The guide to all things of fashion And Gifts – Liorbenhorin.com

Posts Tagged ‘diamond’

January – Garnet

The Romans named this deep-red stone granatum, or pomegranate, because of its resemblance to the fruit’s rare, jewel-like seeds. Symbolizing faith and courage, garnets are believed to intensify affection and nurture the imagination.

February – Amethyst

A symbol of peace since ancient times, amethyst was once used to decorate the British crown jewels. Believed to promote tranquility, the stones are revered for their soothing characteristics.

March – Aquamarine

Named from the Latin words for water and sea, aquamarines were once worn by sailors to protect against seasickness. Today, the translucent blue stone is a symbol of courage and everlasting youth.

April – Diamond

During the Italian Renaissance, diamonds came to represent divine love from the translation dio (God) and amante (love). Today, diamonds remain the ultimate symbol of everlasting devotion.

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Platinum has become a popular choice for jewelry due to its strength, durability, and marketing efforts of the platinum industry in recent years. Platinum is three times more expensive than gold. Jewelers aggressively market it because they make three times the profit on every platinum item they sell compared to gold. Platinum is a naturally white, lustrous metal that is long lasting. Sometimes the claims of strength and scratch resistance are overstated. Like all precious metals, platinum will scratch. A platinum scratch is different from white gold because it simply “plows” the metal instead of removing it.

Traditionally, jewelry manufacturers used platinum alloyed with metals from the platinum group metals (iridium, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and ruthenium). With the proper mix of these platinum group alloys, platinum becomes one of the hardest metals making it a strong and durable jewelry metal. Platinum will not rust or corrode and the platinum family metals make it hypoallergenic and ideal for persons with sensitive skin.
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If you are still young enough to admit you have birthdays and your birthday falls in April then you already know the diamond is April’s birthstones. Celebrities who already have a love affair with diamonds are even more apt to be seen wearing diamonds if their birthday is in April. There are many April celebrities that share the diamond birthstone with you.
But did you know that the diamond is also deep in mystical powers from ancient times? It is said to enhance ones competence, trust and love relationships.

Diamonds also have a long history in their medicinal qualities. During ancient times diamonds were believed to heal illness. Diamonds were first placed into the bed to warm the diamond to enhance their healing qualities.

It is even said that over the centuries Cupid’s arrows were tipped in diamonds and thus it earned its reputation as the perfect gift of love.
The white and brilliant hues diamonds signify life, joy and innocence. But really diamonds come in a wide range of colors other than white which includes shades of gray, brown, yellow, blue, red, and green.
Pre 1400’s diamonds were only available to those of royal blood who were the only people able to wear the symbol of courage and invincibility. During the mid 1400s The Archduke Maximillian gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy beginning the long tradition of diamond engagement rings which is still carried on today.
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When it comes to diamonds, there are numerous scams to avoid. Most scams are minor, but there are some major ones that come up from time to time concerning the buying and selling of diamonds. Scams occur simply because most people who buy diamonds – for whatever reasons – don’t know that much about diamonds. Therefore, they are easily fooled.

Jewelry stores like to show their diamonds in bright lights. Lights make diamonds shine. Ask to see the diamond in a different, darker type of lighting as well. Jewelry also stores often run ‘fluorescence’ scams to varying degrees. Referring to a diamond as a blue-white diamond is such a scam. A blue-white diamond sounds very unique and special, but in fact, this type of diamond is of lesser quality – even though the jeweler will try to make you think you are getting something special.

A common scam that most jewelry stores participate in is the Carat Total Weight scam. The tag on the piece of jewelry, usually a ring, only states the total carat weight of all diamonds in the piece, instead of listing the total weights separately for each diamond. This leads consumers to believe that the main diamond in the piece is actually bigger than it is. Ask what the total carat weight of the center stone is. Also beware of fractions. Jewelry stores are allowed to round off diamond weights. This means that if the jeweler tells you that it is a ¾ carat diamond, it is probably between ½ and ¾ carat – but closer to ¾.

Some truly unscrupulous jewelers target those who want appraisals on diamonds that were given to them as gifts or that were purchased elsewhere. They will try to tell you that the diamond is worthless, or worth less than it actually is worth – and offer to take it off your hands or trade it for a much better diamond, along with the cash to make up the difference. This is called low balling. Get a second, third, and even a forth opinion before taking any action.
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