July 25, 2006


Diamonds have a special, abiding image and an aura of being eternal. Over the years they have been associated with romance and love. The now famous slogan, “Diamonds are forever”, was coined by a New-York based advertising agency, and no one has been able to better this. A diamond is a life-time investment, and unlike gold, its resale value is arguable. A diamond is usually colorless and an exceptionally hard form of carbon. Rough diamonds are hardly beautiful to look at; they could easily be mistaken for an ordinary pebble. A diamond is a multi-faceted stone. A lay-man’s guide while buying a diamond is to look for the 4 C’s – cut, clarity, color and carat, which determine its value.

However, if you are planning to buy a costly diamond, take some professional help; otherwise you could be cheated. Here are some useful hints to keep your diamonds dazzling for a long, long time:

* Do not wear diamonds while applying your makeup. Powder and dirt will diminish the dazzle.
* Diamonds can get chipped if hit against a hard surface. Exercise care, especially when you are putting on a diamond ring.
* Never store jewelry on a single box. A diamond can scratch another diamond, as well as other stones. Ideally keep your jewelry in separate boxes, or wrap it in tissue papers.
* Periodically reset your diamond jewelry. But beware; an unscrupulous jeweler could replace your diamond with a fake one.
* Diamonds require little maintenance. To clean them, soak them in warm water, in which some good detergent is added. Then take out the diamonds and scrub them gently to get them dazzling again. But do not wash directly under a tap, lest a loose stone goes down the drain. You could keep a tea strainer underneath as a safe measure.
* While oiling your hair, take off your diamond jewelry because if a drop seeps into the setting, it will show up as a black spot behind a diamond.
* To make your diamonds sparkle, clean them regularly with a solution of 1 tbsp of ammonia in 2 cups of warm water; or a smudge of plain toothpaste. If in a claw setting a stone breaks, get it replaced by your jeweler. However, you can tighten a loose claw with a pair of smooth-jawed pliers. Squeeze gently until each claw fits firmly against the stone.

See also: Care of your jewelry / Pearls/ The magnificent Mehandi

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  1. Anonymous12:14 PM

    Lab created diamonds are usually so close to the real thing no one can tell the difference. I used to work at a jewelry store that sold all lab created stones (Russian lab diamonds) in high-quality 14K settings. If the setting is of good quality, and the stone is well-cut, it will look just as good if not better than a natural diamond. Lab created stones are also nearly as hard as natural diamonds (diamonds have a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, and lab diamonds are about a 9.5). As long as you keep the size believable (nobody's gonna believe you have a 4 carat diamond ring unless you're related to Oprah. lol), no one will even question it.

  2. Nagaraj12:24 PM

    A good jeweller might be able to give you an idea but it will only be an educated guess. With uncut stones valuation is always difficult for a non professional unused to buying uncut stones on a daily basis. The value is not going to be very much with stones that small as to produce a finished brilliant they will lose a minimum of 40% of their weight even if they are an ideal shape for cutting and a great deal more if they are not. Add to this the cost of cutting the stones and you will see that their value is going down compared to what they will yield as cut stones. This comment has not even taken into consideration their color and what inclusions they may have. All in all I would not worry as to their value which is going to be very little and just keep them as interesting specimens to show your friends what an uncut diamond looks like

  3. Gopal5:19 PM

    lab created diamonds are a wonderful, less expensive alternative, i like it. And no one can really tell, cause they are still real diamonds

  4. Sudha9:41 AM

    This is all good info.

  5. Anonymous10:35 AM

    the difference between real diamonds and fake diamonds is Very simple - take a black pen-tel and make a small point on the edge of the stone. i you can see it from the table - it is 100% fake stone. If it is a diamond that was polished with the right proportions I shouldn't see it.

  6. Shree9:10 AM

    usually any kind of jem including diamonds don't have like a back if they are on jewelry. so that the light can shine through. if there is a back on it is most likely not real.

  7. Anonymous9:10 AM

    How can you tell if diamonds are real or not?

  8. Pavitra4:00 PM

    Interesting article, well written and presented. Liked!

  9. Nayantara9:00 AM

    Clarity is important when valuing a diamond. But this doesn't mean color has no importance color of a diamond is also important.

