diamonds

What to Know Before Buying a Diamond (beyond the 4 C’s)

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Clarity grading matters, but always look at a diamond (with magnification and without) before buying it

Our best advice right from the start: After observing hundreds of thousands of diamonds, the best advice we can give is to look at any diamond in person before buying it. Every diamond is different, and two diamonds of the same quality will not look exactly the same, no matter what the salesperson tries to tell you. Diamond grading is important, and should be considered, but no one should ever buy a diamond based on its grading alone.

You can’t judge a diamond piece’s value based on total carat weight

Clusters of small diamonds have significantly less value than one large stone with the same total carat weight, given similar clarity grades. A tennis bracelet with a 3 carat total weight made of 30 stones will be significantly more valuable than a bracelet with the same carat total weight but made of 60 stones, if the stones are roughly the same clarity and color. Check out our post on the difference between Carats and Karats.

What type of jewelry will the diamond be set in?

Earrings typically look better with larger diamonds of lower clarity because they are often viewed from a further distance than rings

Some diamonds work better for different types and styles of jewelry. Earrings typically look better with larger diamonds of lower clarity because they are typically viewed from a further distance than rings. Diamonds set in yellow gold will look a few color grades higher than if they are set in white gold. Round diamonds larger than 2 Carats are often considered too big to look appropriate in rings, and a shopper looking for an extra large stone for a ring would usually do better with a pear-shaped diamond or another unique shape.

Diamonds need to be secure

There is always a trade off between style and security when considering what a diamond should be set in, and it’s something you should always think about. If you are considering a piece with many small diamonds and few, very small prongs around those diamonds, you should know that the diamonds may be far more likely to fall out than a piece with slightly bigger stones and slightly bigger prongs. On an engagement ring, accident-prone people may opt for 6 prongs instead of 4 prongs for the extra security. Stones don’t magically stay in place and some styles are less secure than others. Always consider or ask about these issues when purchasing a diamond.

The 4 C’s

The 4 C’s are usually the first talking point when it comes to diamonds. There is a wealth of information available all over the internet on the 4 C’s, so we will be brief. The 4 C’s are Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat. Color is how white the diamond is, Cut describes its symmetry and in theory how much it sparkles, Clarity is a measure of a stone’s inclusions and some other visible characteristics, and Carat is how much the stone weighs (how big it is). As each of those qualities go up, the value of a diamond raises. These qualities can be measured by trained jewelers with a very low margin for error, or graded in a laboratory for more exact calculations. No single category of the 4 C’s is definitely more important than another when judging how nice a stone will look in jewelry; however, the best-looking stones for the money usually have no category that is too low on the scale. Check out our guide on buying an engagement ring for more information.

 

Karats or Carats?

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Easily the most confusing pair of words in the jewelry business, “carat” is a measure of weight equal to one-fifth of a gram while “karat” is the measure of fineness of gold. Today we’re going to highlight the difference between the meanings of karat and carat and how the confusing words came about. Both are pronounced the same as our favorite orange vegetable, “carrot”, but they actually came about from a different piece of vegetation- the carob seed.

 
Carob seeds were a seed that almost always grew to be the same size and weight as all the other carob seeds. Ancient jewelers found that they were small enough and consistent enough to be used to measure the weight of diamonds and other precious stones, thus they started measuring in “carats” which meant how many carob seeds the jewel weighed equal to. As technology developed, the weight was standardized to be 1/5 of a gram and is used primarily to measure gemstones. Everyone knows that a one carat diamond is fairly big, so jewelers divide carats into fractions of 100 called points. A 1/10th carat diamond is .10 of a carat or 10 points in weight. The earrings in the image above approximately 1 carat total weight, which means each of them are about .5 carats.

 
Its good to remember that carats are actually a measure of weight not size, and 2 different gemstones of the same dimensions will usually be different carats.

750 (18k) Mark On Cameo

 

 
Karat, the one that starts with a “K”, refers to the purity of gold out of 24 parts. Pure gold would be 24k, but nearly all gold made for jewelry is alloyed with other metals to make it stronger, improve its color, or in some cases to make it cost less. The term karat is believed to have come about when the Roman emperor Constantine minted a new gold coin that was 24 carats in weight. The amount of those 24 carats of weight that were pure gold was its “fineness” which means its gold purity.In the US most jewelry is 10k, 14k, or 18k, which are 41.7% pure 58.5% pure and 75% pure respectively. Different countries have different regulations, but nearly all gold jewelry should be marked somewhere with its karat.

 
On behalf of the jewelry industry, we at silver city apologize for the confusion caused by these terms being so similar and hope that this explains the different meanings and why they are used. Check back with us at silvercityjewelers.com for more informative articles like this if you like learning more about jewelry!

 

 

10k Mark On Clasp

A Beginner’s Guide to Shopping for Engagement Rings

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If you are thinking about proposing, it can be very intimidating to start shopping for an engagement ring. If you don’t know the first thing about jewelry and diamonds- don’t worry! If you have time to visit us at Silver City, we will always be able to help guide you toward buying the ring that’s right for you. If you don’t, or want to start thinking about it from home, here is a beginning guide on how to start your search.

#1- How much should you spend?

Tradition suggests that three months salary is the “correct” amount to spend on an engagement ring, but everyone has their own unique financial situation. Whatever the number you choose is, you will want to know your budget ahead of time.

#2- Styles of engagement rings

Engagement rings come in many styles and each have their own expression. Your goal is to pick the style that your soon-to-be fiancé wants most and expresses her personal style. A solitaire setting (which is a plain-ish ring with a single diamond) is a classic choice for the lady who likes tradition. A halo setting (which is a ring in which a larger stone is encircled by smaller stones) is a trendy choice for the socially-conscious lady who is always on Pinterest and Facebook and keeps up with the latest fashions. Those are the two most popular styles right now; however, there are many other styles of engagement rings, from bezel set to three stone. If you don’t know which one she wants, then go shopping and look at the styles in jewelry stores. Or ask her friends or relatives if they know what she likes. If they don’t know, check out what kind of rings her married friends have.

#3-  The Diamond

The center stone in an engagement ring is where most of the cost is. The first question you should try to answer is, what shape would my soon-to-be fiancé like the most. The second thing you need to do is learn a little about the characteristics of diamonds and decide which are most important to you. Color, cut, and clarity make a diamond look nice, size makes it stand out. You will have to figure out where your priority is, but it’s advisable to keep the clarity and color at reasonable level. After considering these questions, go look at diamonds in person! Diamonds can not be accurately captured with a camera, you must see them in person to be able to truly know how nice they are. Look at diamonds and then ask what their grade is, take note of what qualities the diamonds have that you find nicest. Keep in mind that even diamonds graded exactly the same do not look exactly alike.

#4- Where to buy your engagement ring

Jewelry stores are not all created equal- many will give you a good deal on the right piece and many more will sell you a bad product for as much money as possible. First, choose a store that has experienced and educated staff who will work with you to find the ring that’s right for you. Second, keep in mind that some jewelry stores have much higher markups on their pieces than others, charging as much as double or triple for the same diamond. Make sure you compare prices. Third, don’t forget that your ring may need service and repair over the years, and choose a store that will be there if your ring needs to be sized, re-pronged, or fixed in any way. At Silver City, we do all these things and more. We are a great place to begin your search for the most important ring you will ever purchase.