Posts Tagged ‘diamond’

Antique Cut Diamond Jewelry

There is a hushed but discernible stirring in the industry that is the talk among jewelers. Somehow, there is a quiet demand for antique, old European diamond jewelry from buyers, including from young people. Modern-day cutters are now beginning to cut diamonds in the old world style to keep up with the demand. What could perhaps be the reason for such a craving? What is so special with these diamonds cut the old style?Old European and Old Mine cuts The old diamond cut style was worked out in such a way that the light would fall directly on the stone through the crown table (the topmost facet). The entering light would then hit the culet (the bottom facet) and goes out of the stone in a shower of rainbow colors. Another charming characteristic is that they look their best by candle light. Once hit by the soft glow of the candle light, the stone would exude its own special kind of romantic light it is known for. Most of these diamonds could be part of family heirlooms handed down through generations among the women in the family. Some modern-day cut diamonds are actually re-cut from old sets of antique jewelry. History In the mid 1800s, diamonds are only for the royalty, the upper level clergy, some very rich merchants and titled personages. In the Victorian times, diamonds can be worn by anyone who can afford them. Most of these old cut diamonds, although slightly tinted, are almost extremely pure (super eye clean) and VVS and VS in clarity. Before the 1900s, all diamonds were cut by hand. Most of them are small and have a relatively high table (top most facet) and deep pavilion (side facets) and quite top-heavy. Characteristics The earlier Old Mine cut appear smaller than the Old European cut (which came later) because they are squares and with rounded corners. (They resemble a bit like the modern-day Asscher or Princess cuts. )Both of these old cut diamonds have very thin girdles (the edge around the body of the diamond). It is quite common that these antique gems have some chips in them. (Sometimes, they are polished away or hidden under the stone’s metal clasp. )In the 1800s, tint was not considered so much of a deterrent to price or its beauty as it is now. Both the Old Mine cut and the Old European cut diamonds are also famous for masking their true colors. Rose cut Diamonds in Rose cuts were one of the most popular and the first to have faceted cutting style. It has a flat bottom and all the facets are on top, making it dome-shaped. The facets come to the center forming a point. The facets are planned to give the appearance of the opening of a rose bud. Old or modern cut?The surge of demand for these old style cuts in diamonds may have been an offshoot to the movement of going romantic the old world way. Or it could be a rebound from all things too modern, especially in jewelry which is supposed to reflect timelessness. Whatever it is, it is not fair to judge old-style diamond jewelry by modern day standards. These old relics have their own history which might be more colorful than one could ever have.

Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts – “Diamond Ring”


“Diamond Ring” from the Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts album ‘Let’s Just Be’

Celebrity Diamond Ring Styles

Whether we like it or not present trend in diamond rings say bigger is so much better. For examples check out the styles of diamond rings celebrities are choosing. And we all know that celebrities may have a lot of faults but they do set the standards for style and what is cool. J Lo’s engagement to Ben Flick a few years ago started a trend of consumers seeking out pink diamond rings. The popularity of pink diamonds remains at an all time high and it doesn’t look like it will diminish soon with a new Leonardo Dicaprio movie coming out which focuses on a pink diamond. Do any of you remember Marilyn Monroe singing her famous line about “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend?” Do you have any idea what that did the diamond rings market. Guys are still paying small fortunes for that statement. Sure back in the 50s women knew it wouldn’t be sensible to wear such a large diamond ring but that didn’t mean a lady couldn’t yearn for it. Today women shouldn’t feel in the least bit guilty about wearing a large diamond ring, in fact there are many women that judge how well they are loved by the size of the diamond rings that they wear. Especially in a two income family, it is often the woman who ends up paying for part of her own diamond ring. When we see the diamond rings worn by celebrities like Madonna or Catherine Zeta-Jones we take notice and their choices influence the trends that follow. Celebrities are the leaders in setting fashion and jewelry trends. Madonna with her Edwardian diamond ring and Catherine Zeta-Jones’s antique styled 10 carat diamond ring has revived the desire to own antique diamond rings. In fact it’s one of the hottest engagement ring styles in 20 years. The size of the diamonds in current styles of diamond rings has also grown from the average one carat to over three carats. That’s a pretty big rock that’s going to set you back a bit. But girls know they deserve it! If you aren’t sure whether bigger is better than have a look at the jewels at this years Oscars which are said to total over $50 million dollars in value. Diamonds are now more affordable than ever and you can easily find diamond rings similar in style to your favorite stars with out having to spend $50 million. With bling being the in thing one has to stop and wonder how the heck normal average working guys plan to pay for these rings. When their fianc?s are asked the standard answer is “doesn’t matter I’m worth it! That’s great if your guy is earning a 6 figure salary but wait what if he’s not. What if he’s joe average living from pay day to pay day. What should he do move into the bush and give up his home, perhaps take up walking and sell his car?Okay girls lets be real here. Dreaming and lusting for that big 5 carat diamond ring is just fine. No problem with dreaming, but when it comes time for your man to buy that ring remember that the ring is not what you are marrying so perhaps it’s time to consider the quality and quantity of the husband to be rather than the ringOne of the best diamond resources is www. engagement-rings. com. au> they are a wholes seller who offer rock bottom prices for big rock.

The Magic of Diamond Rings

What is it about diamond rings that so compel us? Is it the shine and lustre – that which jewelers refer to as “fire”? Is it the mystery and allure that you’ll find in a white gold diamond ring? Or is it just good marketing? When it comes to the precious stone that is the centerpiece of diamond engagement rings and men’s diamond rings, it is all of the above. Although diamonds have long been treasured for their hardness and rarity, they were not always beautiful to look at. It took centuries of trial and error before jewelers learned to create the exotic cuts such as the princess diamond ring. A Diamond. . . or a Lump of Coal? The story of diamond rings starts hundreds of millions of years ago and miles beneath the earth’s surface. You are probably aware of the fact that petroleum and coal is formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived and died over half a billion years ago. These remains went under the earth over time, where they were subjected to preternatural geologic forces, which transformed them from organic matter into oil and coal. The precious stones that are set in diamond engagement rings are formed the same way. The difference between a lump of coal and a diamond is one of degree – the geologic forces of heat and pressure that transforms organic carbon into gems that wind up as part of mens diamond rings are thousands of times greater. In fact, it is possible to turn coal into diamond, which is essentially what happens when artificial, industrial-grade diamonds are manufactured in a laboratory. (Theoretically, it is also possible for diamonds to turn back into coal, were they subjected to hard vacuum under a complex set of highly unlikely circumstances. ) Early Diamond Rings Diamond jewelry had been around for awhile, but diamond engagement rings and wedding rings were pretty well unheard of before 1477, when Archduke Maximilian I of Austria presented one to Marie of Burgundy on the occasion of their wedding. Diamond rings became popular during the Victorian Period, although the custom of presenting diamond engagement rings and the concept of mens diamond rings came along much later. Today, the tradition is found almost everywhere in the Western world as well as Japan and India (where the bride usually wears a diamond toe ring). Diamond rings can be purchased as is, or can be created especially for the customer.

New Trends: Men?s Diamond Rings

When it comes to wedding pieces, men’s diamond rings represent a fairly recent innovation. Prior to the late 19th Century, most men did not even wear a wedding band; diamond rings for women existed, but were exceedingly rare. The jewelry industry, trying to create a market where non existed, managed to sell the public on the idea of double diamond ring wedding sets, but the wedding rings themselves were plain gold bands more often than not. It was only after 1950 that mens diamond rings became popular. The Most Brilliant Marketing Campaign ”Diamonds are forever. ” That simple phrase practically transformed the diamond ring market overnight. It was a phrase that was invented by an unknown advertising executive for the DeBeers Corporation, which to this day controls well over half of the world diamond trade. The campaign was rolled out in 1950; within a few years, diamond jewelers could barely keep up with the demand for diamond rings – including mens diamond rings. Choices Today, double diamond ring wedding sets are quite common; some even include the engagement ring as well. When it comes to mens diamond rings, there are many options out there in terms of style, cut, and type of metal. White gold diamond rings are the most popular choice, followed by yellow and red gold. Recently, platinum, palladium and even tungsten diamond rings are available. Not only are these precious metals more valuable than gold, but are far more durable, as gold is a fairly soft metal. At least one prominent company specializes in these types of rings, from which the center stone is left unmounted, so as to allow the customer to choose the diamond or other gem s/he prefers. In other cases, one may be able to actually design their own individual rings with the assistance of a diamond jeweler. Such services may cost extra, but the client is assured of getting a completely unique piece of jewelry. How Much To Spend Diamond wedding sets vary widely in terms of price, from a few hundred dollars to several thousands. The general rule of thumb is to figure on about six months’ salary as the amount to spend on the wedding set, including the engagement ring. In addition, many couples now exchange “promise rings” at or near the beginning of a relationship, as well as “eternity rings,” which are typically exchanged at a later wedding anniversary. Mens diamond rings are available for these occasions as well as the engagement and the actual wedding.