Fashion is On

When 2008 started off, the world’s mining industry was in the midst of a boom, with never before seen prices being fetched for most of the metals, and miners raking in profits.  The way 2008 came to a close, it is hard to imagine that this was the scene just months earlier.

The world’s wealth suddenly plummeted with the stock market crash. Banks burned by the mortgage crisis stopped lending money, and an equity crunch spread around the globe.

This rapid change hit the diamond market hard.  In the retail sector, prices dropped drastically, as demand came to a stand still.  Companies were forced to sell their products at a loss and many household names went bust. The House of Taylor lost the license to its brand name and acknowledged an $11.2 million debt when it entered into a peaceful possession of collateral with New Stream Secured Capital. Friedman’s jewelers, operators of 455 stores in the U.S., went into liquidation.  The company that purchased 78 of the stores, Whitehall, soon after filed Chapter 11. In an effort to save $65 million, popular American jewellery chain Zale restructured by closing 23 stores and cutting staff by 20 per cent at its headquarters. The Home shopping network’s Jewelry Television restructured by cutting more than 200 jobs, and the Jewelry Channel closed its doors just 16 months after launching, laying off 106 workers in the process. Jewellery retailers experienced a lull in sales throughout the year and came to expect a disappointing Christmas. Their expectations were met. Jewellery was, by some counts, among the worst-performing categories during the holiday season, as sales in the luxury category plummeted 34 per cent.

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Diamonds are indeed the most inspiring of all precious stones, taking care of them however, will ensure that their sparkling brilliance will continue to impress. A few tips on caring for your diamonds are shared below.

Cleaning to ensure a brilliant sparkle

Dust and small particle build-up on the surface of the stones may cause a dull appearance. To return the shine take a warm bowl of water and soak the diamonds for an hour or two. Use a small and soft bristle brush to remove the dirt and grime. You can add a mild detergent to the water to help break up fatty deposits. Be sure to rinse the stones well by making use of a tiny-hole strainer to contain the stones while rinsing them. Don’t rub the stones to dry them, rather pat them dry with a soft lint-free cloth.

Extreme cleaning

If the diamonds are extremely dull, you may need to use a solution of half ammoniac and half water. Soak the stones for 20 minutes and then remove them from the solution. Use a soft bristled brush to remove dirt and grime. Rinse and pat dry in the same way as described previously.

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The simplest and at the same time most subjective evaluation of amber jewelry by a user of admirer is to say whether it is beautiful or not. Contemporary amber artifacts produced by artists initially tend to surprise us with their otherness, in the same manner as any other art does, for instance painting or sculpture, or jewelry ornamented with gemstones. But modernity means otherness.

The extremely exceptional so-called “amber in amber” may become dazzlingly beautiful in the hands of a skillful artist. To find or excavate amber with opalescent surfaces depends less on skills and more on luck. This, however, comes about very seldom.

Some people are interested only in amber as perfectly transparent as many other precious stones in which nothing is going on inside. In such a case a more opulent setting must compensate the lack of unique features.Raw amber for mass production started to be clarified and pressed as early as in the 19th century. Its color could be freely altered, often in order to make necklaces from beads in one shade of color and transparency.

The trend initiated at the end of the 1960s by the Fietkiewicz family in Gdynia was followed by other amber centers, resulting in a high standard of amber working in Poland today.

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Green diamonds owe their hue to millions of years of exposure to naturally occurring gamma and/or neutron radiation, and are typically found in alluvial secondary deposits. Primary sources are in south-central Africa. Most ‘green’ diamonds are actually a yellowish-green, greyish-green, or a combination of the two. Intense, pure green hues, as in the one-of-a-kind 5.51 carat blue-green ‘Ocean Green Diamond’ or the 41 carat apple-colored ‘Dresden Green Diamond’ are virtually non-existant. Green diamonds can range from $35,000 to $500,000 per carat. Irradiation can artificially induce a green color in diamonds.

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A 39-carat blue diamond is on display in South Africa, as part of mining company Petra Diamonds Ltd.’s latest tender.

According to a release from Petra, the 39.19-carat stone is included as part of the company’s tender in Johannesburg, at the offices of Sadiamex (Meyer Diamonds) in the city’s Diamond Centre.

Petra’s Cullinan mine, located in South Africa, produced the rare stone. According to Petra, the Cullinan mine is the world’s only significant source of blue diamonds.

The mine, which Petra purchased from De Beers last year, is also famous for producing the largest gem-quality diamond ever found, a 3,106.75-carat stone later used to craft the crown jewels of England.

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Phase 1 includes detailed requirements to import and export non-Burmese rubies and jadeite into and out of the United States, the Jewelers Vigilance Alliance said in a statement. No jadeite and rubies of Myanmar origin can be imported into the United States. This importation ban encompasses all Burmese origin jadeite and rubies, notwithstanding “substantial transformation” in Thailand or elsewhere.

A 30-day grace period has been established whereby importers and exporters that may not meet all mandatory requirements can still import and export non-Burmese goods until Oct. 26, JVC said.

Customs has issued new Harmonized Tariff System codes for use for all non-Burmese rubies and jadeite and jewelry containing these gemstones imported into the U.S. Shipments of rubies and jadeite from non-Burmese sources must use these codes when entering the U.S. In addition, importers are required to:

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JamesAllen.com, the leading, most respected on-line retailer of diamond engagement rings, sterling silver and gemstone jewelry since 1998, has introduced their Hot Diamonds silver jewelry collection for Fall 2008.

The James Allen Hot Diamonds silver jewelry collections are created from delicious sterling silver and brilliant-cut white diamonds. Inspired by nature, sensual, fluid, flowing and utterly feminine their jewelry is easy to love and wear.

One can view this creative silver jewellery collection with an on-line 3D view gallery to gaze upon stunning 3D movies of any silver piece. These movies provide an excellent sense of the JamesAllen.com silver jewelry collection.

The James Allen selection of Hot Diamonds’ silver jewelry rings have a refreshing take on natural shapes with soft forms using both polished and rustic matte finishes on the silver, occasionally 18k yellow gold vermeil and diamonds. Any of these stunning silver jewelry pieces will be treasured forever.

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Diamond is the ultimate gemstone, having few weaknesses and many strengths. It is well known that Diamond is the hardest substance found in nature, but few people realize that Diamond is four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum (sapphire and ruby). But even as hard as it is, it is not impervious. Diamond has four directions of cleavage, meaning that if it receives a sharp blow in one of these directions it will cleave, or split. A skilled diamond setter and/or jeweler will prevent any of these directions from being in a position to be struck while mounted in a jewelry piece. 

As a gemstone, Diamond’s single flaw (perfect cleavage) is far outdistanced by the sum of its positive qualities. It has a broad color range, high refraction, high dispersion or fire, very low reactivity to chemicals, rarity, and of course, extreme hardness and durability. Diamond is the April Birthstone.

In terms of it’s physical properties, diamond is the ultimate mineral in several ways:

• Hardness: Diamond is a perfect “10″, defining the top of the hardness scale.
• Clarity: Diamond is transparent over a larger range of wavelengths (from the ultraviolet into the far infrared) than is any other solid or liquid substance – nothing else even comes close.
• Thermal Conductivity: Diamond conducts heat better than anything – five times better than the second best element, Silver!
• Melting Point: Diamond has the highest melting point (3820 degrees Kelvin)
• Lattice Density: The atoms of Diamond are packed closer together than are the atoms of any other substance

Diamond is a polymorph of the element carbon. Graphite is another polymorph. The two share the same chemistry, carbon, but have very different structures and properties. Diamond is hard, Graphite is soft (the “lead” of a pencil). Diamond is an excellent electrical insulator, Graphite is a good conductor of electricity. Diamond is the ultimate abrasive, Graphite is a very good lubricant. Diamond is transparent, Graphite is opaque.

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Prices for rough diamonds obtained from the Diamond Trading Co. (DTC) have gone up a cumulative average of 16 percent over the course of 2008, the DTC announced.

The DTC announced its average cumulative increase for the 2008 sights at the request of sightholders. This figure includes all increases since January 2008 and includes any increase implemented at the August sight scheduled to take place this week.

DTC spokesperson Lynette Gould said specific price increases for August were “nothing of any note,” and that the 16 percent cumulative increase is mainly a reflection of the price hikes implemented at the July sight.

Prices there went up an average of 5 percent across the board, and as much as 15 percent for larger goods.

In the release issued , the DTC states that, not surprisingly, the goods more strongly affected by the increases over the course of this year have been larger, higher-quality goods; boxes of rough that will yield the “highly sought after” polished stones of above SI clarity and over 1-carat in size.

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THE United Kingdom based mining and exploration company, River Diamonds, will discuss the proposal of changing its name to Vatukoula Gold Mines during its annual general meeting next week.

The company that owns Vatukoula Gold Mines is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has operations in Sierra Leone and Brazil.

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Engagement Ring Tips

When you shop for an engagement ring or other diamond jewelry you’ll find there are many ways to make a diamond appear larger than it actually is. The diamond’s cut, shape, and setting all have an impact on its apparent size.Put these five techniques to work for you if you want to buy a diamond engagement ring that looks larger than its true carat weight.

1. Consider Fancy Diamond Shapes

Fancy shaped diamonds usually look larger than round diamonds of equal weight, especially diamonds with elongated shapes, such as marquise, oval and pear shaped diamonds.

2. Choose a Pavé Setting

A pavé setting looks like a continuous surface of diamonds, but is actually made up of small diamonds set side by side into little holes, their surfaces nearly level withTiny beads are crafted from the surrounding metal to hold the diamonds in place.It’s difficult to distinguish individual stones, so a pavé setting makes you think the jewelry has more–and larger–diamonds than it truly does. Keep in mind that diamond rings with intricate pavé settings can be expensive, so sometimes it’s less costly to buy a larger diamond.

the setting.

3. Consider an Illusion Setting

The diamond in an illusion setting is mounted to a mirror-like plate before being set into the band, making it look larger, with more brilliance.There’s a downside to the illusion setting–it’s more difficult to repair.

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Diamond Jewelry being precious on one hand and delicate on other needs special care. Taking good care of diamonds not only maintain a long life of your jewelry but also the pleasant effect on your personality. Better is if it’s stored in individual jewelry cases or cloth pouches, but more care can go for more benefits. Here’s a short list of DOs and DONTs for good care of your diamond jewelry.

• Cosmetics like lotions, soaps, perfumes and powders and hair sprays can affect the spark of the diamonds by leaving a film on them, so avoid keeping diamond jewelry near any of these.

• Another important thing to be noticed is to take off your diamond jewelry while participating in sports and swimming.

• One of the properties of diamonds is that it repels water but readily accepts wax and grease, so keep all such ingredients away from diamonds.

Taking care while cleaning the diamond jewelry:

• The diamond jewelry needs special care while getting cleaned and a better way is to soak the jewelry for a short while in a liquid dishwashing and then give it a mild and gentle scrubbing.

• Use a lint-free cloth to dry the diamond jewelry.

• There’s no need to get it cleaned very frequently, once in a single or two years is enough for its professional cleaning.

Though diamond is known as the hardest metal but delicate jewelry made of it can be ruined even with a little change in day-to-day activities, and taking care of such dainties increases its life and your charm.