Buying jewelry can be fun and exciting … and it can be expensive. Whether you’re considering a gift of jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry so you tiffany jewellery can get the best quality and value, regardless of whether you’re shopping in a traditional brick-and-mortar store, by catalog or online.
Diamonds
A diamond’s value is based on four criteria: color, cut, clarity and carat. The clarity and color of a diamond usually are graded, but scales are not uniform. A diamond can be described as “flawless” only if it has no visible surface or internal imperfections when viewed under 10-power magnification by a skilled louis vuitton wallets diamond grader.
Diamond weight usually is stated in carats and may be described in decimal or fractional parts of a carat. If the weight is given in decimal parts of a carat, the figure should be accurate to the last decimal place. For example, ‘.30 carat’ could represent a diamond that weighs between .295 and .304 carat. Some retailers describe diamond weight in fractions, using the fraction to represent a range of weights: A diamond described as 1/2 carat could weigh between .47 and .54 carat. If diamond weight is stated as fractional parts of a carat, the retailer should disclose two things: that the weight is not exact, and true religion Segeltuchschuhe the reasonable range of weight for each fraction or the weight tolerance being used.
Some diamonds, like other gemstones, may be treated to improve their appearance. Since these treatments improve the clarity of the diamond, some jewelers refer to them as clarity enhancement. Fracture filling, for example, conceals cracks in diamonds by filling them with a foreign substance. This filling may not be permanent and jewelers should tell you if the diamond you’re considering has been fracture-filled.
Lasering is a treatment that involves the use of a laser beam to improve the appearance of diamonds that have black inclusions or spots. A laser beam is aimed at the inclusion; acid is forced through the tiny tunnel made by the laser beam to remove the inclusion. Lasering is permanent and a laser-drilled stone does not require special care.
While a laser-drilled diamond may appear as beautiful as a comparable untreated stone, it may not be as valuable. That’s because an untreated stone of the same quality is rarer. Jewelers should tell you whether the diamond you’re considering has been laser-drilled.
Imitation diamonds, such as cubic zirconia, Discounted Tiffany Jewelry resemble diamonds in appearance but cost much less. Certain laboratory-created gemstones like moissanite resemble diamonds and may not be adequately detected by the instruments originally used to identify cubic zirconia. Ask your jeweler if he has the current testing equipment to distinguish between diamonds and lab-created stones.
Silver and Other Metals
The words ‘silver’ or ‘sterling silver’ describe a product that contains 92.5 percent silver. Silver products sometimes may be marked 925, which means that 925 parts per thousand are pure silver. Some jewelry described as ‘silverplate’ has a layer of silver bonded to a base metal. ‘Coin silver’ is used for compounds that contain 90 percent silver. According to the law, quality-marked silver also must bear the name or a
Vermeil, a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold.
Pewter items may be described and marked as such if they contain at least 90 percent tin.
Pearls
Natural pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention: an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic or organic materials.
Natural pearls are very rare, so most pearls used in jewelry either are cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls usually are more expensive than imitation pearls. A cultured pearl’s value generally is based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which gives it luster. Jewelers should tell you if the pearls are cultured or imitation.
Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
