Education

How To Buy A Diamond • The Perfect Engagement Ring • Customer Awareness Guide

How to Buy A Diamond

When buying diamonds, as with any major purchase, the more you know, the better you can protect yourself from misrepresentation and fraud.
With that in mind, Marks Jewelers is providing you with everything you need to know about buying diamonds.

Click here to view our customer awareness guide that will inform you more about the facets of jewelry.

Please call us with any questions that may not be answered here: (215) 362-7132.

Click here to find out more about how to buy the perfect Diamond Engagement Ring.

What Makes a Diamond Rare?

A diamond's life began as crystallized carbon millions of years ago and more than 100 miles beneath the Earth’s surface. It then endured a violent journey upwards through the Earth’s crust, surviving immense pressures and temperatures, until it was deposited at the Earth’s surface. When that diamond deposit was detected, miners excavated and crushed 1 ton of ore to extract less than half a carat of rough diamond.That is less than the weight of a large paper clip!

Once they are mined, cut, and polished, diamonds are customarily graded. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has created the International Diamond Grading System which is used by jewelry professionals around the world to determine the quality of a stone. Four grading categories are used to describe and classify diamonds: clarity, color, cut, and carat weight – more commonly known as the Four Cs. The higher the grade in each of the categories – the rarer the stone.

What Gives a Diamond its Color?

In its purest state, a diamond is composed of carbon atoms and is colorless, like the De Beers Millennium Star. When certain impurity atoms replace carbon atoms, they impart tints of color. Yellow diamonds and most blue ones result from nitrogen and boron, respectively, trapped in the diamond’s structure. Diamonds that are pink to red and orange in color have imperfections at the atomic level which scientists call “color centers.” Green, blue-green, and a small number of blue diamonds are a special case. Their colors result from exposure to radiation over millions of years in the Earth. In all of these cases, portions of white light striking the diamond are absorbed. The remaining portions of light that are not absorbed are transmitted to the eye and result in the color we see.

Caring For Your Diamond

A diamond may be the hardest substance known to man, but to keep it looking its best, it needs proper care and maintenance. This is especially important if you wear your diamond every day. To keep daily build-ups of soap, cosmetics, and skin oils from dulling your beautiful jewelry, follow any one of the following procedures to care for your gem:

• Professional Cleaning
  This is the best option and also gives you the opportunity to have your retail jeweler check your diamond’s mounting to make sure prongs or other settings are not weak or loose. At Marks Jewelers, our professional team of experts will clean, polish, and check your diamonds for FREE. We assure the best possible job and take care of our customers’ jewelry as if it was our own.
• Cold Water Soak
  A mixture of half cold water and household ammonia will work well if your ring or diamond jewelry is allowed to soak for 30 minutes. Lift your ring out and clean gently around the front and back of the mounting with a small, soft brush. Give the ring a second swish through the solution and let dry on a paper towel. No rinsing is necessary.
• Over-the-Counter Jewelry Cleaners
  Ask your jeweler for a liquid jewelry cleaner made especially for diamonds and follow the instructions on the label. A good cleaner is designed to remove loose dirt and dissolve any oils or residue on the stone.
• Detergent Bath
  The simplest cleaning method for your diamond is to soak your jewelry in a small bowl of warm, sudsy water combined with any mild liquid detergent. Use a toothbrush or other soft brush and gently brush the ring around the setting while it is in the water. After its bath, put the ring in a fine wire strainer and rinse thoroughly under warm running water (the strainer provides protection for the ring from slipping down the drain). Pat your ring dry with a soft lint-free cloth.
• Ultrasonic Cleaning
  This method involves a special machine that uses a high-frequency vibration to clean the ring. The ring is enclosed in a small cup with cleaning solution and in just a minute, any dirt and oils are removed from the stone. The method can be done by your jeweler or at home after purchasing an ultrasonic cleaner.
  
  — Ray of Light

More Information

For further news or updates about diamonds, visit GIAs website at:www.gia.edu