their concerns when selecting a diamond to purchase.

How is Diamond Clarity Determined?

The most well known measurement of diamond clarity is done by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). It ranks diamonds based on a grading system it created that ranges from flawless diamonds, to imperfect diamonds, with many different grade ranges in between. The better the clarity ranking, the more expensive a diamond will sell for as it has more value.

Types of Inclusions that Effect Diamond Clarity

Inclusions are flaws that effect diamond clarity. They make it so that the diamond is not “perfect”, and there are visual imperfections within the gemstone. Most flaws however, are un-noticeable to the naked eye and can only be seen under high levels of magnification.

There are names for many of the most common inclusions. Carbons effect diamond clarity because they are very small black dots found on the surface of a diamond, which may or may not be visible in regular lighting. Some may be so small that you need magnification to view them. Pinpoints effect diamond clarity because they are white dots along the surface of a diamond. Pinpoints are the most common of all diamond flaws. Clouds effect diamond clarity because they cause what look to be cloudy areas within the gemstone. The clouds are actually made up of many growths of crystals that are positioned very close together within the diamond, and their proximity to one another is what causes the cloudiness to appear. Feathers effect diamond clarity by causing cracks to form within the diamond, that look similar to that of broken glass.

Clarity Enhancements

Diamond clarity flaws can often be fixed or reduced by using a variety of clarity enhancement treatments. Some diamonds are painted, some get lasered in order to remove pinpoints and carbons, and some diamonds undergo a process by which tiny holes are drilled into the diamond in order to reach areas of inclusions within the gemstone, and then the cracks are later filled with molten glass. Having enhancements done to improve diamond clarity decreases the overall value of the diamond, but can improve it’s appearance. Diamond certificates should indicate that enhancements were done on the diamond, so ask to see documentation before making a purchase. While most enhancements just cause the diamond to look nicer, some may actually cause the diamond to be weaker, and more prone to breakage than a diamond that has not had any treatments.

Avoid cheap plastic beads. This may be suitable for some pieces, but it isn’t very durable – or very pretty. Instead, buy glass beads or Lucite beads. These are not only durable, they are very shiny and pretty. They do not have the ‘cloudy’ look of plastic beads.

Inspect the beads for imperfections if possible. Beads that are ‘lopsided’ won’t do. Beads that are chipped, broken, or scratched are useless. Don’t purchase these beads no matter how cheap they are!

Most jewelry wholesale beads are sold in bulk. In this case, you probably won’t have the opportunity to inspect the beads, so ask about the exchange policy. Will you be able to exchange the beads that are less than perfect? Depending on how the beads are packaged and sold, and the policy of the business selling the jewelry wholesale beads, this may not be possible.

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 jeweler 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.

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 color diamond has been treated.  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 color diamonds get their coloring from different trace elements present in the stones, such as nitrogen, which produces a yellow diamond.  Diamonds 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 color diamond.  Remember that Natural fancy colored diamonds are very expensive, any colored
diamond labeled to be sold as natural shouldbe 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 color shades vary from faint to intense.

The most famous diamonds in the world are Color diamonds.  The Tiffany Diamond, which is yellow and the Hope Diamond which is blue are colored diamonds.    Color 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.

The first step is to be aware that there are indeed many con artists operating on the Internet – and they will happily take your money with absolutely no regrets. It is your responsibility to take all of the proper precautions to guard against this happening.

First, find the jewelry wholesale that you are interested in buying. Make a note of where you found it, but do not make a purchase just yet – there is still much to be done. Take a look at other online wholesaler’s sites and online jewelry stores to see if you can find similar pieces. In most cases, you can. Look at the price differences. While the wholesale price should be lower than the retail price, you should use extreme caution if the price seems too low. Remember that old adage ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’

After you have found the lowest price, read every detail you can find about the jewelry. Make sure that it is exactly what you want, in terms of authenticity. If you are unsure, don’t make the purchase until you do know for sure. Don’t be afraid to contact the company directly to ask questions – but don’t take their word for it either.

Check with the Better Business Bureau Online, as well as the BBB in the area where the company is located. You are checking to see if there have been any complaints about this business. If there have been, that information will be made available to you at no charge… and if there are complaints, you should avoid doing business with the company.

Next, read the refund and exchange policy, as well as the terms of service and the privacy policy at the
website. This is all important information – and if it isn’t there, you don’t want to do business with this
company. However, just because the information is there doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a legitimate operation – read the information carefully, and print it out so that you have a record of it.

First, only deal with reputable jewelers, and when you find a reputable jeweler, stick with them. Avoid buying diamonds or other jewelry from jewelers that you have never dealt with before in the past. Ask to see the certificate for the stone. If no certificate exists, walk away.

Look at the setting that the stone is in. Fake diamonds, such as zirconias, are usually set in low quality metals. Take a close look at the stone. Fake diamonds are not durable – natural diamonds, on the other hand, are the most durable stone on the planet. Look for scratches or nicks.

After purchasing a diamond, take it to another jeweler for appraisal. In fact, take it to two or three other jewelers for an appraisal to make sure that the appraisals are all fairly close. If you find that you have purchased a fake diamond, you may be accused of making a switch when you return to the store of your purchase; therefore, it is important to have a certificate for the diamond. No two stones are alike.

The first diamonds were mined in India, more than 2800 years ago.  The diamonds that we find today are all extremely old.  In fact, most are 900 million years old or more, with the oldest known diamond being 3.2 billion years old.  Like snowflakes, each diamond is entirely unique.  There are no two diamonds that are exactly the same.

There are many things to consider when learning how to buy a diamond, and you should never rush into buying a diamond without first doing a little research as to how the diamonds are priced.

The “4 C’s”

Everyone has many things to consider when determining how to buy a diamond.  All around the world, jewelers use the “4 C’s” as a way of describing the value of a diamond.  If you want to learn how to buy a diamond, you need to learn exactly what the 4 C’s are, and how each aspect contributes to the value of the diamond.

The 4 C’s are Cut, Clarity, Carats and Color.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Cut: The cut of a diamond describes how an artisan angles the gemstone to best reflect light through the diamond, causing it to sparkle.  A quality cut brings out the beauty of a diamond and makes it more valuable, while a poorly cut diamond will sell for less because it isn’t as brilliant or shiny.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Clarity: The clarity of a diamond refers to how clear the diamond is when you look through it.  A perfect diamond is rare; most have inclusions and flaws, although many cannot be seen without magnification.  When looking at a diamond for clarity, look to see if there are dark spots inside the diamond.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Carats:  Larger diamonds cost more than smaller diamonds, even if the total carats of the diamonds are the same.  For example, a single one carat diamond will cost you more than three diamonds set in a ring that add up to one carat.  This is because larger diamonds are much more rare to find.  When diamonds are cut, they lose about half their size.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Color:  The actual color of a diamond is a personal preference.  But diamonds that are colorless, known as white diamonds are the most rare and therefore cost the most. Diamonds also come in different shades, including yellow, green, blue and pink, among others.

Certificates and Appraisals

In addition to understanding what to look for in regards to the 4 C’s when learning how to buy a diamond, you should also learn how to read certificates that describe details about the unmounted diamond and perhaps have any diamond you are interested in professionally appraised by an independent organization.  You may not want to accept the appraisal done by the jeweler for the simple fact that they are biased and may appraise the diamond for slightly higher than it’s actual worth in order to gain more money for the sale of the diamond.

The Dresden Green stands out among the natural colored diamonds. It is the largest green diamond in the world weighing 0.70 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 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.

When purchasing wholesale jewelry beads, you must use care. You don’t want to end up with beads that aren’t worth anything to you! Selecting beads takes a lot of thought – we aren’t talking about plastic beads that children use to make jewelry. We are talking about quality beads used to make grown up jewelry!

Avoid cheap plastic beads. This may be suitable for some pieces, but it isn’t very durable – or very pretty. Instead, buy glass beads or Lucite beads. These are not only durable, they are very shiny and pretty. They do not have the ‘cloudy’ look of plastic beads.

Inspect the beads for imperfections if possible. Beads that are ‘lopsided’ won’t do. Beads that are hipped, broken, or scratched are useless. Don’t purchase these beads no matter how cheap they are!

Most jewelry wholesale beads are sold in bulk. In this case, you probably won’t have the opportunity to inspect the beads, so ask about the exchange policy. Will you be able to exchange the beads that are less than perfect? Depending on how the beads are packaged and sold, and the policy of the business selling the jewelry wholesale beads, this may not be possible.