“!(imgleft)http://farm1.static.flickr.com/32/101601368_2886b49aa9_m.jpg!(Tiffany’s Lucida)”:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/101601368/
It’s really quite dull being sick and stuck at home. The virus has thankfully been demolished, sort of, and the only symptoms I have are a congested nose, scratchy throat and freezing even when under a quilt. The Internet is now my best friend and my current obsessions are furnishings for the flat (which will only be ready next year) and DIAMONDS.
Like most girls, I love diamonds. I love how they wink and flash under the sunlight. Even though my poor old ring was only a pointer ring, it could still gleam brightly when the sunlight catches it in the right angle. However, my love for these stones is a superficial one – I merely look at the aesthetics and have zero knowledge of how to differentiate a good stone from a not so good one. So, with my two days in exile from civilisation, I decided to pick up some knowledge from the WWW.
First of all, unlike what most people think, carat is not the most important thing to look out for in a diamond. Cut is. To put it simply, a smaller diamond that has a better cut than a bigger diamond would appear more sparkly and brilliant.
Cut is determined by a few factors such as the depth of the stone, the girdle and the table.
Another misconception is that only diamonds graded Flawless and VVS (very, very slight) in terms of clarity are worth buying. Truth is, the inclusions in VS1 grade diamonds can hardly be seen by the naked eye and can appear as brilliant as a VVS diamond as long as the cut is good. So really, there is no point in splurging so much money on a flawless diamond.
As for colour, it really is up to the wearer’s preferences. Some may prefer a warmer stone while others like the colourless effect. If colour is not a main concern, then getting a G-I stone may not be a bad idea (with D-F being the highest grade).
While reading online reviews, many writers have expressed their dissatisfaction with mainstream jewellery chains. Often, it seems that the prices these people had paid for their diamond rings are inflated and do not reflect the quality of the diamond. A cousin of mine had also noted that most of the money we pay towards a Tiffany ring, as gorgeous as they are, goes into marketing and not into the diamond. She also advised me to buy a ring that is about 0.75 carats or 0.9 carats, which are considered magic weights, because the price difference from there to 1 carat is too great.
I’m not particularly fond of the rings found in the chain stores here, honestly, because I find their designs rather dull and run of the mill. And even though the Lucida is still a favourite, I find myself loving it more for its setting and its shape than for the dream of unwrapping that light blue box. I prefer a stronger design, something different than the normal dainty solitaires which is quite uncommon in the stores here.
Besides, I am quite a fan of the princess cut but somehow, the chain stores seem to believe that girls will only go for round diamonds. Strange.
The thing is, diamonds really have little resale value. You can’t eat your diamonds when times are tough and neither can they keep you warm at night. Think carefully before splashing out that wad of cash on that Tiffany’s ring and don’t buy impulsively into a dream marketed by ruthless businesses.
Yannisms 