Christmas joke

A man and his wife were tediously doing their last minute shopping on Xmas eve.

Walking through the very crowded mall the wife looked up and noticed her husband were nowhere around. She became very upset because they had a lot to do.

She used her cell phone to call her husband to ask where he was.

The husband, in a calm voice said: "Honey remember the jewelry store we went into five years ago where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we could not afford and I told you that I would get it for you one day?"

The wife, crying said: "Yes I remember!"

Husband: "Well I am in the pub next to the jewelry store"

The four Cs

When choosing a diamond ring you will have to consider the four Cs:

Cut: how the diamond is cut
A diamond shines when it is properly cut. The cut can be considered the most important of the four Cs because the more the diamond shines the more beautiful the diamond is. The reflection of the light that enters the diamond depends on the facets (the polished edges). An ideal cut gives the diamond the strongest reflection. A diamond appears bigger when the reflection is stronger. A less than ideal cut will have less reflection. There are several types of cutting that have different results on the reflection.




Types of cutting:

• Ideal: light will be reflected almost completely. A very rare cut and therefore expensive.
• Very good: almost as much reflection as the ideal cut
• Good: still a good reflection but less than "Very Good".
• Fair: the least acceptable amount of reflection for a diamond in my opinion.
• Poor: the diamond has been cut so deep that there is almost no reflection.

Color:  the color of the diamond
Color stands for lack of color of a diamond. The less color the higher the quality. Natural diamonds have a faint yellowish color. Diamonds with little or no color are more expensive. The color is indicated by the letters D to Z. D is the highest possible rating, so no color is visible.

When choosing the color of the diamond it's very important to take into account the color of the setting. For example a yellowish diamond does not look good in a platinum or white gold setting.

• D: the diamond is completely colorless. This is very rare and therefore very expensive
• E-F: colorless. Only small traces of color can be seen by an expert.
• G-H: almost colorless. the color is hard to see with the naked eye unless you put another diamond next to it for comparison.
• I-J: nearly colorless.
• K-M: visible color
• N-Z: distinct color

Clarity
The clarity refers to the purity of the diamond. Every stone has small imperfections and diamonds with little or no cracks, scratches or nicks are of higher quality. The clarity of diamonds is indicated by the following:

• FL, IF: flawless, internally flawless. There are no external or internal imperfections. The best quality availble.
• vvs1, vvs2: very very slightly included. The imperfections are very difficult to detect.
• vs1, vs2: very slightly included. The imperfections are not clearly visible.
• si1, si2: slightly included. The imperfections are visible only when magnified. Still a good quality diamond.
• i1, i2, i3: included. The imperfections are visible to the naked eye.

Carat weight
The weight of diamonds is described in carats. A carat is 100 points. So 50 points is 0,5 carat.
When choosing a diamond  we will have to take the other three Cs into consideration. The carat weight alone doesn't tell anything about the quality. For example if a diamond has a poor cut, the quality will be ruined even if the carat weight is high.

About Diamonds: shape

A diamond ring is composed of two parts: the ring itself (the setting) and the diamond in the setting. It is normal to build the ring yourself, because diamonds come in many different shapes and sizes. It’s a great opportunity to build the ring according to your own taste.

Types and sizes of diamonds
Diamonds come in many shapes and sizes. While searching for a beautiful diamond, we use the four Cs (cut, color, clarity and carat weight) and the S for the shape of the diamond. The 4 Cs determine the value of the diamond. For example, if a diamond is colorless and there are no imperfections, the value is greater than a stone with imperfections. So you can decide about your budget when searching for diamonds.

Brilliant

One of the most chosen diamonds is the brilliant. This stone is sometimes called the Stone of Love. A brilliant has a number of facets (polished faces) so the light comes back from the stone perfectly. This diamond will sparkle and that is exactly what makes the stone so beautiful. It's not for nothing that a 65-year marriage (or anniversary) is called a brilliant marriage. But personal tastes vary, of course, especially in diamonds.

Shape: The shape of diamonds
There are many different diamond shapes. The Round shape is one of the most popular form. Each diamond shape is unique, and that is exactly what is important in a beautiful diamond ring!

Round: the most popular shape. Thanks to this shape you can have more influence on the 4 Cs compared to the other shapes.

Princess: a very popular non-round shape. when choosing the color, it's very important to take into account that the color can be seen in the corners. In later articles you will read that the less color in the diamond the more beautiful the diamond is.

Emerald: a gradual flat top. This shape highlights the clarity.

Marquise: this shape maximizes the carat weight making the diamond appear much bigger.

 

Radiant: the edges are very special in this diamond.

Cushion: the cushion or pillow cut has round edges and large facets making it a very sparkling diamond. The facets make the clarity very visible to the eyes.

Pear: the pear shape is also called the tear drop. Since the stone is in a long shape the finger will appear thinner and longer.

Oval: this shape is a stretched round shape.

Heart: the shape the describes LOVE in the best way. Bear in mind that colors from J are visible in this shape.

Asscher: a combination of the Princess and the Emerald. This shape highlights the clarity of the diamond. In the corners the color can be seen easily.