As a former British colony, despite the War of Independence, we Americans are known for our love of all things British. As an example of how influential a small lump of rock across the Atlantic has been to the US and the world, we still use the names of English Kings and Queens to label our style periods. A good example of this is the Georgian era. The Georgian Era In truth, the Georgian period…
Continue readingThe 2.50-carat engagement ring is getting increasingly popular. Discover everything that you need to know about the rings within this bracket. Learn shopping tips and more. Why Choose a 2.50 Carat Engagement Ring? Once we get above 2 carats in diamond engagement rings, prices start to escalate pretty quickly. The main reason is the rarity of good quality examples above this size. This means demand is usually way ahead of supply. As a result, dealers…
Continue readingWhen people from outside of the city think “New York”, they’re really often thinking “Manhattan”. After all, it’s Manhattan where all the great movie scenes are shot. It has Central Park, the Empire State Building, Seinfeld, and Friends. To the outside world, Manhattan IS New York. Of course, that’s not the case, or anywhere near to it. The five boroughs of the city all have their own unique cultures and outlooks. Brooklyn, of course, is no…
Continue readingGrading diamonds are both objective and subjective. The search for flaws and inclusions is the objective part, they’re either present or they’re not. The subjective part is when the clarity of the diamond comes to actually be given. Although it should be consistent, the fact is that those doing the grading may not see the same things. Or they may see the same things but then give different grades for identical diamonds. The short answer…
Continue readingElizabeth Taylor was famous for many things. An acclaimed actress who had parts in many major TV shows and movies, her name is known worldwide. But it’s not just for her acting that she is well known. As well as collecting movie roles, Taylor also collected jewelry. She didn’t actually buy much of it, however. Instead, the men she dated, and sometimes married, just kept buying it for her. And it wasn’t just any old…
Continue readingA photographer is no longer just engaged for the duration of the wedding day. More and more of us are now choosing to record our engagement for posterity. An engagement is a wonderful, precious event, so why shouldn’t we have a physical memento of the occasion? But, whereas a wedding album writes itself, in many ways, an engagement shoot isn’t quite so self-fulfilling. So how do you make sure your engagement shoot turns out to…
Continue readingThe term “marquise” isn’t one we hear a lot in today’s diamond world. We do hear terms like the football, boat, eye, and navette all of which, collectively make up the family of marquise cuts. The Origins of the Marquise Cut Despite its relative lack of use compared to more popular modern cuts, the marquise has been around a long time. Unusually, though, for diamond cut types, it isn’t named for any actual corresponding shape.…
Continue readingNovember Birthstone: Topaz And Citrine November, like a few other months, has more than one birthstone. Perhaps the reason why is because of their remarkable visual similarity. Although topaz occurs in many colors, yellow to brown orange are the most common. This has historically meant confusion with citrine due to the similar range of colors. It is actually only relatively recently that the two have become distinct gemstones with no crossover. Myths About Topaz and…
Continue readingAlthough not a term which is used in everyday life by the general public, those with an interest in diamonds will use the phrase “triple excellent” when talking about certain diamonds. Triple excellent is also known as Triple X. But what exactly is triple excellent? Beyond The 4 Cs By now, most people are at least aware of the 4 Cs of diamond grading. Cut, clarity, color, and carat weight are the fundamental elements of…
Continue readingMarriage proposals, like nostalgia, aren’t what they used to be. Gone are the days when a man’s position was enough to secure a maiden’s hand in marriage. Today, proposals can consist of anything from a simple question in a private setting, to a full-on, no holds barred flash mob in the middle of a busy street. Here is our guide on how to propose! But there are still a loose set of basic rules which…
Continue readingDiamonds are all graded on the relative quality in 4 categories, Clarity, Color, Cut and Carat weight. These 4Cs are used worldwide when appraising diamonds, and each is given a rating on a well-defined scale. VVS represents a score of the clarity of a diamonds. Clarity is a measure of how clear or “clean” an individual diamond is. It is unaffected by the color of the stone, and simply measures the level of flaws and…
Continue readingOctober is another month that has more than one birthstone. Opal is remarkable for its ability to display just about any color in a variety of light conditions. Although known since the days of Ancient Rome, it was the discovery of significant deposits in Australia in 1956 which really put opal on the map. Tourmaline is another colorful gemstone. Although there are a number of gems which occur in several colors, few occur in such…
Continue readingWe are all conditioned to think that diamonds are very white in color. In reality, though, with the exception of the very whitest D color diamonds, most have a slight yellow tint. The key is how yellow the tint is, and whether you can see it easily or not. On the GIA color scale, any diamond from D-J is colorless to the naked eye. Beyond this, it becomes easier to see any trace of color.…
Continue readingScavenger hunts proposals are beautifully simple. At least they are if you’re a participant. If you’re a planner, they can be terrifying. Not the concept, that’s simple enough, but keeping them engaging throughout multiple stages. And praying that the end was worth the effort for all concerned. Such hunts are becoming more popular as a way of proposing, and you’d think the very specific aim would make it easy. It can, though, be trickier than…
Continue readingBack before units of measurement became standardized, weights for different things came from different scales. Some of these survive today, such as measuring a horse’s height in “hands” or still using the Troy Ounce to weigh gold. Another is the carat for measuring the weight of a diamond.
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