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Ladies Diamond Watches

di·a·mond
noun

An extremely hard, highly refractive crystalline form of carbon.  Usually colorless and used as a gemstone.  Can also be found in abrasives, cutting tools, and other applications.

Nothing makes a statement, more than diamonds.  Shopping for a Ladies Diamond Wrist Watch can be both exciting and fulfilling.  Whether searching for an everyday timepiece or a special-occasion, attention-grabbing accessory, you need to make an educated purchase.  Placing trust in a reputable, name-brand, timepiece company's diamond watch is fine, but what if you find that "special" timepiece that seems to define your tastes and you've never heard of the company or have had no experience with them.  Looking into their warranty and return policy is a good start.  However, when shopping for a diamond watch, you should have an idea of diamond terminology and the principles behind diamond pricing.  The following article is very informative and should help you on your way to a gratifying purchase.

The use of diamonds as gemstones, of decorative value, is the earliest and most familiar use, to most people today.  The decorative use of diamonds stretches back into antiquity.  Diamond dispersion of white light into a rainbow of colors, known in the trade as "fire", is a primary characteristic of gem diamonds and has been highly prized throughout history.  Beginning around 1900, experts in the field of gemology have developed methods of characterizing diamonds and other gemstones based on the characteristics most important to their value.  Four characteristics, known informally as the "four C's", are now commonly used as the basic descriptors of diamonds: these are carat, clarity, color, and cut.

Most diamonds are traded on the wholesale market based on single values for each of the four C's; for example knowing that a diamond is rated as 1.5 carats, VS2 clarity, F color, excellent cut, is enough to reasonably establish an expected price range.  More detailed information from within each characteristic can then be used to determine actual market value for individual stones.  Consumers who purchase individual diamonds are often advised to use the four C's to pick the diamond that is "right" for them; to these is sometimes added the "fifth C" of cost.

Other characteristics, not described by the four C's, can and do influence the value or appearance of a diamond.  These characteristics include physical flaws ,or the lack thereof, such as the presence of fluorescence, as well as data on a diamond's history including its source and which gemological institute performed evaluation services on the diamond.  Cleanliness also dramatically affects a diamond's beauty.

There are four major gemological associations which "certify" diamonds: that is, define the four C's of a diamond.  While carat weight and cut angles are mathematically defined, the clarity and color are judged by the trained human eye and are therefore open to slight variances in interpretation.  The aforementioned gemological associations are the:

• Gemological Institute of America (GIA) was the first laboratory to issue modern diamond reports, and holds the highest reputation amongst gemologists for its consistent, conservative grading.

• American Gemological Society (AGS) is not as widely recognized nor as old as the GIA, but garners an equally high reputation.

• International Gemological Laboratory (IGL) is a generally respected laboratory, but suffers from a negative industry reputation for its grading practices, which are perceived by critics as being either less conservative or less consistent than the GIA and AGS.

• European Gemological Laboratory (EGL) has a similar reputation to the IGL.

Carat
The carat weight measures the mass of a diamond.  One carat is defined as exactly 200 milligrams (about 0.007 ounce).  The point unit, equal to one one-hundredth of a carat (0.01 carat, or 2 mg), is commonly used for diamonds of less than one carat.  All else being equal, the value of a diamond increases exponentially in relation to carat weight, since larger diamonds are both rarer and more desirable for use as gemstones.  A review of comparable diamonds available for purchase, in September 2005, demonstrates this effect (approximate prices for round cut, G color, VS2 diamonds with "1A" cut grade, as listed on http://www.pricescope.com):

The price per carat does not increase smoothly with increasing size.  Instead, there are sharp jumps around milestone carat weights, as demand is much higher for diamonds weighing just more than a milestone than for those weighing just less.  As an example, a 0.95 carat diamond may have a significantly lower price per carat than a comparable 1.05 carat diamond, because of differences in demand.

A weekly price list, published by Rapaport of New York, of diamond prices per carat, for different diamond cuts, clarity and weights is currently considered the de-facto retail price baseline.  Jewelers often trade diamonds at negotiated discounts off the Rapaport price (e.g., "R -3%").

In the wholesale trade of diamonds, carat is often used in denominating lots of diamonds for sale.  For example, a buyer may place an order for 100 carats of 0.5 carat, D–F, VS2-SI1, excellent cut diamonds, indicating he wishes to purchase 200 diamonds (100 carats total mass) of those approximate characteristics.  Because of this, diamond prices (particularly among wholesalers and other industry professionals) are often quoted per carat, rather than per stone.

Total carat weight (t.c.w.) is a phrase used to describe the total mass of diamonds or other gemstones in a piece of jewelry, when more than one gemstone is used.  Diamond solitaire earrings, for example, are usually quoted in t.c.w. when placed for sale, indicating the mass of the diamonds in both earrings and not each individual diamond.  T.c.w. is also widely used for diamond necklaces, bracelets and other similar jewelry pieces.

Clarity
Clarity is a measure of internal defects of a diamond called inclusions.  Inclusions may be crystals of a foreign material, another diamond crystal, or structural imperfections such as tiny cracks that can appear whitish or cloudy.  The number, size, color, relative location, orientation, and visibility of inclusions can all affect the relative clarity of a diamond.  The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and others have developed systems to grade clarity, which are generally based on inclusions which are visible to a trained professional, when a diamond is viewed from above, under 10x magnification.

Diamonds become increasingly rare when considering a higher clarity grading.  Only about 20 percent of all diamonds mined have a clarity rating high enough for the diamond to be considered appropriate for use as a gemstone.  The other 80 percent are relegated to industrial use.  Of that top 20 percent, a significant portion contains a visible inclusion or inclusions.  Those that do not have a visible inclusion are known as "eye-clean" and are preferred by most buyers, although visible inclusions can sometimes be hidden under the setting in a piece of jewelry.

Most inclusions present in gem-quality diamonds do not affect the diamond's performance or structural integrity.  However, large clouds can affect a diamond's ability to transmit and scatter light.  Large cracks close to or breaking the surface may reduce a diamond's resistance to fracture.  Diamonds are graded by the major societies on a scale ranging from Flawless to Imperfect.

Color
Jewelers sometimes set diamonds in groups of similar colors.  The Hope Diamond, a chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond, is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color.  However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect.  The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice.  Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond's coloration, a diamond's color can either detract from or enhance its value.  For example; most white diamonds are discounted in price as more yellow hue is detected, while intense pink or blue diamonds (such as the Hope Diamond) can be dramatically more valuable.

Most diamonds used as gemstones are basically transparent, with little tint.  The most common impurity, nitrogen, replaces a small proportion of carbon atoms in a diamond's structure and causes a yellowish to brownish tint.  This effect is present in almost all white diamonds.  In only the rarest diamonds is the coloration due to this effect undetectable.  The GIA has developed a rating system for color in white diamonds, from "D" to "Z" (with D being "colorless" and Z having a bright yellow coloration).  This rating system has been widely adopted in the industry and is universally recognized, superseding several older systems once used in different countries.  This system uses a benchmark, set of either natural diamonds of known color, grade or precision-crafted cubic zirconium.  Test-lighting conditions are also standardized and carefully controlled.  Diamonds with higher color grades are rarer, in higher demand and therefore more expensive than lower color grades.  Oddly enough, diamonds graded Z are also rare, and the bright yellow color is also highly valued.  Diamonds graded D-F are considered "colorless".  G through J are considered "near-colorless".  K through M are "slightly colored".  N through Y usually appear light yellow or brown.

In contrast to yellow or brown hues, diamonds of other colors are much rarer and more valuable.  While even a pale pink or blue hue may increase the value of a diamond, more intense coloration is usually considered more desirable and commands the highest prices.  A variety of impurities and structural imperfections cause different colors in diamonds, including yellow, pink, blue, red, green, brown, and other hues.  Diamonds with unusual or intense coloration are sometimes labeled "fancy" by the diamond industry.  Intense yellow coloration is considered one of the fancy colors, and is separate from the color grades of white diamonds.  Gemologists have developed rating systems for fancy colored diamonds, but they are not in common use, because of the relative rarity of colored diamonds.

Cut
Diamond cutting is the art and science of creating a gem-quality diamond out of mined raw material.  The cut of a diamond describes the manner in which a diamond has been shaped and polished from its beginning form as a rough stone, to its final gem proportions.  The cut of a diamond describes the quality of workmanship and the angles to which a diamond is cut.  Often diamond cut is confused with "shape."

There are mathematical guidelines for the angles and length ratios at which the diamond is supposed to be cut, in order to reflect the maximum amount of light.  Round brilliant diamonds, the most common, are guided by these specific guidelines, though fancy cut stones are not able to be as accurately guided by mathematical specifications.

The techniques for cutting diamonds have been developed over hundreds of years, with perhaps the greatest achievements, made in 1919, by mathematician and gem enthusiast Marcel Tolkowsky.  He developed the round brilliant cut, by calculating the ideal shape to return and scatter light when a diamond is viewed from above.  The modern round brilliant has 57 facets (polished faces), counting 33 on the crown (the top half), and 24 on the pavilion (the lower half).  The girdle is the thin middle part.  The function of the crown is to diffuse light into various colors and the pavilion's function to reflect light back through the top of the diamond.

Tolkowsky defines the ideal diamond dimensions to have:

• Table percentage (table diameter divided by overall diameter) = 53%

• Depth percentage (Overall depth divided by the overall diameter) = 59.3%

• Pavilion Angle (Angle between the girdle and the pavilion) = 40.75°

• Crown Angle (Angle between the girdle and the crown) = 34.5°

• Pavilion Depth (Depth of pavilion divided by overall diameter) = 43.1%

• Crown Depth (Depth of crown divided by crown diameter) = 16.2%

The culet is the tiny point or facet at the bottom of the diamond.  This should be a negligible diameter, otherwise light leaks out of the bottom.  Tolkowsky's ideal dimensions did not include a girdle.  However, a thin girdle is required, in reality, in order to prevent the diamond from easily chipping in the setting.  A normal girdle should be about 1%–2% of the overall diameter.

The further the diamond's characteristics are from Tolkowsky's ideal, the less light will be reflected.  However, there is a small range in which the diamond can be considered "ideal".  Today, because of the relative importance of carat weight in society, many diamonds are often intentionally cut poorly to increase carat weight.  There is a financial premium for a diamond that weighs the magical 1.0 carat, so often the girdle is made thicker or the depth is increased.  Neither of these tactics make the diamond appear any bigger and they greatly reduce the sparkle of the diamond.  So a poorly cut 1.0 carat diamond may have the same diameter and appear as large as a 0.85 carat diamond.  The depth percentage is the overall quickest indication of the quality of the cut of a round brilliant.  "Ideal" round brilliant diamonds should not have a depth percentage greater than 62.5%.  Another quick indication is the overall diameter.  Typically a round brilliant 1.0 carat diamond should have a diameter of about 6.5 mm.  Mathematically, the diameter in millimeters, of a round brilliant, should approximately equal 6.5 times the cube root of carat weight, or 11.1 times the cube root of gram weight.

Shape
Diamonds do not show all of their beauty as rough stones.  Instead, they must be cut and polished to exhibit the characteristic fire and brilliance that diamond gemstones are known for.  Diamonds are cut into a variety of shapes that are generally designed to accentuate these features.

Diamonds which are not cut to the specifications of Tolkowsky's round brilliant shape (or subsequent variations) are known as "fancy cuts".  Popular fancy cuts include the baguette (from the French, meaning rod or loaf of bread), marquise, princess (square outline), heart, briolette (a form of the rose cut), and pear cuts.  Generally speaking, these "fancy cuts" are not held to the same strict standards as Tolkowsky-derived round brilliants and there are less specific mathematical guidelines of angles, which determine a well-cut stone.  Cuts are influenced heavily by fashion: the baguette cut—which accentuates a diamond's luster and downplays its fire—was all the rage during the Art Deco period, whereas the princess cut—which accentuates a diamond's fire rather than its luster—is currently gaining popularity.  The princess cut is also popular amongst diamond cutters: of all the cuts, it wastes the least of the original crystal.  The past decades have seen the development of new diamond cuts, often based on a modification of an existing cut.  Some of these include extra facets.  These newly developed cuts are viewed by many as more of an attempt at brand differentiation by diamond sellers, than actual improvements to the state of the art.

Quality
The quality of a diamond's cut is widely considered the most important of the four C's.  In determining the beauty of a diamond, it is commonly acknowledged that a well-cut diamond can appear to be of greater carat weight, and have clarity and color appear to be of better grade than they actually are.  The skill with which a diamond is cut, determines its ability to reflect and refract light.

In addition to carrying the most importance to a diamond's quality as a gemstone, the cut is also the most difficult to quantitatively judge.  A number of factors, including proportion, symmetry, and the relative angles of various facets, are determined by the quality of the cut and can affect the performance of a diamond.  A poorly cut diamond with facets cut only a few degrees out of alignment can result in a poorly performing stone.  For a round brilliant cut, there is a balance between "brilliance" and "fire".  When a diamond is cut for too much "fire," it looks like a cubic zirconium,  which gives off much more "fire" than a authentic diamond.  A well-executed round brilliant cut should reflect light upwards and make the diamond appear white when viewed from the top.  An inferior cut will produce a stone that appears dark at the center and in some extreme cases the ring settings may show through the top of the diamond, as shadows.

Several different theories on the "ideal" proportions of a diamond have been and continue to be advocated by professional gemologists.  Recently, there has been a shift away from grading cut, by the use of various angles and proportions toward measuring the performance of a cut stone.  A number of specially modified viewers and machines have been developed toward this end.  They include the FireScope, a.k.a.: SymmetriScope or IdealScope (tests for light leakage, light return and proportions), Hearts and Arrows Viewer (tests for "hearts and arrows" characteristic pattern observable on stones exhibiting high symmetry), GemEx BrillianceScope (tests for direct light performance results of a diamond), Isee2 Machine (tests for diffused light performance results), and ASET (tests for AGS cut grade).  These viewers and machines often help consumers determine the light performance results of the diamond, in addition to the traditional four C's.  Along with this shift, there are a few companies that provide results on these viewers and machines, in addition to the original four C's.  The GIA has also developed criteria for grading the cut of round brilliant stones.

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