Category: Education and More
Gemstone of the Month: Citrine
Citrine has been known over the years as a healing stone for both mind and body, but today it is best recognized as the birthstone for the month of November. The name citrine is derived from the French word “citron” which translates to lemon, because of its beautiful yellow hues. Citrine is most commonly found in Spain and Brazil in a wide variety of shades from bright yellow to a pale orange. In past years citrine has been known to encourage strength, hope, energy, and a healthy soul. Which is why it is no surprise that many couples are eager to add a citrine or two to their engagement ring or wedding band, and the added benefit of the stunning hues citrine is available in is that it matches both yellow gold and white gold beautifully. As the birthstone for one of the fall months, citrine can be used to brighten up any fall outfit.
Custom Wedding Band
The moment the decision to get married has been made, couples cannot wait to show off their new fiancée, and that beautiful diamond they’ve chosen as a symbol of their love. The excitement rushes in and there are a million things to do as the wedding bells draw closer. One of these tasks is to choose the wedding bands that they’ll be wearing for a life time. Wedding bands not only signify the sanctity of the relationship itself, but also, if done well, compliment the total look of the engagement ring.
Although there are a slew of wedding bands to choose from, the actual making of a custom wedding band is a great option for some. This way you can create the perfect ring to match your taste and of course your diamond engagement ring. Most custom wedding bands are designed to sit flush against the engagement ring. This means that the wedding band will lie directly beside the engagement ring with no gap; the wedding band is designed to curve and bend with the lines of the engagement ring thereby tailoring them perfectly to each other. For customers who plan to solder their engagement ring and wedding band together after the wedding it is an ideal design. Some customers, who aren’t sure if they’ll always wear their wedding band with their engagement ring together due to their work environment, worry about how their wedding band will look on its own with all the notches and curves. In this case, it is recommended that the wedding band is designed with more subtle curves and notches, so that it matches the engagement ring but still manages to look great on its own.
For many, having matching wedding bands is important. In this case, it is popular to have matching patterns or designs on each of the bands. These designs can range from having a similar Celtic pattern, embedded stripes or shapes, and fancy swirls. In all cases, having her band thinner than his does not take away from the concept of matching bands. This is a preference made by the couple at the time of ordering the wedding bands.
So when that special time in your live roles around for you to select your wedding bands, consider having them custom designed. Remember that you’ll be wearing your engagement ring and wedding band for a lifetime, so put that extra effort into making sure they complement each other beautifully.
Shopping for Diamonds
Shopping for a diamond engagement ring can be one of the most exciting experiences in a couple’s relationship, but it can take up some much needed and deserved time. Diamond engagement rings aren’t like any other piece of jewellery that a woman owns; unlike pendants or bracelets, a diamond engagement ring won’t be switched for another ring depending on the occasion as is often the case with other items of jewellery. Therefore, you are going to want to put in that extra effort when considering all the variables that go into making the perfect ring.
Choosing between white gold vs. yellow gold is generally the first decision made. For some, platinum becomes the metal of choice. The next step is to decide upon the design of the ring itself. Settings range from the classic solitaire setting to the more distinctive antique setting of the Victorian era. Once agreed upon, the actual shape of the diamond itself becomes the focal point of discussion. While shopping for engagement rings, be careful not to confuse diamond cut with shape.
Cut refers to how well light reflects off the diamond, while the shape is more of a reflection of the wearer’s personal tastes as it pertains to ones personality. Interesting shapes of diamonds does not indicate that it necessarily has a good cut. When cutting a diamond, considerations are made to internal inclusions within the diamond, proportions of the shape and relative size. How well the diamond sparkles, or sends light back to you, determines how well it has been cut.
The most common shape found in engagement rings is the round and the princess cut diamond. Customers wishing to show off their individuality seek the fancy cut diamonds when choosing and engagement ring. These include Heart shape, Pear shape, Cushion cut, Marquis cut and Trillium shaped diamonds to name a few. There are many factors to consider when choosing a fancy cut diamond for your engagement ring. For example, although the Round shaped diamond is recognized as displaying the best sparkly effect, Marquise diamonds, because of their length are often sought due to the way they accentuate a longer finger.
All said, whatever your finger size or shape, when shopping for a diamond engagement ring make sure that you put in that extra time and effort into making sure that the ring you choose is perfect for you. After all, After all¸ you will be wearing it for a very long time.
Getting a Lesson in Jewellery
Deciding to get engaged can be a nerve wracking experience for almost any guy. Not only is the whole concept of getting engaged a life altering event, but diamond engagement rings themselves, are admired and stared at more than any other piece of jewellery. For this reason, and many more, customers put a lot of pressure on making sure they get it right, when choosing that one and only engagement ring.
However, the fact is, education on diamonds and engagement rings isn’t something people are commonly taught in the educational. Not knowing much about the difference between white gold vs. platinum, claw setting vs. channel setting or the ins and outs of diamonds in general, makes it hard to know where to begin. Here at Jeff Walters Diamonds we believe that it is important for customers who are looking to purchase an engagement ring, to have some knowledge of the most commonly asked questions around jewellery. This is exactly why we deliver a hands-on educational process on basic diamond knowledge. It is our belief that education puts customers in the driver’s seat and makes our job so much easier.
Whether you are designing your own engagement ring, or picking one from behind the showcase it is always helpful to know what kind of diamond you’re admiring. A lesson on “the 4 C’s” comes in handy at this stage. Knowing the basics of the Carat, Clarity, Cut, and Colour of a diamond, can be extremely helpful when deciding what kind of engagement ring you’re looking for. While the ability to do this is always available on the internet, including our very own website, examination of an actual loose diamond under magnification, rather than just viewing a diagram or picture, can greatly enhance your knowledge.
Everyone has their own preference when it comes to selecting the metal used for their engagement ring. In the past, primarily yellow gold was high in demand for the majority of engagement rings. These days, white gold has taken on the popularity contest. Some even choose to mix the two metals into what is referred to as, a two-tone ring. In this case, the engagement ring band would be made in yellow gold and the diamond setting would be made in white gold. Since white gold is stronger than yellow gold and tends to show off the diamond better, setting all diamonds into white gold makes sense. For some, staying with a white metal but changing over to a considerably more expensive material called Platinum has its own merits. There was a time when Platinum was allowed to be worn solely by Royalty. Perhaps this is why so many are attracted to its allure. With other metals constantly hitting the market, acquiring knowledge on which to choose will prove useful when selecting your engagement ring.
The more one learns about the many components that go into the choosing and making of an engagement ring, the easier this task becomes. The knowledge not only helps one decide which type of engagement ring design is most appealing, but also, what budget to choose. Knowing the difference between high quality diamonds and low quality diamonds, understanding the karats of gold, and the difference between white gold and platinum can help you to determine what’s most important for your engagement ring.
Remember, once you get down on one knee, present the engagement ring you’ve selected and pop the question, you’ll feel great with the knowledge you have pertaining to her unique engagement ring.
Coloured Diamonds
Natural coloured diamonds are graded much in the same way as white/clear diamonds;the cut, clarity, carat, and colour are all important factors. However with coloured diamonds the more vivid and intense the colour the more expensive it will be. This isdue to the fact that color intensity is very rare to achieve. Availability, the supply ofsuch diamonds, also factors into the cost of coloured diamonds. A natural red diamondwill always be the most expensive as they are extremely rare. The price differential issignificant from moderate to intense. The difference however, is dramatic. Chocolate diamonds, even though they take on the name of our favourite past time, are in factthe most affordable because they are readily found in comparison to all the coloured diamonds.
With the desire to be different, the popularity of coloured diamonds is increasing rapidly. Not everyone has the budget for these natural gems of the earth. They maydream of a white gold engagement ring set with pink and white diamonds, but fear the price tag. In this case, it is suggested they consider buying treated stones in the color of choice. Treated diamonds are diamonds that have undergone radiation, to make thenatural internal colour (if it exists) more vivid. Treated stones sell for considerably less than a completely natural coloured diamond, but the colours achieved are brilliant.
So if you know you’re shopping for a diamond engagement ring, but know that you wantone that will stand out from all the others, consider a coloured diamond. Adding a blue orgreen diamond to that three stone setting diamond engagement ring will change it from traditional, to something uniquely stunning.
If you would like to learn more about this topic or have another related question feel free to “Ask the Jeweller” at: jeff@jeffwaltersdiamonds.com
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