Cubic Zirconiac VS Diamond

Cubic zirconia is much less expensive than a diamond, so cubic zirconia engagement rings

are much more affordable than diamond engagement rings.

Not only are cubic zirconia engagement rings less expensive, but they look almost the exact same! To an untrained eye, cubic zirconia looks identical to diamond.

When thinking of getting an engagement ring, here's a chart comparing both cubic zirconia to diamonds that you'll want to consider:

Cubic Zirconia Compared to Diamonds ?

	Cubic Zirconia	Diamond
Price for one carot	Less than $20	Approximately $20,000
Light dispersion	higher	lower
Hardness	Not hard at all	About 500 times harder than CZ
Weight	Heaver than diamond	Ligher than CZ
Durability	Will show wear over time	One of the most durable materials in the world

If you're wondering how easy it is to sniff out a cubic zirconia engagement ring vs. a diamond ring, it's hard.

At first glance, the two seem quite similar; truth be told, the best way to tell them apart is by using specific tools such as a magnifying glass or microscope. If your girlfriend whips these out when you propose, you might want to reconsider the engagement ;)

After time, however, cubic zirconia could crack, scratch or fade in brilliance easily. Hopefully by then you've either come clean about buying it for her (if you lied initially) or you've saved up enough money to get a diamond engagement ring.

They say a diamond is forever and that's more than just a marketing slogan- diamonds are very durable and will keep their shape and form for a lifetime in most cases. Cubic zirconia rings, however, will fade after several years depending on their exposure and care.

Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings- Common Elements Used

Cubic zirconia isn't the only material in an engagement ring- there's also the ring/band itself to consider. The most common materials used are:

• Sterling silver
• Sterling silver coated with platinum
  
• Rhodium coated sterling silver
• White gold (in rare cases)

Do you see a common theme here? It's Sterling Silver and that's in order to keep the cost of the engagement ring down.

If your aim is to get an affordable engagement ring that will last, I would strongly suggest getting one with a platinum or rhodium coat. Sterling silver is too easily scratched and damaged; platinum is not.

For other types of affordable engagement rings, consider also looking at:

• Gemstone engagement rings
• Cheap diamond engagement rings
• Ruby engagement rings
• Build your own engagement rings

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How to Clean Your Diamond Ring at Home

Diamond engagement ring, a symbol of love and care, a promise of marriage and happiness. Probably one of the most memorable moments in one’s life is given and getting a diamond engagement ring.

Diamond engagement ring is something which will be worn for many years and of course likely be handed down to the next generation.

At the time when you receive your diamond engagement ring, you will be amazed by the sparkle of the diamond. It’s simply beautiful. But day by day its sparkle will become fade and the ring its self look dull. Diamonds have a magnetic affinity for grease.

Daily products such as soaps, our natural skin oils, hand lotions, hair styling sprays, everyday dust and other house hold products leave enough of a film on your diamond ring and the ring its self look dull.

Thick layer of gunk and grime will accumulate over time behind the diamond blocking light and making the diamond look dull and unattractive.

Coatings and other special substance used to protect them and keep their shine. Using abrasive substances, harsh chemicals and vigorous scrubbing could potentially remove this protective coating making the ring more susceptible to dirt and grime. So, take special care when cleaning your diamond ring.

There are many products available in the market you can buy to clean your diamond engagement ring but you can clean your ring yourself and can save some money.

Knowing how to clean diamonds will keep your engagement ring dazzling for years.

There are many home tonic dealing with how to clean jewelry. But most of these do not work and can be extremely harmful to your jewelry.

Below are some of those tonic, try to avoid them for the sake of your diamond engagement ring:

Clean your jewelry often to avoid having to take it to a jeweler for costly and harmful cleaning methods.


Avoid

1. Boiling water:

Many people believe that boiling water can remove all unwanted substances. This is also true for jewelry. Do not even boil your diamond ring in water as it will destroy fine jewelry.

2. Toothpaste:

Toothpaste is abrasive. But toothpaste is highly used as a most common home remedies for cleaning jewelry. You should completely avoid using toothpaste to clean your jewelry. Toothpaste is only for your teeth not for your jewelry. Toothpaste will scratch gold and soften gems.

Diamond Engagement Ring
Diamond Engagement Ring

3. Soap:

Soap cannot be an option for cleaning your diamond ring.

Even the mildest soap unavoidably leaves chemicals and residues on surfaces it cleans and even small deposits of soapy residue will dull the stone.

Specialized jewelry cleaners and detergents formulated to remove deposits and chemical buildup are the best choices for cleaning diamond engagement rings and other diamond jewelry.

Engagement Ring from Amazon


Now come to the point of cleaning Your Diamond Engagement Ring.

Option -1

You are not enough experts to clean your diamond ring, so the first choice is go back to the jewellery shop. They are expert and can be able to-

1. Check the condition of the ring

2. Make sure that the claws are in good condition, and

3. Ensure that there are no problems.


Option -2

The second option is – "clean your diamond jewellery yourself". Always be careful as you are not expert as that jewellery cleaner of the jewellery shop.

What you can do?

You can use a small soft brush such as an eyebrow or lip stick brush and a warm solution of mild liquid detergent or mild soap and water to clean your jewelry.

1. Soak your diamond ring in a warm solution of mild liquid detergent and water.
2. If there is any dirt or dust than use a soft brush and gently brush at the back of the stone.
3. Change angles frequently to work into crevices.
4. Rinse in running water or fresh water and frequently change angles to remove all cleaning solution.
5. Dry the ring with clean lint-free cloth (e.g. used for cleaning a camera lens or glasses) or a jewelry polish cloth.

Precautions-

1. If you have sensitive skin use rubber gloves.

2. Don’t use a brush with bristles.

3. Be very gentle while removing the dust/dirt.

4. Put the ring in a strainer to keep from losing it.

My Jewellry Store (US)

How to Buy a diamond engagement ring?

Smart guys not only acquire precious love but also know how to buy valuable jewelry

So you love her and you are ready to buy an engagement ring for her. It seems fairly simple: Treat. Here's the plan: Withdraw cash from any ATM or sign up checks or bring your new or heavily abused credit card into a form of transport into jewelry, choose what you like, pay and leave. It may be literally that easy! Buying an engagement ring is a piece of cake for some, but buying a good one is a bit more difficult, so become smart enough before buying your first diamond.

Let me define what is a good diamond: A good diamond is one that will hold its value (what you paid for) or increase in value over the time period. For 2009, only one out of 50 diamonds sold to an endusers (that is) will hold its value or increase in value. The other 49 (98 percent of the game) will have an average value of the secondary market only 19.7 percent of the original purchase price. This means that if you do not know how to choose a good diamond, you will have loss of value of your diamond by over 80 percent! A poorly selected diamond, which you will buy at 5000 dollars (245,000 INR) will sell off somewhere around 1000 dollars (48840 INR) after the 30-day return policy expires. Obviously, I do not want that to happen. I want that the new diamond you are going to purchase now will keep on increasing in value for years to come.

So you say yes, I knew it that a smart will say YES, so it is better to do your homework before purchasing your diamond rings and follow these simple strategies by me for you so that you do not fall prey to misleading diamond sellers.


Beautiful blue diamond ladies ring for freshness and comfort


Strategy #1: What is your budget?

Go ahead, think, and set up a reasonable amount that you would like to spend before you go for buying your first diamond. A recent research in India has shown that people who purchase diamond engagement rings spend somewhere around 2000 to 4000 dollars on an average. If you will do your homework, you should easily be able to get the diamond of your dreams less than the price.


Strategy #2: Think like a detective

Put on your detective hat and find out what shape and size of the diamond your wife or lover would like and what kind of approach she has for them as well and this information can be obtained by her best friend or mother. You can also walk through a mall with her having jewelry outlets, pop into a jewelry outlet and calmly say this phrase to her, "Hey darling, if you could have any jewelry, what do you choose?" and she will say this or that and in this way, you can get to know about her taste. Also, while in that jewelry outlet, get her ring size.


Strategy #3: Brush up your knowledge of diamonds

When you will go in to buy diamond jewelry, it is important to speak in the language of jewelers to get to know what is its fair price. Here comes the time when you should know about 4C and 5C - "cost" to come. Here is a brief tutorial. The 4C stands for carat weight, color, clarity, and cut of the diamond.

I. Carat weight: This is the physical weight of the diamond. It can be described in fractions ¼ ct, ½ ct, 1 ct, etc. or dots .37, .45, .98. When I say points, it indicates percentage points (1 ct is equal to 100 points) or 100 percent of the total, so a 48 ct means the diamond is 48 percent of 1ct. If the quality is good, the largest diamond or what we say "solitaire" costs more.

II. Engagement rings with the average size. Clarity: Here, we describe how the diamond is clean and free from inclusions and blemishes. Defects may be scratches, nicks, or chips outside of the diamond. Inclusions are imperfections that are "included" within the diamond. The clarity scale begins with "perfect" and runs ends at "imperfect". That's the whole scale.

· VS-1 - SI-1 are really good to get if the diamond is to be worn. · -IF - VVS-2 are the best for investment. · I-1 - I-3 are very poor, but this quality is available for very tight budgets.

III. Color: Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow, but usually the white is better. The alphabet minus A, B and C are used to indicate how the diamond is. White: D, E, F are colorless, G, H, I, near colorless, J, K, L and K through Z are slightly yellow and are of low value.

IV. Size: The proportions of a diamond are critical for the amount of brilliance and beauty (dispersion) we see. Diamonds are available in four classes of cut. Class I and Class II are well proportioned diamonds and average 88-93 percent light return. Class III and Class IV are not properly proportioned and average only 33-38 percent light return.

V. Cost: Instead of putting a sheet of money that does not stay current, have a good list of resources for the best price possible, you can get for any carat weight, clarity, color and cut.

Strategy #4: Choosing Quality

While a poor quality of diamonds can be bought as soon as it takes to go to 7-11, some diamonds of good quality can take months to find. Your best bet is to start your search six months in advance. If this sounds extreme, think how long it took to find your woman!

So to recap, before buying a diamond engagement ring, you have the best strategy! This includes establishing the budget, her and your expectations, have a good understanding of 4c and 5c, etc. being yourself, and giving enough time to pull out of everything.

Now you have become a very smart lover. Good luck and congratulations for your engagement with the love of your life.

My Jewellry Store (US)

Caring for Your Pearls

Pearl Care

Pearls are the world's only organic gem and are composed of calcium carbonate. This means special attention is required to ensure pearls will stay beautiful and last a lifetime.

Pearls Require Special Care

Because pearls are an organic gemstone, they are somewhat different from other gemstones and precious metals. They are softer and more delicate, and they can therefore be more easily scratched, cracked, and damaged. In addition, substances such as perfume and hair spray -- and even natural body oils and perspiration -- can dull pearls' luster or cloud their brilliance. For these reasons, your pearls may require a bit of special care.

Be Careful With Cosmetics And Your Pearls

It's a good idea, for example, to apply perfume, hair spray, and other cosmetics before putting on your pearls. In this way, you can minimize the amount of these products that comes into contact with the pearls. After wearing your pearls, wipe them with a soft damp cloth to remove any traces of cosmetic products or body oils. Wash the pearls periodically with a mild soap and a soft cloth, to remove any accumulated build-up.

Store Your Pearls Separately

Because of their delicacy, pearls should be stored separately, away from hard jewelry items, to prevent scratches or other damage. If possible, store them wrapped in soft cloth or in a soft-lined container, pouch, or jewelry box.

Related Forum Threads:
- Caring for Freshwater Pearls

Grading Pearls

Pearl Grading Defined

Pearl Grading is the practice of assigning degrees of quality to a pearl or a piece of pearl jewelry based of the quality attributes designated by industry best practices and authority groups such as GIA and EGL.

There Is No Industry-Wide Standard Pearl Grading System - Yet

As with any other item that can appear in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors and conditions, a standardized system of grading must be used when purchasing or selling pearls. Only in this way can the pearl be described according to mutually agreed-upon and understood terms, so that both buyer and seller can determine a fair price. Unfortunately, the pearl industry as a whole has not adopted a universally used standard grading system. Instead, the specific grading system often used, depends upon the specific jeweler or pearl distributor. Eventually a standard system will come into the market - most likely developed by the Gemological Institute of America. Until that time, those in the industry must rely on commonly accepted grading systems derived from the quality grading characteristics of pearls.

There Are Two Major Pearl Grading Systems – But Buyer Beware

Two major grading systems are in fairly widespread use: the AAA-A system and the A-D system (also called the Tahitian system). These are the most accepted systems, and considered standard by nearly all reputable pearl dealers, both retail and wholesale. But even these systems can become misleading if a seller uses terms from the grading system, (such as "AAA") but uses them to describe a different quality pearl than that which the system is generally understood to be describing. Or a seller could use a term not in the grading system (such as "AAAA") to make it appear that the pearl is beyond even the highest standard quality -- when in reality, that seller's "AAAA" pearls are actually equivalent to the more-common "AAA" grade, and his "AAA" pearls might only be equivalent to the commonly used "AA." Use of "AAAA" or "AAA+" is considered bad taste, or even dishonest, by most reputable pearl dealers. It is seen as a way to simply charge the customer more without providing a superior product.

Ask To See The Pearl Grading Descriptions In Writing

For reasons such as these, it's extremely important when purchasing pearls, to be absolutely certain of the meaning of any descriptive terms used by the seller. If possible, ask to see a written description of each grading term, so that you know exactly what the grade implies. Reputable jewelers will be happy to comply with such a request. Only in this way will you be able to determine if the price the seller is asking is reasonable.
Related Articles:
- Tahitian and South Sea Pearl Grading

- Pearl Quality Factors

- Pearl Nacre

- Pearl Colors

- Pearl Luster

- Pearl Matching

- Pearl Surface

- Pearl Shapes

- Pearl Sizes

- Pearl Weight

- Imitation Pearls

The AAA-A System

This system grades pearls on a scale from AAA to A, with AAA being the highest grade. This grading scale is common to freshwater and akoya pearls only, but is accepted by many with South Sea and Tahitian pearls as well:
AAA:The highest-quality pearl, virtually flawless. The surface will have a very high luster, and at least 95% of the surface will be free from any type of defect.

AA: The surface will have a very high luster, and at least 75% of the surface will be free from any type of defect.

A: This is the lowest jewelry-grade pearl, with a lower luster and/or more than 25% of the surface showing defects. In many cases, if the pearl is being mounted into a piece of jewelry, it can be mounted so that the defects are hidden -- thus providing a lovely jewelry piece at a lower price.

Related Forum Threads:
- Detecting Dyed Pearls

- Discussing Orient

- Fabricated Grading (AAAA and AAA+)

- What is Gem Quality?

- Freshadama Grade Freshwater Pearls

- Pearl Grading Standards

- GIA Pearl Grading Course

- Standardizing Pearl Grading

- Better than AAA?

- Identifying South Sea Pearls

Intermediate Grades And Pearl Grading For Stands

Some reputable sellers may also use intermediate grades for the pearls - those pearls that do not fall in a category but are between two - such as A+ and AA+. Obviously, these grading categories are quite broad and leave room for interpretation and individual judgment. Also note that in multi-pearl pieces such as strands, necklaces, bracelets, etc., every one of the individual pearls may not absolutely meet the indicated grade level. For example, a strand referred to as "AAA" must have most of its pearls as AAA pearls. However, a few pearls could have slightly lower luster or a tiny bit more surface defects. This is because matching is also a primary consideration in multi-pearl jewelry, sometimes even overriding a very strict grading of each individual pearl.

The A-D System (or Tahitian System)

It is important to note that the following grading system can be interchanged with the AAA-A system. For more information please refer to: South Sea Pearl Grading
This system grades pearls on a scale from A to D, with A being the highest grade. This is the system used in French Polynesia (based on a government standard there) to grade Tahitian pearls, and South Sea pearls only. It is therefore sometimes referred to as the "Tahitian system." While this system is standard in producing countries, other markets will still utilize AAA-A.
A: The highest-quality pearl, with very high luster and only minor imperfections over less than 10% of its surface.
B: High or medium luster. Surface may have some visible imperfections, but over no more than 30% of its area.
C: Medium luster with surface defects over not more than 60% of the surface area.
D: May have many slight defects, but no deep ones, spread over 60% of its surface; or deep defects over no more than 60% of its surface; or a combination of minor and deep defects over no more than 60% of its surface. In this grade of pearl, the luster is irrelevant. Even the most lustrous pearls will be graded D if their surface is blemished to this extent. Pearls below D grade are considered not acceptable for use in jewelry.

Nacre Is The Final Factor In Grading Pearls

Both of the grading systems described above focus primarily on the luster and surface quality of the pearl to determine its grade. But keep in mind that other factors also contribute to the quality and final grade of any pearl. One of the most important is the thickness of the nacre, which often determines how durable the pearl will be over time. The thicker the nacre, the stronger and longer-lasting the pearl (provided it is treated well, of course!) For Tahitian pearls, the government of French Polynesia has set a minimum nacre thickness of 0.8 millimeters. Any pearls with nacre of less than that thickness are not allowed to be sold. Keeping in mind that Tahitian pearls tend to be larger than many other pearls (such as akoyas), you can use this rule as a guideline when evaluating your own potential pearl purchases.

Japanese Akoya Pearls

Japanese Akoya Pearls Defined

Japanese Akoya Pearls is a term often used as a misnomer to describe cultured akoya pearls. This is no longer an industry accepted term as akoya pearls are now grown in China, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia.

The Use of the Term "Japanese Akoya Pearls"

For the last century, Japan has been the undisputed champion producer of akoya pearls. Japanese akoya pearls have been known as the hallmark of classic quality and grace. Pearliculture of akoya pearls only began 100 years ago with the technique used by Kokichi Mikimoto - the same technique of nucleus insertion used today. But, as with so many other monopolized industries in the world, the strength of the Japanese in the akoya pearl industry has finally come to an end. The end has been visible to many over the last half-decade, but only recently has this been recognized and accepted by industry authorities.

Japanese Akoya Pearls; Made In Japan – Imported From China

With strong supplies of Chinese akoya pearls pouring into Japan, more than 80% of Japanese akoya pearl farmers are conducting operations in the red.* This is a trend that cannot continue indefinitely, but there is no clear end in sight as long as akoya prices remain stable. With the high price of Japanese materials and the low price of Chinese materials, factories in Japan are now increasingly turning to China as their main pearl source. Japanese factories are rapidly becoming the largest customers of many Chinese akoya pearl farmers. The pearls are imported from China into Japan, processed, and placed on temporary strands, which are then tagged "Made in Japan".

The Phrase ‘Japanese Akoya Pearls’ Is Losing Its Luster

Due to the fact that any given akoya pearl necklace today, almost certainly contains Chinese akoya pearls, the JCK** has recently announced that the phrase, "Japanese Akoya Pearls" is no longer an accurate industry term, and should not be used. The following is an excerpt from the article;
“Note that the phrase "Japanese Akoyas" is no longer used, since most strands combine Chinese and Japanese Akoyas. The consensus is that it doesn't matter where they're from as long as quality is high. But don't be fooled by tags that say, "Made in Japan." The strand is made in Japan, but the pearls on it may be Chinese.”

Related Articles and Forum Threads:
- Comparison of Japanese and Chinese Akoya- Japanese or Chinese?

- JCK on the Term "Japanese Akoya

- Does JPEA Blue Tag Mean Japanese Akoya?

Buyer Beware, Those Akoya’s Are Not All Japanese Akoya Pearls

What does this mean for the consumer? Consumers should not believe or trust pearl sellers that claim to be selling 100% Japanese akoya pearls. These sellers charge a premium for cultured akoya pearls which they may indeed import from Japan. What they are not telling their customers is the fact that not all of the pearls were cultured nor were they harvested in Japan. In fact, Pearl World, The International Pearling Journal, reports that as many as 80% of the pearls in any "Japanese" akoya pearl necklace are, in actuality, Chinese cultured pearls.

Japanese Akoya Pearls Are Sold Only To Factories, Not Retailers

What about those companies that claim to purchase akoya pearls directly from farms in Japan, many will ask. The answer is quite simple, unlike pearl farms in China, farms in Japan sell pearls only to factories. There, the pearls are polished, bleached, matched and drilled - they do not sell finished hanks of pearls, (temporary strands) directly to retailers. As particular farms focus on only one size of pearl, (typically within 1mm range) factories will buy pearls from numerous sources to create finished hanks of pearls. With a mix of 80% Chinese and 20% Japanese, the factories are able to make a handsome profit, while the Japanese pearl farmers continue to lose money.

The Consumer Wins In The End

A bright spot for consumers is the fact that many pearl retailers and wholesalers are accepting the fact that Chinese akoya pearls are, and will continue to be, the standard today, and have the integrity and honesty to express this and to educate their customers. For those retailers who will cling to the "Japanese Pearls Only" policy, eventually their deceit will be their demise.