Getting Your Diamond Jewelry Insured

Aside from your home, car, and appliances/furniture, diamond jewelries and other kinds of jewelries is the next biggest investment. Given that they are valuable, it is then important to insure them. However, working or getting an insurance for your jewelries could be tricky. There are incidents when insurance companies would not cover whatever happened with your diamonds.

To avoid this kind of situation, it is important to completely study and research about the insurance company’s policy regarding the diamonds. When applying for insurance for your diamond jewelries, make sure that you have the grading certificate and other certificates handed to you when you bought the diamond. This would ensure that the diamond you will be insuring will not be under question by the insurance company.

Even if you keep your diamond jewelry in a safe place at home, theft and robbery could still happen. Diamonds would also get lost when the prong or the mount supporting the diamond would come loose. Diamonds are indeed the hardest of gems, but that does not mean they are not destructible. Accidents could happen and eventually send your precious diamond jewelry into pieces. Keep the mentioned situations in mind when choosing insurance policies. Insurance policies should cover theft, accidental loss and damage.

Diamond insurance policies could be categorized into three:

• Actual cash value. In this type of insurance, diamonds are replaced regardless of their initial cost. The insurance policy would depend on the current value of the diamond jewelry and not on how much it cost the owner before. This is the most preferable type of insurance for diamond jewelry, however, it could also be the most costly. Most jewellers would recommend this kind of insurance policy for those who own heirloom diamond jewelries or those with large diamonds.

• Replacement value. This kind of insurance policy is more affordable however the owner of the diamond may not be able to get the real value of lost diamond. When an insured diamond jewelry gets lost or was stolen, replacement value insurance policies would replace the lost jewel at a lower cost than the lost diamond was purchased. Sometimes it is replaced with something that has lower carat. The reason why it is more affordable is that policy holders would only be paying to get to the value of the diamond, but customers would not be getting the same value.

• Agreed value. This is the most rare kind of insurance policy but some would say that this is best policy that could cover your diamond jewelry. the owner and the insurance company would undergo negotiations and agree on the value of the diamond jewelry. When something happens to the diamond jewelry, the insurance company would be providing what is the agreed amount of compensation.

Insurance policy rates may be different based on the location and other factors. When getting your diamond jewelry insured, it is best to shop around and check different insurance company policies. Always make sure that the fine print will be not missed out. Some insurance company policies would have loopholes in them which could eventually go against you.

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Is Your Diamond Jewelry Real?

Given very few exceptions, diamond jewelry is the world’s most expensive in its class. Even those diamond items that are small or flawed still cost more than the best of the other gems.

It is small wonder, then, that some people would capitalize on this and put out fakes to rip off the unwary and make a fast buck for themselves. How does one make sure one’s diamonds are real?

As a layman, you can rely on your common sense and use some of the following random tips. Spotting a fake diamond may not be very easy (some con artists use very sophisticated techniques nowadays), but it can be done.

When all else fails and you cannot trust your judgment, you can always have your stone appraised by a competent professional jeweler.

Scratches

Check for scratches. As your elementary science had told you, diamonds are the hardest known element so far discovered in the universe. It stands to reason then that it cannot be scratched or gashed by anything softer.

Moissanite (which resembles a real diamond) and cubic zirconium (another diamond dead-ringer) both scratch easily. Ask your jeweler for a magnifying glass and check it yourself.

Personal tests

Breathe into a diamond. If it clears up fast, it’s real. If it takes the stone some seconds to evaporate the moisture, it might be a fake.

Hold the stone up to the light. If there is a rainbow of colors instead of shades of gray, your diamond could be a fake. It does not have a diamond’s real property to reflect light.

Sometimes, the setting and the mounting of the stone are both giveaways. Fake stones are usually set in inferior metals. Cheap stones and cheap settings usually go together. (The settings might also be plated in gold or silver to simulate the real things.)

Be forward about your purchase and ask about your diamond stone. Ask if your stone is a diamond or a moissanite.

The dealer should be able to provide the information. Some retailers have a “don’t ask, don’t tell policy”.

Best of all, ask for the stone’s certificate. If the diamond is real, dealers would be willing to issue such a certificate.

The best certificate comes from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the European Gemological Laboratories (EGL) if you are from the continent.

These organizations examine diamonds and issues grade reports on them. GIA and EGL are the two of the most respected laboratories acknowledged by the whole diamond industry in the world.

Be a sometime expert

If you have the inclination, the resources and the time, you may enroll at the American Institute of Diamond Cutting, for instance. This independent academy can train you to become a diamond expert.

Other companies, like the famous De Beers Group, have their retail personnel study at the Diamond Academy for a training course that provides information all about diamonds. Getting into the company will make you an expert, too.

Studying on your own all about diamonds will also fill you in with some essential information about the gem. Libraries and the Internet abound with information.

In the meantime, some of the tips on how to spot fake diamond jewelry can help. An inquisitive mind and a healthy skepticism are definitely advantageous.

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Maintaining Your Diamond Jewelry

They say that diamonds are a girls’ bestfriend, then you would have to care for your bestfriend right? It’s so great to have beautiful diamond jewelry which you can use for special and formal occasions. Although, diamonds are hard stones, it is still important to care for them to avoid any kind of scratches or damage.

Here are some things to keep in mind when caring for your precious stones.

• It is best to avoid wearing your diamonds or gave them stained with oil, beaching liquid, or whenever you are doing heavy work. These may affect the lustre of your stone, metal bands and may even damage the texture. Bleach and other chemicals may discolour the metal bands.

• When keeping or storing your diamonds, separate it from other jewelries. It may scratch your other stones. Keep your diamonds individually packed since it can also be scratched by another diamond. If you cannot provide a box or you would have to store your jewelry in one box, then you could use cloth pouches or plastic sealing bags to keep them separately. Just make sure that the jewels are perfectly dry to avoid any moisture formation.

• Diamond settings need to be checked. You could take it to your favourite jeweller every year to check on the prong or the settings. If they are loose, then your jeweller could make repairs immediately. You could take it every six months to the jeweller, some would have their stones checked yearly.

• Clean your diamond jewelry every month. Its shine and brilliance could get affected by the oils and fats that it is exposed to. The oils and fats could be from your skin or from your cosmetics. You could always get a professional to clean it for you.

• You could cleanse your jewelry at home. Just drop it in tepid water with some liquid soap and brush it with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Use a strainer when taking it out of the water to make sure that you are not losing any stone. Rinse it carefully with lukewarm water and dry it. Make sure to completely dry it since water could tarnish the bands and weaken the clasps.

• You could get ammonia mixture cleansers from your jeweller.

• Aside from bleach, chemicals and fats, extreme temperatures can also be harmful to your jewelry. It could cause some damage on the jewel’s cement or can fracture the gemstones.

• Avoid wearing your diamond jewelries when participating in sport activities or swimming.

• Diamonds that were altered may need a different kind of care. There are some diamond jewelries that have undergone treatment. There are some stones that have been fractured before and were treated with epoxies. Epoxies could melt in intense heat and eventually cause your diamond to fracture again. You could ask your trusted jeweller if your diamond jewelries have been altered in any way.

Always keep in mind that your diamond jewelries are indeed the hardest stone, but it does not mean that they will be able to last forever given that you are not taking care of it properly. Proper caring would surely make the shine last for a long time, even forever.

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New Best Friend: Man Made Diamond Jewelry

There is not doubt about the value of a diamond jewelry. Over the centuries, man are trying to create the perfect synthetic diamond, something that will look like a diamond jewelry on the naked eye.

As early as 1893, there are already attempts in creating substitutes to diamonds. The first attempt to make a man made diamond was done by Frederic Henri Moissan which involved heating charcoal and adding pressure that caused changes from the graphite into a diamond. But it was 1979 when mass production of diamond imitations became possible.

De Beers was the first to coin the term, “ A Diamond is Forever” during the 1940s. With this kind of advertising, diamond became the usual stone for engagement rings. Before, during 1930s, engagement rings would usually have opals, rubies and sapphires for their stone. The value of diamonds started to increase, so was the attempts to create a perfect synthetic diamond.

By 1955, General Electric produced small artificial diamonds which where of the same quality as industrial diamonds. Synthetic diamonds were created by exposing carbon dioxide to heat over a metal surface. The heat was created or generated by several lasers. Today, they are mass produced with production reaching as much as 100 tons every year.

Here are some lists of diamond imitating stones:

• Rock crystals or rhinestones are crystallized quartz which can look like a diamond, however, they could get easily scratched.

• Zircon is another kind of stone which could pose as a diamond. By exposing the stone to heat, it could turn colorless making it look like quartz and diamond. Just like rhinestones they could get easily scratched.

• Cubic zirconia is called the grandfather of artificial diamonds. As a diamond copy, it is synonymous with low-cot jewelry and not as a decent fashion accessory.

• Russian diamonds are also cubic zirconia stones. The difference is that they are of high quality and can cause about $280 per carat. These stones are usually mounted in metal settings that are worth real stones.

• Moissanite is another kind of stone which is created or made inside the laboratory. Just like a diamond, it is a hard kind of stone. Although they are relatively more affordable than diamonds, they are still expensive. Moissanite tends to give a greenish shade in natural light and may sparkle too much because its light reflection characteristics. These characteristics make it easier for some expert to differentiate a moissanite from a real diamond.

• Another best imitation of the diamond would be from the Diamond Nexus. The Nexus and the real diamond’s characteristics are so close together. The Diamond Nexus could cut glass due to its hardness and sparkle and can be just as brilliant as the real diamond. Because they are just being introduced in the market, they considerably cost lower.

• Gemisis cultured diamond is another diamond copy. The difference with the real diamond is that they cannot be made into a clear and white color.

• Other synthetic diamonds would be strontium titanate, artificial rutile and spinel.

There’s quite a number of synthetic or man made diamonds available. Buying them is not illegal, but if the jeweller is trying to sell of man-made diamonds as real diamonds, then there will be a problem. Which is why when buying diamond jewelry always ask for certification. If you would like to buy a nice present for a loved one but would like to stay within budget, then buying man-made diamond jewelry is not a bad idea.

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Not Just Natural: Colored Diamond Jewelry

Contrary to what we commonly know, diamond jewelries are not always clear. Colored diamonds are becoming more popular compared with the usual white and transparent diamonds even though naturally colored diamonds are more expensive. Some companies are giving some of their diamonds color treatment to make it more suitable for some customers, budget-wise.

Treating diamonds with color would be by inducing the stones into extremely high heat to change the color. It could also be painted. When appraising color-treated diamonds, they tend to be more affordable since the color are less intense compared with the natural ones.

There are different shades and colors for naturally colored diamonds. But there are popular color shades and combinations, they are the pink, blue, brown, yellow, orange, green and red. Interestingly, there are also black diamonds. Yellow colored diamonds are the most common, while those in red, blue and green are the rarest.

When buying naturally colored diamonds, they are evaluated and checked just like the white and transparent ones. The 4 Cs are still used in grading colored diamonds: cut, clarity, color and carat. However, the way or the factors how colored diamond are inspected are different.

• Color. Naturally colored diamonds’ value would depend on the intensity of its color and its hue. The more intense and vivid the color is, the value of the diamond also increases. There would be times when there are traces of other color. If the traces of the secondary color magnifies the beauty of the stone, then that would be great for the value of the stone. But if the underlying color is not complementing the main color, then it lowers down the diamond’s value.

• Cut. A diamond’s cut gives the brilliance to the diamond. The cut would enhance the intensity and the shade of the diamond’s color. Most colored diamonds are in round, oval, and princess cuts. There are also some that would be heart shaped and other unique shapes.

• Clarity. Clarity is important for white and transparent diamonds, but for naturally-colored diamonds they may not be as important.

• Carat. Carat is all about the weight of the diamond and not about the size. Of course, the bigger it is the heavier it will be. The heavier the colored diamond, the higher its value.

Just like when purchasing white diamonds, obtain a grading certificate from the retailer. Make sure that the certificate is issued by international laboratories like the IGI, GIA or EGL. This certification would be your assurance that what you have bought is indeed a natural colored diamond and not a stone that was tampered with.

The most popular colors would be in yellow and pink. There are celebrities who fancy wearing colored diamonds. Over the years, the demand for other colors is also increasing. Another subject of curiosity would be the black diamond which is sometimes associated with both luck and being unlucky. Most legends would say that black diamond jewelries are cursed and would bring bad fortune to those who own it. But different from other colored diamond jewelries, black diamonds are mainly used for industrial purposes.

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Proper Care For Your Diamond Jewelry

Diamonds are forever, so the song goes. That might be so, but your diamond jewelry still requires proper care and cleaning or you will not enjoy its celebrated beauty.

Like any other personal ornament, diamond jewelry needs some periodic cleaning and grooming to be at its best. The following are some practical care tips collated over time from diamond owners.

Dirt and grime

A clean diamond shows more brilliance and fire than any stone of its kind that is dirty, smudged, or covered with grime. These definitely lessen the beauty of your jewelry.

This is simply because oil, dirt, or water reduces the natural sheen of the stone. Oil is usually caused from constant touching and natural day-to-day handling of your diamond jewelry.

Dirt and grime, on the other hand, often settle at the bottom of the diamond. These interfere with the diamond’s brilliance.

The minutest film of oil that smudges the stone reduces the diamond’s capacity to reflect light. Dyes or other colored liquid materials can also have an effect on the apparent color of your stone.

Precautions

While it might be the hardest mineral and can only be cut or polished by another diamond, a really hard blow can cause these stones to chip.

Doing rough work, strenuous sports and other heavy activities might also be risky. They can loosen clasps, bezels and other holding mechanisms of your jewelry’s stone.

It is good policy to remove jewelry when going into a swimming pool, Jacuzzi or hot tub. Chlorine and bleach could accumulate in your jewelry and make the gold and other metals brittle and could loosen the prongs that hold the stones.

Everyday toiletry items can dull your diamond’s luster. Lotions, soaps, powders, perfumes, hair sprays, and your own skin oils can diminish your diamond’s sparkle.

Cleaning

If you do your own cleaning, you can prepare a mix of warm water and any mild detergent. Put in some few drops of ammonia, if you have it.

Soak your jewelry for some minutes to loosen the grime and the oil. Afterwards, very gently clean your jewelry with an old toothbrush. (An eyebrow brush is very good.)

Using warm water, rinse away the sudsy feel. With a soft lint-free cloth, pat it dry while trying not to touch it (if possible) with your bare fingers.

There are commercial jewelry cleaners that come with applicators that you can buy and quickly clean your jewelry. Be careful to read and follow the instructions well.

Regular inspection

Everyday use (putting on and taking off) of your diamond jewelry might loosen some of the metal frames. It is good to inspect your jewelry regularly.

Take it to a competent jeweler if you suspect something is loose for fixing. It is good policy if you can have you diamond jewelry examined once a year. The jewelers can do repair work, if there is need of one, and can do the cleaning as well.

Storing

Never store all your jewelry together in a bunch. The diamonds can scratch all the other gemstones, metals, and the other diamonds.

Your diamond jewelry is best stored in a fabric-lined case with individual compartments. Wrap them separately in soft cloth (or tissues) or in jewelry pouches for each piece. When you wear them, you can enjoy them in all their glorious best.

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