Diamond Facts for that Valentine's Day Proposal

Choosing a diamond is an important investment. A diamond engagement ring is a lovely symbol of prosperity and lasting love. While most diamonds are brilliant sparkling white, there are also colored diamonds. They can be found in various mines around the world, but most are from South Africa.

Diamonds are mined from the vertical tubes left over from no longer active volcanoes. These tubes are called "pipes" by diamond miners. These pipes bring the raw mineral to the surface of the earth from deep in the mantle. The diamonds are washed down the surface of the hills, where they are sometimes mined from rivers.

But none of that matters to the happy bridegroom to be who is standing at the ring counter in the jewelry store! To him, the major considerations are quality and price. He will want to know about the four "c's" of buying a diamond. These factors, which all begin with the letter C, are the way diamonds are graded. The first of these is carat. Diamonds are weighed according to a unit called a carat, which is equal to one-fifth of a gram. A single diamond that weighs a carat will probably cost at least $5000.

Diamonds are also "cut" into different shapes, which also affects the value of the stone. The cut called the "brilliant" was designed by Marcel Tolkowsky in 1911. He was a gem cutter, but he was also a student of engineering. The brilliant is designed mathematically with 58 facets. It is one of the best cuts for accentuating a diamond's "fire." Jewelers refer to the rainbow colored refractions of light from a diamond as it's fire.

There are other popular cuts, as well, including the marquis, the emerald, and the oval. Diamonds can even be cut in a heart shape. Cutting a diamond takes hours, and must be done right or the diamond will not have the fire brought about by reflection of light from the sides and bottom of the stone.

The other two c-words used to evaluate diamonds are color and clarity. Color is divided among the fancies, which have color, such as pink or yellow, and the white stones. The white stones can be cream colored, but the whiter the stone is, the more valuable it is. Clarity refers to the absence of mineral imperfections. If a stone has imperfections, which can be seen through a jeweler's loupe, or magnifying glass, it will lower the diamond's value.

The stone or stones of a diamond engagement ring will be set in a precious metal such as gold, white gold, or platinum. The styles vary widely. Some rings are made with a group of small diamonds intended to mimic a large stone. These are much less expensive than a large stone. Another way to save money on a diamond is to get a good faux stone. Some of the cubic zirconium stones, sometimes called "CZ diamonds," are very beautiful.

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