Did you ever wonder what a precious and expensive diamond actually looks like when it comes out of the ground?
For those of you who only know what a diamond looks like once it has been fashioned into a gorgeous, polished round brilliant diamond with 58 facets, be prepared for this shocker!
This hand is holding millions of dollars worth of diamonds in the rough!! Yes, they look like frozen spit now, but just wait until they have been polished.....
Hard to believe..huh?
Methinks this is an appropriate analogy for life; sometimes you can take something so ugly and with the proper care, attention and devotion, turn it into something beautiful and magnificent!
The American Gem Society and American Gem Society Laboratories unveiled a new diamond quality certificate Tuesday at the organization’s International Conclave in Denver, Colorado.
According to the AGS, the DQC “is a guarantee of authenticity and performance by the jeweler”, available only to its retail members.
“By publishing this signed document, AGS Laboratories’ DQC meets the legal definition of a certificate,” said Cecilia Garner, president and CEO of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee.
The American Gem Society is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to ethics, knowledge, and consumer protection in the jewelry industry.
Less than five percent of jewelers in the United States have met its requirements for membership, the society says.
I1 Clarity Graded Diamonds Can Be Beautiful and Eye Clean!!!
I1 clarity diamonds look like crud when they lack in precision cut.
Why?
Very simple. It's because the diamond exhibits absolutely zero brilliancy and sparkle and looks DEAD. Therefore, if there are many blemishes within the diamond, they become glaringly obvious to the naked eye.
Then, it's almost like you are adding insult to injury.
Not only do you have a diamond that looks like the "black hole of Calcutta"
It also has visible "dirt" all over the inside of it..
Not exactly an award winning combination.
These are the kinds of "diamonds" you might find on e-bay, or at a typical Mall (a.k.a. Maul..) store.
It is for this reason that I1 diamonds have developed a "bad rap" and a stigma associated with buying them.
However, consider this; when a diamond is cut for nothing short of maximum beauty and brilliancy, the resultant sparkle does more than just make the diamond shine, it also masks imperfections within the stone.
This is a fact and is essentially part of the magic of a diamonds all important "Cut".
We have manufactured and sold I1 clarity graded SuperbCert Signature diamonds like the one below, that have faced up completely and totally eye-clean! These diamonds therefore represent unrivaled value for your dollars....AND NOBODY WOULD EVER KNOW IT WAS AN I1..JUST BECAUSE THEY CANNOT SEE INCLUSIONS WITH THE NAKED EYE!!
You don't just "save a bundle" by switching to Geico!
I1 diamonds of ideal cut quality, will do the trick as well!
Certainly, this same principle will apply to similar cut quality diamonds of SI1-SI2 clarity grades.
The machine helps strengthen the main muscle groups and improve flexibility and balance. The gold look is applied with gold foil. The machine costs around 10,000 euros and is also available in other finishes.
Did you ever wonder what a diamond mine actually looks like?
Welcome to the world's largest operating diamond mine!
This mine is located in Mirny, Siberia and is a whopping 1200 meters deep!
It is so deep in fact that the surrounding "air zone... is closed for helicopters" after "a few accidents when they were 'sucked in' by downward air flow..."
Take a look at these aerial photographs for a sense of perspective.
Finally, for the kicker!!..
.........look for the tiny red arrow in the following photograph; it's pointing to a 220-ton rock-hauling truck more than 20' tall.
Not much of a surprise here...but the diamond industry has its fair share of representatives on Forbes recently published list of world's richest people.
Meet 3 diamond billionaires.
Ranked at 158 on the list is Nicky Oppenheimer and family of South Africa. Nicky, who is 61 years old, is the CEO of De Beers and has a net worth estimated at $5 billion.
Nicky Oppenheimer
Lev Leviev is ranked at 210 on the Forbes list. He is the Russian born, 51 year old self made billionaire who lives in Israel and owns a few diamond mines and some crazy real estate. He is also the world's largest cutter and polisher of diamonds. His estimated net worth is $4.1 billion.
Lev Leviev
Chairman of the Steinmetz Group, 50 year old Israeli, Benny Steinmetz, ranks 583 on the list with an estimated worth of 1.7 billion. He is reportedly De Beers largest customer.
Sure you're thinking marriage is all bliss and fun..right?
Think again.
I just stumbled across this hilarious marriage snippet in cyberspace.
Obviously it is not a reflection of all of our collective situations...it's still pretty funny though!!
Buying Diamonds On The Internet vs. Jewelry Stores. Exploring The "Price" Factor
I think it's about time I put up a post to address the major discrepancy between the prices for loose diamonds in the jewelry stores vs. the On-line diamond websites.
We get customers all the time who start their engagement ring search at a local jeweler. They get prices on a few diamonds of interest..and then they go home and do some research Online.
They do a Google search for diamonds and jewelry and find our website as well as other Internet diamond dealers.
Lo and behold, they notice that diamonds on the Internet of similar size, color, clarity, quality, grading reports, are being sold at a fraction of the asking price of the retail jewelry stores.
At first glance it seems impossible, since these price differences are often to the tune of thousands of dollars!
However, subsequent research shows that the diamonds advertised on the net are similar, if not completely identical to the ones they saw at their local jeweler!!
Now here is where doubt begins to creep in.....
Many customers begin to wonder, "what is the catch"??
How could the diamonds be so much cheaper on the Internet??
This is what I call the"sounds too good to be true, syndrome".
There is often an assumption made that if something sounds "too cheap" in relation to comparable merchandise being sold elsewhere, then there has to be a catch, since obviously, nobody is inclined to give away something for nothing and assuredly, everyone is making a profit.
If that is true, then by extension, people start doubting the quality of the diamonds being sold on the net. They call and ask "whether there is something wrong with the diamonds".
Now, while there is a certain truth to the "sounds too good to be true syndrome", the reality is that where it concerns prices on the internet (for any merchandise) vs. prices for the same stuff in the stores, the discrepancy has nothing to do with any qualitative difference.
The difference lies in the completely different business model that exists between traditional "brick & mortar" jewelry stores vs. Internet retailers.....and this difference actually exists in every conceivable market.
The answer is; obviously there is nothing "wrong" with the diamonds being sold on the Internet.
In fact, these diamonds are often of much higher quality and beauty, with better certification and a wealth of information, as opposed to the frozen spit that passes for diamonds in many of the mall (maul) store jewelry chains.
What I always say, is welcome to the world of the Internet!
Consumers on the Internet are often much more knowledgeable and savvy than typical mall store shoppers. They do not buy diamonds without a wealth of information and proof to back up the sales pitch rhetoric.
The traditional brick and mortar jewelry stores must survive (and will sometimes thrive..) with a completely different business model.
They have huge overhead, in terms of sales staff, rent roll, utilities, stock inventory, mortgage, etc.
Somebody has to pay for these astronomical bills...YOU DO!
The jewelry stores have huge markups on the loose diamonds they sell. They literally make a fortune in profit on every single diamond they sell. They would rather sell fewer diamonds at huge inflated premiums, than many diamonds at razor thin margins.
They would not survive if they had to put in all of the effort into closing a sale on a diamond with a small markup/profit margin.
Conversely, on the Internet where we survive, the business model is entirely different.
The nature of the Internet is that it is much more competitive than in the stores. There is no such thing as an Internet dealer or vendor having his own "turf" or being the "only game in town".
Every diamond dealer on the net is competing for the same market share, since everyone is located just a "click away" from the consumer.
Therefore, when a customer does an Online search for "loose diamonds" or "engagement rings" they will typically canvass the results that come up for the first few pages.
They will call/e-mail these diamond websites and compare variables like quality, reputation, value, service, and price.
Whoever provides the customer with the best combination of all of these variables, is the one who will earn the consumers trust and business.
We Internet diamond dealers, know this; we recognize that the competition is fierce.
We also realize that we may not have nearly the same amount of overhead as the huge jewelry store located in an upscale neighborhood, with all of its expenses.
We therefore have the luxury, but more importantly the mandate to bring our actual profit margins for loose diamonds all the way down until they are razor thin.
It's not that we don't wish we could command the same incredible profits as the jewelry stores on every loose diamond we sell. Rather, we could not do this and survive as a viable and profitable company.
The savvy Internet diamond shopper would simply click to the next website and buy the same diamond from the next guy for much less money!
Therefore, the quality/value of the diamonds is certainly the same, if not better than what is being sold in the stores.
In fact, some Internet dealers including our company, earn the customers trust by providing them with a plethora of scientific data and information on every single diamond. This is information that we supply up front to the consumer; stuff they would never get at the local jeweler.
The reason the diamonds on the net are sold for so much less than in the stores, is entirely due to the completely different business model which exists between stores and websites.
Internet diamond dealers work on razor thin profit margins, often to the tune of a few percentage points (something which is considered sacrilege in the retail jewelry stores), and rely on moving a lot of diamond inventory.
Internet diamond shoppers: find a reputable vendor and buy in confidence!!
Here is a You Tube video I put up some time ago on this topic:
Here is a fabulous concept we put together for one of our customers.
This is a 3d (CAD) rendering of an oval diamond engagement ring, per this customers specific requests and requirements.
Do you like this design?
We have the ability to create custom diamond engagement rings of any style and any type.
We work with all of our customers to turn their vision into a reality!
Although designs by Vatche are mostly known for their beautiful and timeless engagement ring settings, did you know that they create gorgeous diamond pendants too?
This unique diamond pendant by Vatche is dazzling in its brilliance and captivating in style.
We feature this pendant, as well as other diamond pendants in our diamond necklace and pendant section!
World Trade Center Tribute In Solid Gold and Diamonds!
Some time ago, we blogged on Nayna Mehta who is a Mumbai born designer and jewelry store owner.
She had created a gorgeous tribute to the World Trade Center in New York.
This tribute was designed to be a memorial to those who perished on 9.11., as well as her own way of expressing her grief.
Since she was the focus of an in-depth article in this months GIA magazine, I'd like to give her kudos once again and showcase her amazing masterpiece!
The "Twin Towers" are made of 18kt. yellow gold which represents purity. Inside each tower are four solid pillars of 18kt. gold measuring 185 mm in height. The piece's base and surrounding structures, including North & South Plaza buildings, the U.S. Customs office and hotel, are also made of 18kt. yellow gold.
Altogether, the gold weight totals almost 48 ounces.
The windows - all 110 floors on each tower, are made of 0.02 carat, 1.4 mm princess cut diamonds with excellent and uniform color/clarity grades. The shape of the diamonds were also chosen for their uniformity.
In all, there are 14,080 diamonds, totaling 255 carats in weight!!!
Nayna and her team created the towers using the lost-wax casting technique, and made each of the surrounding towers by hand.
As a final touch, she engraved a poem, written with her family, into the base of the piece where the Towers courtyard once was:
Those innocent souls we'll never forget,
United us all in a single breath.
We shed not tears, only our doubts,
Vowed to destroy all vicious clouts.
Stronger we rose, with a will so bold,
As hard as diamonds and as pure as gold.
Victorious we emerged, it's plain to see,
So come join this anthem and sing with me:
Pardon the cliche with the title for this entry.....
The truth is, this diamond I'm about to show you really is gorgeous!
This is one of our in-house Oval Cut Diamonds we have personally manufactured.
The diamond is one of the nicest ovals I have ever seen, with exceptional beauty and brilliance and a "crushed ice" look!
I took these photos today for one of our customers.
The Wedding Ring Coffin - Give A Dead Marriage The Proper Burial!
This is one of the funniest and most clever marketing ideas I have seen in a very long time!
The Wedding Ring Coffin
The company that manufactures and sells this product, markets it with the following blurb:
Give a dead marriage
its proper, final resting place.
The Wedding Ring Coffin is the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one for bringing closure after a divorce. It’s time to......BURY IT!
The best part, is that for the $29 it costs to purchase this coffin, you can even add your own customized faceplate and message to the coffin, so that you can really stick it to your Ex!!
"Dirt Cheap Diamonds" - Would You Buy These Diamonds?
I'm sitting here in our diamond showroom after meeting a customer who just left moments ago.
I had the opportunity to show him some beautiful ideal cut diamonds.
This guy was initially set on buying from a local jeweler.
His research on the net for loose diamonds was purely supplementary to his focus and objective of ultimately buying from a certain "brick and mortar" jewelry store.
In the end, he realized he could do much better on the net for diamond quality and price and made the decision to take the plunge.
Right now he is probably canvassing a few Internet diamond dealers and although I gave (hopefully) a good accounting of our company, I have no idea what his decision will be ultimately, except to say that he most certainly will wind up buying online.
We had a very interesting conversation regarding the effect the Internet has had on the sale of diamond engagement rings and jewelry.
While the Internet has certainly taken away some of the "romance" (sometimes loosely translated as ignorance ;0) ) from purchasing diamonds, it has not actually turned diamonds into a commodity just yet.
An interesting point this gentleman brought up, is the way that some Internet diamond stores choose to market their diamonds.
He made the point that although the Internet has become known as the place to find great diamonds at great prices, there are those who have clearly decided to push the envelope even further and will consistently promote their diamonds as being "the cheapest" or "the best deals" etc. almost to the exclusion of focusing on the diamond or jewelry items actual merits, quality and beauty.
While the fact that the razor thin profit margins for diamond being sold on the Internet is certainly a truism and a boon for the consumer, how about when a company advertises their diamonds as being "cheap diamonds" or "cheap wholesale diamonds" or "dirt cheap diamonds" etc?
How might that effect the psyche of the consumer?
"Dirt cheap diamonds"..............effective advertising for diamonds??!!!
Well, maybe if the slogan was accompanied by the photograph below!!
"Dirt Cheap Diamonds......Sounds like ---- And Looks Like It Too!"
This customers position was that at some point you enter into the law of diminishing returns when Internet companies continuously harp on price..price...price..in this kind of extreme and exclusive way.
He indicated to me that as a consumer looking to buy a diamond on the net, he is obviously looking for a "great deal" on a great diamond.
However, there are other factors and considerations as well.
He doesn't wish to entertain the notion that he is in possession of a "cheap" or "inferior diamond" and indicated that the Internet vendors who make him feel this way have no shot at earning his trust and business.
I found this to be a very interesting approach with tremendous merit.
In fact, we recently blogged on the "too good to be true" syndrome with the pricing for loose diamonds on the net.
Our prices for loose diamonds are assuredly from the lowest on the Internet and our actual profit margins razor thin.
However, we would never market our beautiful diamonds and jewelry as being "dirt cheap" or any other connotation that makes it sound like we are selling crud.
We actually showcase every one of our in-house diamonds (and all database diamonds upon request) with a plethora of scientific data and information, including actual photos, which demonstrate these diamonds to be the finest and most brilliant diamonds on the market!
Our custom engagement ring settings and jewelry have deservedly garnered praise from our thousands of satisfied customers on the Internet!
Our diamonds might be cheap to buy.....but there is nothing "cheap" about them!
