Art of Jewelry

Diamond jewelry has been valued and worn throughout most of recorded history, although the art and science of cutting loose diamonds is relatively new – and diamond jewelry has only been available to the general public for the last 150 years or so.

Prior to that, diamond jewelry was worn almost exclusively by royalty. The earliest example of diamonds being placed in a setting dates from the time of the Norman Invasion of England; at that time, one of the Árpád kings of Hungary, possibly Andrew I, had rough-cut diamonds set into a crown for his queen. However, cut diamonds would not be available for another half-millenium.

The mid-1500’s were an energetic time; Martin Luther of Germany and Henry VIII of England had broken with the Church of Rome; Ivan IV (the Terrible) expanded Russia to its present-day borders, and Ottoman sultan Suleiman extended the Turkish empire as far west as Vienna. It was during this time of ferment that the first diamond-cutters’ guild was formed in Antwerp, located in present-day Belgium. An industry soon developed for the purpose of appraising loose diamonds, giving birth to the modern diamond jewelry market. Antwerp continues to be the center of the international diamond jewelry trade.

The gems that are used in diamond jewelry is 75% science and 25% art. Together, these make up the “4 Cs” that are used to evaluate loose diamonds:

* carat

* color

* clarity

* cut

“Carat” of course refers to the weight of the gem; a carat is equivalent to about 2 decigrams, or a mere 1/150th of an ounce. That means the largest cut, polished diamond in existence – the famed Star of Africa – weighs just a little over 2-1/4 pounds.

Although we generally think of clear or white diamonds, they come in a wide range of colors ranging from crystal-clear white to dark amber. Pink, green, blue and even purple diamonds are not unusual, and some are far more valuable than their white counterparts.

Clarity refers to just that – how clear the stone appears. All natural and artificial diamonds have internal flaws; the fewer or the less apparent these flaws are, the higher the appraisal is likely to be.

These three qualities are objective, and easily measured and quantified. Cut is a more subjective quality; selecting gems that are appropriate for use in diamond jewelry requires a good eye and aesthetic sense.

Of course, loose diamonds are not really jewelry until they are placed in a setting, such as a ring or necklace. Even the finest diamonds’ value can be affected by the setting; it is a value-added aspect of diamond jewelry.

There are many different types of jewelry that can be worn and many of these are adorned with gemstones. Generally the gemstones that are placed in jewelry are of a precious and semi precious nature. The stones that are used are very popular ones like diamonds. Lately black diamonds have begun to make their appearance in the jewelry scene.

While these black diamonds are becoming more popular due to marketing tactics they are not seen widely nor do many people consider having black diamonds in rings. This is probably due to the fact that the black diamonds don’t have the glittery sheen that is apparent with white diamonds. As with all fancy colored diamonds the formation of black diamonds is very rare making this a very expensive piece of jewelry to own.

Regardless of the price though there are some people who like to wear these black diamonds as men’s rings. This trend is very small however as many jewelers consider these black diamonds as being imperfect stones and therefore not worth the time that it would take to cut and shaped them. So if you would like to wear jewelry that has black diamonds embedded in them you will have to make enquires from reputed jewelers if they have these gemstones in stock.

Other than this you will have probably have to look on the internet for online jewelry stores where you can buy your black diamonds from. Once you have found such a place and you are prepared to buy the diamond for the going price you will need to trust that you have found a place that will sell you quality black diamond jewelry. As these types of jewelry pieces are very hard and rare to find you should look at the different designs that are available and see if there is one that appeals to you inspite of the price.

Having obtained your black diamond jewelry you can see for yourself if the piece was worth the amount that you paid for it. There is another way that you can get good quality jewelry with black diamonds embedded in the design. You will need to locate a gemstone store that has black diamonds for sale. Having verified the quality and seen if the price is one that you can afford you will need to purchase the amount that you need for your design. The next step is to find a goldsmith or jewelry maker and give your design to them.

You will have to trust at the end of the jewelry making process you will be the owner of a unique piece of black diamond jewelry. To find quality jewelry takes time and to be the owner of jewelry with black diamonds means that not only should you have a discerning eye for the excellent quality items in life but you should be prepared to pay for them as well.

In this article I will give you 7 tips to buy diamonds jewelry online. Before that, I tell you two main reasons why you should buy diamonds jewelry through the internet. First, it’s because the price is lower. This can happen because internet store have lower operation cost than regular store. And second, it’s really saving time and you have unlimited selection of diamonds jewelry.

Here is a To-Do list if you want to buy diamonds jewelry online:

1. Learn about the diamond 4Cs (Cut, Color, Clarity, and carat). By learning this, you can calculate the diamonds price, so you’ll know is it worth to buy or not. Also it can help you to avoid scam.

2. Take your times. If you find diamonds jewelry that you like, try to find similar diamonds jewelry in another websites. Sometimes you can get with a cheaper price.

3. Bookmarks your page / add to favorites. With a lot of similar websites names in internet, bookmark the page is one of important thing to do. You can search another sites without worrying you will forget website address that include in your consideration.

4. Read and understand the online stores policies. Do they provide money back guarantee or exchange your diamonds jewelry if something’s wrong, etc

5. Try to make a phone call to their customer service if you can. If somebody picks up the phone, at least you know they are serious running their business. You also can play a role to be a little bit fussy, and see how they handle you (you can practice your act for free ). Also, do they provide their office address?

6. Certified Diamonds. If you want to buy expensive diamonds jewelry, I highly recommend you to buy diamonds that certified by reputable grading laboratory such as GIA or EGL. With current technology, you won’t know that the diamond is real or fake just by looking it with naked eyes.

7. Knowing the age of websites. If you know the age of websites, you will know how long they running their business thru the internet. Longer means better. How to do: go to alexa.com >> type the website names that you want know the age >> read their “online since” data, that is their websites ages.

That’s all the tips I know. If you want to find the diamonds jewelry that you really-really like, internet is your best shot.