Tips To Rate Diamonds

The only people who can authenticate a real diamond are certified gemologists specializing in jewelry. However, if you are browsing rings at a flea market and want to quickly assess whether a clear stone is probably glass, cubic zirconium, quartz, or leaded crystal, there are a few easy tests you can apply without any special equipment. These tests at least rule out recognizable imposters because they rely on the way a real diamond stone refracts light, conducts heat, and looks up-close.

If the gem in question is loose and unmounted, try placing it over printing. Diamonds refract so much light that they will not work as a magnifying glass and you would see no lines, circles, or letters through them. Other clear stones like glass or crystal will reveal the print clearly. A similar test uses a small light, such as the one that comes with your key ring. If you shine the light through the stone and cannot see it on the other side, but only a bright halo around the rim, it is more likely to be a true diamond.

Diamonds are also very good at conducting heat. Breathe on the surface of the stone and immediately check to see if it has fogged up. Again, quartz, glass, and cubic zirconium will stay hazy for a moment before the condensation dissipates, but you shouldn't be able to see any moisture on a true diamond. However, one rock, called moissanite, will also pass this test, so the best way is to get a complete thermal conductivity evaluation performed by a jeweler.

Looking closely at the specks, ridges, and facets can also give you a clue into the identity of your gem. Diamonds do have inclusions, tiny bits of other minerals that got crushed into the diamond while it formed deep under the earth. However, if the facets have worn or rounded edges, bubbles, or if the gem looks rippled or pitted, it is probably glass. Those gems that are perfectly clear, with absolutely no inclusions, are probably quartz.

Finally, some common sense measures can prevent you from getting pressured to purchase a gem that turns out to be something other than a diamond. It shouldn't be ridiculously inexpensive, or you'll get what you pay for. It also will usually be mounted in an "open back" setting, which means that you can see around the rear of the gem and the back surface isn't coated with any silvery substance. Although it's true that diamonds are the hardest organic substance on earth, the infamous test of scratching diamonds across glass or metal might just give you a damaged diamond.

Even many gemologists cannot distinguish "real" diamonds from cultured diamonds. Cultured diamonds have been artificially manmade in a laboratory, not mined from mountains, yet they are chemically identical to those diamonds. Some companies are developing new kinds of identification methods for those who would like to purchase a mined diamond or for those that prefer a cultured one.

Extracted from Victor Epand's article, the owner of JewerlyGift.biz

Onassis Diamond Breaks The Auction Record

12th June 2008, Athina Onassis, sold a flawless 38-carat diamond that belonged to her heiress mother Christina for £3,625,000 at auction.

The pear-shaped, colourless diamond, which is the centrepiece of a pendant necklace, was bought for twice its estimated value.

She sold the collection in a jewellery sale at Christie's in London because it was said to be too old-fashioned for her.

Christie's jewellery expert, said Christina's gems were the highlight of the day's auction, which made a total of £15million - a British record for a jewellery sale.

Among the other items in her collection was a Faberge Buddha ornament from Aristotle's yacht, which fetched £1,273,250.

Pearl are one of the most precious types of jewelry. It's also known as "organic gems" since they are formed by shellfish, pearls have been harvested and worn for more than 4,000 years.

A pearl is formed when a foreign material or parasite enters the shell of an oyster and cannot be expelled. To reduce irritation, the oyster coats the intruder with the same semi-translucent crystalline material called "nacre" it uses for shell-building. The oyster deposits layers around the object. The longer the material stay, the thicker the nacre layer that the oyster puts on it (pearl). The thicker the nacre layer, the more expensive the pearl.

Selecting Your Pearl

The quality of a pearl depends on many factors such as shape, size, color, luster and surface condition.

Shape – Pearls generally come in three shapes: spherical, symmetrical and baroque.
Spherical pearls are the most desirable, the rarest and most expensive. Symmetrical pearls include teardrop shaped pearls and other balanced pearls. Baroque pearls are irregular shaped pearls and they are the least desirable and cheaper than the other three.

Size – Pearl size is more of a personal preference than anything else. Larger pearls are rarer and more expensive.

Color – Color is very important. The most popular is a white pearl with a tinted rose overtone. Cream colored pearls are more available and therefore less expensive. Beware that some of the more expensive colored pearls such as black and gold varieties may be dyed.

Pearls also come in pastel colors such as: pink, purple, yellow, golden, green, silver, and blue. The most valuable overtone color in light pearls is rose, and in black pearls, green is most desirable. Women should select pearls according to their own skin color. Rose colored pearls generally look best on fair skin. Cream colored pearls look best on olive skin. Black and silver colored pearls complement most skin colors.

Borneo Pearls Freshwater Dangling Pearl Earrings

This dangling pearl stunner is perfect with sophisticated evening gowns, cocktail dresses and even your little black dress. For a look reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn!

Built & nurtured in the heart of Borneo Island since 1998

Offer Classic as well as Contemporary touch in its wide collection, ranging from Genuine Pearls, Mother of Pearls, Gem Stones, Swarovski Components Crystals, well embedded and complimented with 925 Silver, Carat Gold, Brass & Alloy

Committed to economic well being of rural communities in Borneo (Sabah)

Type of pearl: Cultured Freshwater Pearl
Size of pearl: 5 – 7.5 mm
Color of pearl: Peach/White/Black/Lavender
Pearl Quality: AA
Color of crystal: Clear

Price: US$6.60

Test Your Pearl

Pearls are an organic gem, created when an oyster covers a foreign object with beautiful layers of nacre. Long ago, pearls were important financial assets, comparable in price to real estate, as thousands of oysters had to be searched for only one pearl. They were rare because they were created only by chance.


Today pearls are cultured by man: shell beads are placed inside an oyster and the oyster is returned to the water. When the pearls are later harvested, the oyster has covered the bead with layers of nacre. Most cultured pearls are produced in Japan. In the warmer waters of the South Pacific, larger oysters produce South Sea cultured pearls and Tahitian black cultured pearls, which are larger in size. Freshwater pearls are cultured in freshwater mussels, mostly in China.

The quality of pearls is judged by the orient, which is the soft iridescence caused by the refraction of light by the layers of nacre, and luster, the reflectivity and shine of the surface. Fine pearls do not have any flaws or spots in the nacre: it has an even smooth texture. Other factors which affect value are the regularity of the shape, size, and color: rose tints are the most favored.

Cultured pearls and natural pearls can be distinguished from imitation pearls by a very simple test:
Flaw Test
Examine the pearls for flaws. If they appear flawless, this is a sign they are imitations. Also note the types of flaws present. Many of those found on cultured pearls look different from those on imitations.

Overtone Test
Look for overtone colors in the pearls. Imitations frequently have none, and when they do the overtones all tend to look the same. It’s normal for cultured and natural pearls to have overtones, and these overtones often vary in color within the strand.

Tooth Test
Rub the pearls lightly along the biting edge of your upper front teeth. If they feel gritty or sandy, it’s likely they are cultured or natural pearls. If they feel smooth, they are probably imitations.

Bounce Test
Bounce the pearls in your hand. If they feel unusually light, they’re most likely made of plastic or filled with wax. Solid glass beads may feel heavier or about the same as cultured and natural pearls.