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Friday, December 25, 2009

Determining a Diamond's Price

Want to know how to determine a diamond's price? Let's learn how an expert determine a diamonds price based on quality, grading factors and perception. Gemstone pricing is determined by the 4C's, namely, clarity, cut, color, and carat characteristics that are all wrapped up in a stone's grading report or certification. Let's touch upon a few of these points now.

4Cs of Diamond Price

A gemstone is graded based on the following factors in an effort to create a standard for quality:

Clarity & Color

Clarity and color have to do with the visual quality of the gemstone you are evaluating. Clarity is self apparent, it is a measure of the diamonds perfection. Generally, diamonds contain a number of small flaws or imperfections known as inclusions. Gemstone inclusions can often be seen with the naked eye, some cannot, and they generally look like small scratches or scuffs within the stone itself. The more inclusions a diamond contains the farther it is from perfect and the value decreases along with its price.

Color on the other hand has to do with naturally occurring color shades the stone may or may not contain. Pink diamonds, black diamonds, red shades, brown shades, all exist and have varying degrees of desirability. Pink diamonds for example are very rare to find in a small stone and are therefore priced accordingly. You will want to look for color to be uniform throughout the stone and a desirable shade.

Carat & Cut

Carat and cut refer to a diamonds size and the cut or shape of the stone that was created by the gemologist. Carat affects price based on rarity and desirability. Larger carat gemstones are rarer and therefore priced higher. The cut of a diamond on the other hand affects the brilliance of the stone, or its ability to capture and refract the light. A cut brings out the natural beauty of a diamond, and each cut shape has its advantages and disadvantages that can affect pricing and quality.

The 4C's of diamond pricing are all considered in your average stone grading report, but there is another factor that needs be considered. Never leave out, the perceived value of a diamond. What is the diamond worth to you, does the stone you are considering speak to you directly. Are you instinctively drawn to the particular diamond you are considering. Perfection aside, it is the emotional impact of your gemstone that you should never forget if you are going to buy the right diamond for you.

The Four C's - Diamond Clarity

A diamond's value is graded by the four C's. The four C's include: clarity, carat, cut, and color. Diamond clarity refers to internal characteristics of a diamond. These characteristics are inclusions and blemishes. While internal features of a diamond are called inclusions, external features are called blemishes. A perfect diamond without any blemishes or inclusions is rare. However, sometimes, these flaws and blemishes can affect the brillance since light is not able to pass through the diamond as easily.

There are several kinds of inclusions. These include: crystals, needles, pinpoints, clouds, twinning wisps, internal graining, grain centers, feathers, bearded girdles, bruises, knots, chips, cavities, indented naturals, laser drill-holes, and fracture-filled. Whereas some of these inclusions occur during the cutting or polishing process, others can occur while you are wearing it.

  • Crystals - A crystal is a mineral within a stone. If it is totally enclosed in the diamond, it is called an included crystal. They can occur colored or colorless and alone or in groups.
  • Needles - These are long, thin crystals.
  • Pinpoints - A very small crystal that looks like a dot.
  • Clouds - A cloud includes a cluster of many tightly grouped pinpoints. Under magnification, you can distinguish the pinpoints but otherwise, they resemble a cloud or a haze.
  • Twinning Wisps -Caused by a crystal deformation during growth.
  • Internal graining - This is a discoloration, either milky or faint lines due to irregular crystal growth.
  • Grain centers - This is a small are of concentrated crystal structure distortion.
  • Feathers - These are small cracks in the diamond's wall that look like feathers. They usually don't affect diamonds unless they reach the surface.
  • Bearded girdles - These are hairline cracks that occur around the girdle during cutting. The girdle is where the top and bottom of the stone meet.
  • Bruises - A bruise is a minor chip that creates a root-like appearance within the stone.
  • Knots - A knot is a crystal which reaches the surface of the diamond.
  • Chips - This is where part of a small part of the diamond chips. Sometimes, they can be removed by cutting the diamond or polishing it.
  • Cavities - A cavity is a tiny opening in the diamond when a crystal comes out during polishing.
  • Indented naturals - A natural is part of the original skin that was left on the diamond whereas an indented natural when the natural doesn't get polished because it dips below the surface of the diamond.

Ideas on What to Do With Your Old Gold Jewelry


When it comes to selling your old gold, it doesn't really matter what the gold was used for. It could be a wedding band from a failed marriage, broken or knotted gold chains, mismatched earrings, or even the fillings from your teeth! Scrap gold can be melted down and made into something new. It is the ultimate form of recycling since your scrap could become someone else's treasure.

The first step is to go through your jewelry box. If you have outdated, broken, or unwanted pieces that hold no sentimental value to you, you might as well consider getting rid of it. If you'd like a little money to perhaps buy something you'll love more, or to pay off extra bills, why not sell your old gold? Set the pieces you'd like to get rid of and head out to your local jeweler.

A local jeweler or gold broker will be able to help you determine the value of your unwanted gold. Many times, they will offer cash for gold or a trade - that is up to you. But, your main goal should be to get the pieces weighed and appraised. During this visit, the jeweler will be able to tell you if the gold is pure, what karat it is, and if it is mixed with any other metals. The more pure the gold is, the higher its value.

When it comes to selling your old gold, you may choose to sell to a local jeweler or gold dealer directly, sell it at auction, or even through a reputable buyer online. Depending on the buyer's overhead, interest, and your gold's worth, the prices you can get will vary. It is always a good idea to know the current price of gold so that you always come out on top of the negotiation.

Remember, the more you know about your product - in this case your old jewelry - the more money you stand to make. That means shopping around for different offers. It is a good idea to try two or three buyers to see who will give you the best price.

Though selling gold may bring in a little extra cash, it isn't the only thing you can do with your unwanted pieces. If you want to work with a jeweler to design a custom-made piece for you or a loved one, you could have your old gold melted down and made into a new piece of jewelry! Though this may end up costing you a bit more than your gold is worth, as you will need to cover the cost of the jeweler's time and labor.

Adopt the Style of Best Selling Swiss Watches

Swiss watches are among the hottest fashion accessories. Nothing can beat the heat of wearing a designer Swiss watch from one of the prominent watch manufacturers. It is wish of every fashion conscious person to adopt the style of best selling Swiss watches. Watches from Rolex, Tag Heuer, Panerai, Audemars Piguet, Omega, and other prominent Swiss watch brands are in everyone's wish list.

Some of The Most Popular Swiss Watches

Rolex Submariner - Rolex has been a synonym for premium wristwatches. Rolex launched the Submariner wristwatch in 1953. Since then, it has been a favorite of deep-sea divers. The popularity of the Rolex Submariner increased, when it was adopted by Sean Connery for their James Bond series movies. Their fans around the world started adopting the style and elegance of Rolex Submariner. The standards of engineering and distinctive designs of Rolex Submariner are beyond comparison.

Rolex Date-Just - Date-Just was the first Swiss watch featured with a facility of displaying dates. Almost every Date-Just comes with Cyclopes magnifying lens that helps in easy reading of dates. Date-Just have been a favorite of premium watch lovers all around the world. That is the reason, Date-Just is among the most popular and best selling watches for both men and women.

Omega Speedmaster - Omega has been instrumental in creating the finest watches. Omega Speedmaster is the only NASA certified watch. This is the only watch that astronauts are using in space missions out of crafts. Omega Speedmaster has witnessed several historical moments. Omega Speedmaster became the first and only watch worn on the moon. Omega Speedmaster Professional and Omega Speedmaster X-33 are the most popular variants of the Speedmaster series. People who want the best in everything prefer to have Speedmaster series of watches.

Aforementioned watches are among the most popular premium Swiss watches. Owning one of them is like owning a masterpiece in engineering. However, the costs of these watches are beyond the limit of common people. Average cost of Rolex Submariner comes around US$ 20000, Date-Just Men which is among the cheapest Date Just variant comes around US$ 5000, and Speedmaster series watches comes around US$ 3000.

These mechanical marvels representing the best artisanship are beyond reach of people on a limited budget. Therefore, they look forward to Swiss replica watches representing similar designs and style sense. They are the cheapest alternative of designer replica watches. People who are keen to adopt the style sense of best selling Swiss watches, but do not have enough money to buy them can go for replica designer Swiss watch options.

A Discussion on Men's Silver Jewelry

The Metro sexual Man has finally come of age. This can be seen from the fact that jewellery for men can finally be seen on the shelves along with popular women jewellery. Looking at the number of Hollywood stars who seem to be easily carrying off jewellery items, more and more urban men all over the world are experimenting with such adornments.

The Advent of International Brands

Such ornamental items, once synonymous with femininity are now used by the urban male all across the globe. Looking at the changing trends, more and more local as well as international brands catering to women's ornamental items are looking forward to making men's silver jewellery. Recently, a number of brands, in collaboration with famous Hollywood stars as well as other prominent personalities from the field of entertainment have come out with exquisite men's jewelry lines. These ornaments, however expensive, are preferred by the elite, over other conventional ornamental brands.

Men's Silver Jewelry for the Masses

Who says you have to shell out a few thousand dollars every time you want to change that old piece of ornament and buy a new one? Who says you have to buy jewels when some of the trendiest pieces of jewelry are available in materials like silver, wood and ceramic.There is a number online line as well as real-world stores that are catering to the needs of the middle-class metro sexual man.

There are pros and cons of buying such ornamental items from online stores:

Pros

The kind of variety you are going to find at an online store is unsurpassable. The same goes with the discounts.

Cons

You may find similar prices in a real-world market as well but in the real-world markets, you'll have the option of bargaining. Imagine getting something you found at an online store at $14.95 for $9.95 in a real-world store.

Statistics

If you think that men aren't as inclined towards looking good as much as women, you need to think again. Here are a few statistics to help you change your outlook.

1. More than $48.3 billion worth of jewellery was purchased by men, globally. That accounts for 12% of all the jewellery sold.

2. Most of that jewellery was purchased by them for wives and girlfriends.

What's important to know is that these trends are changing fast as an ever-rising number of men are buying jewellery for themselves rather than for the women in their lives.

What's Sought After?

Real men do wear zing! Bracelets aren't feminine any more. Quite like women, Men love to wear bracelets studded with jewels. The latest ones in the market are everything but feminine! A number of low-cost men's bracelets come with hard silver-plated steel and rubber to give them a rugged look. Besides bracelets, rings are also one of the most preferred. They are a great way for men to add a bit of punch to their lives.There's is more to men's jewellery! Please refer to online resources for more information.

Hot Trend 2010 - Unique Diamond Bracelet


To be cutting edge in 2010, check out the unique diamond bracelet hot trend. The hot trend in 2010 of the unique diamond bracelet is the result of raging gold prices, a sour economy, and fashion matching. We have polled the populace and gauged the pulse of style in the fashion jewelry industry and the jewelry piece of the year is going to be the bracelet.

The trends are revealing these surprising patterns. Unique diamonds are becoming very popular. What I mean by a unique diamond is a stone with a history. Inclusion, flaw included diamonds are not a problem as long as it has a unique identifying feature. Perhaps this very diamond was passed from generation to generation in your family to finally end up in your hands. The emotional value of the diamonds history will far outweigh its quality value.

Also, 2010 will see a rise in colored diamonds that are less common than the typical clear or colorless stones. Pink diamonds set in bracelets, pendants and earrings are becoming hugely popular. The chocolate diamond is gaining market share and various other colored gemstones are being used with increasing frequency in jewelry designs by famous designers. The more unique your diamond is, in color, history and discovery, the more valuable it will be in 2010.

When it comes to jewelry design, the bracelet will be the name of the game in 2010. The tennis bracelet or inline bracelet is being seen with increasing frequency on celebrities and fashion movers. A uniquely designed diamond bracelet that defies the classic trends in design are flying off the shelves. Black diamond tennis bracelets, unusual design patterns will be the gift of choice this coming year.

Quality and value will be increasingly important this coming year with a floundering economy, and people are looking for value outside of just a price factor. Unique custom jewelry can accessorize your style and express your character with cleverness trumping cost. In 2010, find a diamond bracelet that expresses your personality with elegance and style, and don't feel obligated to spend a ton to stay with the times.

Recycle Gold For Extra Cash


Many people are trying to save money right now and find ways to earn some extra cash. Most people are worried about the economy and the tough financial times that we are facing. The value of gold continues to rise and provide a safe cash investment. Gold prices are predicted to continue rising through out the global financial crisis. It is important that the average person understand the security that gold investments provide. You may also be interested in a recycle gold option as a way to get some extra money.

You may have the need for some extra cash to help support your family. One way that you can get some quick cash is to recycle gold. If you have any old jewellery lying around it is possible to turn it into cash. It is a safe option that allows you to earn more that you would get at a pawn shop. Many people do not realize how quick and easy it is to recycle gold. All you need to do is contact a buying and evaluate their prices. If you are able to agree on the price then you will be paid for your gold. This is a great option for struggling families or those that just want to get rid of unused gold items.

The process to recycle gold is very easy and safe. The process is simple and can be done securely online. Your privacy is protected and you will be assured of a prompt payment. This is less complicated then going out to your local pawn shop and you may end up with less cash. You can trust that most recycle gold companies are very trustworthy and pay higher than most pawn shops. If your old jewellery and other gold pieces are not being used then this option may be the perfect way to put some extra money into your pocket.

Many people are choosing to recycle gold as a way to get through hard times. If you were going to throw it away then it only makes sense to turn the garbage into money. Many people are deciding to recycle gold and are becoming repeat customers. They enjoy the ease and convenience of turning old jewellery into much needed cash. You may use the extra money you make to pay bills, travel, and entertainment or to purchase new jewellery. The possibilities are endless and this program is becoming very popular among people that need extra money.

Gold prices are on the rise and many companies are paying top dollar for gold pieces. Now is the perfect time to recycle gold jewellery that you don't think you need anymore. Don't let it sit and gather anymore dust. You can quickly turn it all into money and enjoy the financial reward.