Diamond Education

  • Diamond Color

    Diamond Color  

    The second most critical indicator of a white diamond’s value after cut is its color – or rather its lack of color. Color occurs naturally in a diamond; it lasts forever and varies from virtually colorless to visible coloring which may be from slightly yellow to increasingly deeper shades of brown or even grey. The specific coloring of a diamond is caused by varying levels of impurities that are present during its formation. There are very few that are truly colorless and that is why they are so highly prized.
     

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  • Diamond Shapes

    So what diamond shape should you choose? Diamonds can be cut into a variety of magnificent, jaw-dropping shapes, however, round, brilliant cut diamonds are by far the most popular, representing four out of every five diamonds cut. Your choice will depend on your taste, the wearer’s taste and her particular style preference. At Sylvia’s Antique Jewelry, we offer many popular classic and more contemporary shapes of diamond, all cut with state-of-the-art expertise and craftsmanship. Antique and vintage gemstones came in shapes specific to their time in history, so we carry stones cut in shapes typical of certain eras to give our customers the authentic period look.
     

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  • Diamond Cut

    You may be surprised to learn that the most critical of the so-called 4 “Cs” in determining the value of a diamond (color, cut, clarity and carat) is actually cut and not carat weight. The overall appeal, symmetry and value of a diamond are largely determined by the quality of its cut.

    The cut, or “make” of a diamond has a direct correlation to its value and appeal; an expert diamond cutter, such as the ones we use at Sylvia’s Antique Jewelry, can bring out a diamond’s inherent beauty with a fascinating balance of symmetry, facets, proportion and polish. In his hands, a raw stone literally comes to life. When a diamond has been well cut, it is able to both reflect and refract light. Understanding the way light moves is a critical part of the cutter’s art and over the centuries, specific facet cuts and proportions have been developed by experts to make the most of each gem and harness its particular luster. Simply put, the better the cut, the more light is directed towards the eye. An expertly cut smaller diamond may, in fact, be worth more than an over-sized “rock”. Similarly, a well cut stone will often appear larger that a diamond of the same carat weight and it will look as if it has better color and clarity. A poorly cut diamond looks dull and muted and may even be susceptible to damage. A beautifully cut diamond flashes with that bewitching, fiery brilliance that will take your breath away.

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  • Diamond Clarity

     

    The clarity or cleanliness of a diamond is based on the amount of structural flaws it has. These flaws may have an impact on the value of a diamond, but are often microscopic so they may be invisible to the naked eye and do not necessarily affect its beauty.

    So how and why does a diamond have flaws? Natural diamonds are formed from the exposure of carbon to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth; these flaws are completely natural and they are created when foreign material, structural irregularities or tiny cracks called “feathers” appear during the formation process of the gem. Flaws within the diamonds itself are called “inclusions” and flaws on the outside are called “blemishes” and they are what make each gem totally unique. The inclusions and blemishes on a diamond can actually be used to identify each individual stone, almost like a human finger print, so that diamond graders can create an individual map which is used as an identifier for each stone. It is impossible to find two diamonds that have exactly the same inclusions and blemishes.

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  • Diamond Certification

    CR

    At Sylvia’s Antique Jewelry, we are proud to offer the highest quality gemstones that have been certified by a third party professional gemologist for their color, clarity, cut, carat weight and other important identifying characteristics. An independent evaluation of each diamond we sell has been conducted the world-renowned Gemological Institute of America (GIA), a non profit institute dedicated to the protection of all buyers and sellers by both setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate gemstone quality. It evaluates the stone’s measurements, fluorescence, inclusions, proportions and overall finish so that you can be sure it is genuine. The GIA is considered the worldwide industry standard in terms of their unbiased evaluation and grading of diamonds. We do not sell stones that have not undergone this rigorous examination.

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  • Carat Weight

    When you are about to purchase a diamond, you may think that the most important decision to be made is how many “carats” or size it should be. It is a common misperception that carat means size. In fact, a diamond’s carat measurement actually refers to its weight and not its size.

    A carat (not to be mistaken with the word karat, which determines the purity of gold) is a unit of weight specifically for diamonds and is equivalent to 200 milligrams. Carat weight is commonly expressed in points or fractions, and one carat is equal to 100 points, so each point is equivalent to 100th of a carat. (Let’s test your math skills here. A 50-point diamond is therefore how many carats? The answer is, of course, a half carat). Other types of gemstones are also measured by carat but different gems of the same weight are not necessarily the same size because they have different levels of inherent density.

    Our chart shows diamond carat sizes as viewed from above. Remember, though, since carat is a weight measurement, not all diamonds of equal carat will appear the same size.

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  • Exclusive Diamond Collection

    Sylvia’s Antique Jewelry is proud to offer our Exclusive Diamond Collection, a specially selected group of the highest quality stones available on the market today, for the discerning customer who wants only the very best. The process for selecting these special stones is extraordinarily time-consuming. The diamonds are hand picked, to the most exacting and painstaking standards, by no less than four full time gemologists who search carefully through the thousands of stones supplied by our expert diamond cutters to choose only the very few that make the top grade. The Exclusive Diamond Collection represents the highest level of quality on every level - cut, clarity, symmetry and polish. They are the best of the best stones, breathtakingly beautiful and radiating the most brilliance and fire possible.

    Exclusive Diamond Collection diamonds are cut to the best possible proportions to allow the maximum amount of light to travel through to the eye. Their symmetry is exceptional, so that all facets are directed at the eye to produce an unmatched and even brilliance. All diamonds in this special collection are graded by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), an independent, highly respected trade organization that verifies their quality to make sure they meet our stringent requirements.

    We invite you to look through our Exclusive Diamond Collection to see the very finest Ideal (ID) and Excellent (EX) cut diamonds we can make available to our customers.

    The expert consultants at Sylvia’s Antique Jewelry are available to answer any questions you may have about our Exclusive Diamond Collection or any of the gemstones we sell. Please call  800-969-6930 or Email Us  and we will be happy to assist you.