Diamonds 101 begins with four C’s: cut, color, clarity and carat. When it comes to diamonds, bigger is not always better. The other 3 C’s have a huge impact on the quality and value of every diamond.
Cut
When a diamond is cut properly it will reflect light like a mirror. Don’t confuse cut with shape: that is, whether the gem is round, emerald, princess shape, etc.
Diamond cut is often considered the most important of the four C’s, having a great impact on the physical appearance and value of a diamond. A good cut (ideal proportions, angles and finish) gives a diamond its brilliance - that irresistible shimmer and brightness that makes diamonds the king of all bling.
Color
While most people assume that diamonds are white, the majority of diamonds are yellow, brown, and black - these stones find their way into industrial purposes, used as drill bits, saw blades, etc. The rarest of all diamond colors are white (or colorless).
The closer a diamond is to being colorless, the more valuable it will be. The Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A.) grades color alphabetically from D (totally colorless) to Z (yellow). For a diamond to be considered “colorless,” the G.I.A. requires that it be a D, E, or F - the average grade of diamond engagement rings in North America is G to H.
Context counts: If you plan on mounting a diamond on a platinum or white gold setting, consider a diamond in the D-G range. Yellow gold will be much more forgiving to a less than colorless stone, but regardless of the setting, the diamond will start to appear yellow if the color is lower than J grade.
Fancies
We all remember J. Lo’s pink diamond engagement ring; even though that engagement was short-lived, the trend of colored diamonds is still going strong. You can get diamonds in almost every color imaginable but the most popular colors are yellow, blue, and pink. Again, all diamonds have a tint of color, but there are a select few that exhibit a strong, pure hue. These colored diamonds are sometimes called “fancies” and are extremely rare, making them all the more sought-after.
Ethically mined certified Canadian diamonds - extracted from Canada ’s Arctic - are bloodshed and conflict free.
Clarity
As with people, diamonds have natural blemishes; the smaller and fewer the blemishes, the more valuable the diamond will be since flawless gems are extremely rare.
Many of the blemishes that reduce a diamond’s value are invisible to the naked eye and discernable only by experts equipped with a 10X loupe (a strong jewellery magnifying glass).
Carat
The carat of a diamond is simply the weight; the larger the gem, the greater the carat. Large diamonds are very rare; hundreds of tons of rock and ore must be processed to uncover a single one-carat gem quality diamond. Since a carat refers to weight and not size, two diamonds of the same carat may appear to be different sizes depending on how the diamond is cut.
The Fifth C: Country of Origin
While the vast majority of diamonds bring essential jobs to hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens and enormous economic value to many countries, the sale of diamonds has also funded brutal civil wars responsible for violence and atrocities in many African nations including Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire), Sierra Leone and elsewhere.
More consumers are exercising their political and ethical beliefs by choosing to purchase diamonds only from suppliers who offer the piece of mind that they are not endorsing bloodshed.
Canada: A Source of Ethically Mined Diamonds
Ethically mined certified Canadian diamonds - extracted from Canada’s Arctic - are bloodshed and conflict free. For more information and suppliers: Canadia Diamonds, De Beers Canada, Sirius Diamonds, Aurias Diamonds
Johneen Manning is the Editor in Chief of http://www.GKFA.com, a hip, savvy & fresh online women’s magazine for the ‘Sex and the City’ generation.
In April 1946 Casio was launched by Tadao Kashio, an expert and engineer in forming technology parts, in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. 1st the company was named Kashio Seisakujo. Not until 1957 the concern has been renamed Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. He was certain that people’s lives could be bettered by society modern goods. Today it is a multinational concern with 13.000 members of staff producing electronic apparatuses with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. It is not only well-known for its large sized and long-lasting wristwatches but also for digital cameras (EXILIM), laptop computers, musical instruments, calculators, audio equipment, electronic lexicons, printers, and cell phones.
A very lucrative idea
His earliest key product was the famous “yubiwa pipe” permitting the smoker to fume the cigarette to its knob. The pipe consisted of a finger ring and the wearer had the possibility to smoke while he had his hands free. After the Second World War Japan was impoverished and cigarettes were expensive. So Kashio’s innovation became successful. In 1957 Casio made the world’s leadoff compacted calculator (all electric) with relay technology public. In the 1980s the firm reached great popularity with its home keyboards and low-priced electronic musical instruments. It also became well-known for innovational and varied wrist watches. Moreover Casio wristwatches could tell the time in several zones, display altitude, atmospheric pressure, temperature and – in addition to that – GPS positions. The concern was also among the first producers of analog and digital quartz crystal watches.
A large mixture of models
The primary G-Shock watch, the well-known “DW-5000C”, was published in 1983. Twelve years later the “DW-5600E” – a G-Shock watch including a modern EL LCD panel – was released. In 2007 the world’s slimmest chronograph powered by solar was publicised. The “OCW-S1000J” named the “Oceanus Manta” is only about 8.9 mm in size. Peculiarly popular are Casio’s special dual function wristwatches called Wave Ceptors (analog and LCD). To keep correct time they incessantly receive signals from an atomic clock.
Casio’s corporate philosophy
Casio’s company credos are inventiveness and contribution. It shows the concern’s assurance and effort to present the kind of special and successful products that simply Casio can. Goods including a lot of useful functions help people in their usual habits and make sure that society is moving onward. Furthermore, the products should bring joy to them and create a new culture. Whenever a new innovation is generally adopted, new market areas occur, and this on the other hand develops expansion in related sectors of industries. Buy Casio watches online here.
