Fashion Jewelry

Best Diamond Shape For An Engagement Ring

best diamond shape

While purchasing an engagement ring the biggest dilemma is choosing the best diamond shape and cut. The shape of the diamond is the most important aspects that you should consider while choosing a diamond. There are many decisions that you will have to take before choosing the particular ring.
The best diamond shape is essentially one that suits the hand that it accents. There are various cuts and styles but the final product and its shape will be decided by the lapidary who does the cutting. The shape of the diamond will also depend on the initial shape of the raw stone. If there are any flaws in the diamond they must be removed.
There are some basic shapes and the beauty of the stone can be greatly enhanced with proper trimming and rounding off the corners. There are additional facets that are added to increase the beauty and the sparkle of the stone. However, there are many jewelers who deal in specialized stones with special cuts to get the best diamond shape. These cuts are licensed and come under the specific brand names. The classic example is the Hearts on Fire Diamond.

best diamond shape

It is easier to choose the diamond if you know the basic characteristics of each one of the shapes. It depends on the personality, individual preferences, as well as the budget you have. All these factors will play a critical role in making the choice.
The diamonds that are Emerald shaped are rectangular and the corners are trimmed. The pear shape is also known as the teardrop shaped diamond. Heart-shaped diamonds are a popular choice for earrings and pendants. The heart-shaped engagement rings are very romantic. The round ones are the more traditional and classy ones. Marquise is basically an oval shape with tapered edges. There are the Princess, Asscher, oval, and Trilliant cuts as well. Photos courtesy of www.herzogjewelers.com and robbinsbros.files.wordpress.com

Diamond Solitaire Jewelry

The word solitaire is used to denote jewelry using only a single stone as a centerpiece. Although diamonds are the most precious and often the most desired of all gemstones, many other stones can serve as the center in a solitaire ring or pendant. When cut and faceted, diamonds have an exceptional ability to reflect light an make it dance. They often capture both attention and hearts with their characteristic shimmer. Symbolic of romance, love, commitment and luxury, they figure prominently in many types of jewelry. Let’s take a look a some of the characteristics of diamonds employed as solitatire pieces.

Diamonds are made of carbon. They develop when pure carbon atoms in the ground are exposed to intense heat and pressure over billions of years. Diamonds are the hardest of all gemstones; they are also the hardest natural substance on Earth. Consequently, they are durable and long lasting, associated with lifelong or eternal commitments such as marriage and frequently passed down from one generation to the next. In addition to the most commonly seen white hue, diamonds come all colors of the rainbow, including chocolate, pink, green and yellow.

When employed as a solitaire, a diamond solitaire is simply a piece of jewelry featuring a single, or solitary, diamond. For example, a diamond solitaire ring consists of a band made of some type of precious metal, such as platinum or gold, and a lone diamond, which is secured in a setting and mounted at the top of the band. A diamond solitaire necklace features a single diamond suspended from, or set on, a chain. Diamond solitaire earrings feature one diamond per earring. This style of jewelry emphasizes the beauty of individual diamonds.

The most common type of diamond solitaire jewelry is the diamond solitaire ring. Diamond solitaire rings are traditionally presented to symbolize engagements. Diamond engagement rings became popular during the Victorian era due to the discovery of diamond mines in Africa as well as increased wealth because of the Industrial Revolution. Rings featuring large clusters of diamonds were popular, but Tiffany and Co. introduced a new and long-lasting trend in 1886 with the six-prong diamond solitaire engagement ring, for which the company is still known. So, it can be said that we have Tiffany to thank for the solitaire style.

When selecting or purchasing a diamond or piece of diamond solitaire jewelry, it is important to understand the Four C’s. These are cut, clarity, color and carat weight. A diamond’s cut helps to determine its brilliance. Diamonds are available in numerous types of cuts, including emerald cut, princess cut, round cut and pear cut. Clarity refers to the presence, or lack, of inner flaws or inclusions within a diamond; the fewer that are present, the clearer and more brilliant the diamond. Color is a consideration because diamonds are available in virtually every color of the rainbow. So deciding preference is important; of course, colorless diamonds are the most desirable because they reflect the most light. Finally, carat weight refers to the size of a diamond. If you select carefully, the diamond solitaire can be treasured for many years and generations to come.

Some facts about Tanzanite

Tanzanite is the blue/purple variety of the mineral zoisite. It was discovered in the Meralani Hills of Northern Tanzania in 1967, near the city of Arusha. Tanzania is a country in East Africa. Tanzanite is most commonly used as a gemstone and is noted for its remarkably strong trichroism (the ability to display three colors), appearing sapphire blue, violet, and burgundy depending on the viewing angle. Tanzanite in its rough state is usually a reddish brown color and is a rare gem.

Manuel D’Souza, a gold prospector living in Arusha, found transparent fragments of vivid blue and blue-purple gem crystals on a ridge near Mererani, some 40 km southeast of Arusha. He decided that the mineral was olivine but quickly realized that it was not, so he caled it ‘dumortierite’, a blue non-gem mineral. Finally, the Gemological Institute of America correctly identified the new gem as a variety of the mineral zoisite. Correct identification was also made by mineralogists at Harvard University, the British Museum, and Heidelberg University, but the very first person to get the identification right was Ian McCloud, a Tanzanian government geologist based in Dodoma.

Originally called “blue zoisite” it was renamed as part of a campaign by Tiffany & Co., who wanted to capitalize on the rarity of the gem, then only found in Tanzania, but who thought that “blue zoisite” (which might be pronounced like “blue suicide”) wouldn’t sell well. From 1967 to 1972, an estimated two million carats of tanzanite were mined in Tanzania. The mines were later nationalized by the Tanzanian government.

The world’s largest faceted tanzanite is 737.81 carats. Another one of the most famous large tanzanites weighing in at 242 carats is the ‘Queen of Kilimanjaro’. It is set in a tiara and accompanied by with 803 brilliant cut tsavorite garnets and 913 brilliant cut diamonds. Because tanzanite is relatively soft, it is not usually set in necklaces and earrings, so the tiara is truly a rarity. The tiara is currently on display in the Gallery of Gold and Gems at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The exhibition is from the private collection of Michael Scott who was the first CEO of Apple Computers.

The normal primary and secondary hues in tanzanite are blue and purple, not violet. Tanzanite is a trichroic gemstone, meaning that light that enters the stone is divided into three sections, each containing a portion of the visible spectrum. After heating, tanzanite becomes dichroic. The dichroic colors are red and blue.

Except for a few stones that were found close to the surface in the early days of the discovery, Tanzanite is universally heat-treated to produce a range of hues between bluish-purple to purplish-blue. Since heat treatment is universal, it has no effect on price, and finished gems are assumed to be heat-treated. Rarely, tanzanite is found in other colors, green being the rarest, although technically it would be called ‘green zoisite’ rather than tanzanite. These would, of course, be even more expensive than precious Tanzanite.

How To Make Her Say Yes During Your Wedding Proposal

There is no guarantee that the woman of your dreams will right away say ‘yes’ during your proposal. This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love you like you love her. It may just be because she isn’t ready yet for a lifelong commitment like marriage. Or perhaps, she wasn’t just impressed with your wedding proposal.

The traditional ‘will you marry me?’ wedding proposal while having dinner is overused. If you want to impress your girlfriend and ensure that she says ‘yes’ to your proposal, these romantic proposal tips will come in handy:

Invite your girl in your favourite pub or bar. Request for your theme song (the song that you both love and you feel represent your relationship). As she enters the pub or bar, the song will be aired and you can hand your flowers and of course the engagement ring. You can also talk to the DJ and propose on air.

In the window of her room, write your proposal in the dust. When she opens her window curtain, that is the first thing that she’ll see. This is very romantic, just make sure the dust is still there and nobody has cleaned the window yet before she wakes up.

You can make your proposal public. In a concert event, you can go up the stage and propose. Just make sure you ask permission from the performers. Or you can advertise full page in your local newspaper or her favourite magazine.

Take her to the beach. Talk to someone who can spell the words ‘will you marry me?’ on the sand. This will surprise her.

Give her a gift with the engagement ring. The engagement ring can be simple but if you have the budget, you can opt to buy an elegant diamond ring as your engagement ring. Surely, your girlfriend can’t say no. This is the style where you let the engagement ring speak for the proposal.

Wedding proposals should be made unique as possible. You should prepare everything before you actually propose. Don’t forget the engagement ring. Shop around for your engagement ring weeks before your proposal. This is to ensure that you get the best engagement ring for you partner.

These wedding proposal tips mentioned here will make the moment very romantic. They will sweep your partner off her feet and she can decide right away to give you her sweetest ‘yes’. Surely, romantic proposals pay off.