Kim G

There are a few problems with those folks who tell you that the average man will spend two month’s salary on an engagement ring for his fiancé. One; they don’t care if you go into debt, and with that kind of money in mind, you probably will. Two; they are counting on you to believe it is the all-American average thing to do, and it’s not. If an average guy listened to ‘them’, he would spend over $4,000 on at least a 1 carat diamond ring that she would immediately declare her ideal ring, and he would be expected to pull off the perfect surprise proposal no less. Likely? Not hardly. More and more these days, the idea of what is average is being redefined in the engagement department. Men, breathe a sign of relief, you are about to be given a much deserved break.

First of all, not all brides wear diamonds. In fact, only 75% of first time brides sport them, so going to look for diamond may not even be the right first step when considering proposal. Many women prefer other precious gems, semi-precious gems, or no gems at all. If it is determined that a diamond is the way to go, don’t add up two months worth of your salary just yet. The average amount spent is going to vary demographically. What one person would spend in New York is going to be completely different than what someone would spend in Gainsville. On average, an engagement ring purchase has been around $2,000 and has been shown to add up to approximately 12% off the overall cost of the wedding. Weddings in this country have grown into a 50 billion dollar a year industry. Guys, we know that you want to impress your fiancé, but going broke isn’t the way to do it. Remember, your married life together begins after the wedding; everything else is a preamble. Set a realistic budget for your engagement purchase. Spending more doesn’t mean you love her more…it just means you have less money to start out your life together, and what’s more important?

I know you’re thinking “How can I get her that all-important 1 carat ring that all of her friends have, on a budget?” and the answer is this; you don’t have to. The average size diamond engagement ring is not a 1 carat – it’s a 1/3 carat. Keep in mind that a beautifully set 1/3 carat diamond will take her breath away just as much as a larger stone, and besides, bigger isn’t always better. Think quality, not size. Also, it is important to note that most jewelers have a trade-up policy. If you should come into a more comfortable means of income in the future, you can trade-in her stone for a larger one and just pay the difference. It has been my experience, however, that no matter what the size of the original stone, your bride will want to keep the ring you propose with forever.

The surprise proposal has also become a bit of a relic. Men are no longer under such a high degree of pressure to pick out the perfect ring alone. If you have gotten to the point in your relationship that you are thinking of marriage, the odds are that you have already discussed this with your intended. If not, you will shortly, I assure you. More and more, women are heavily involved in the proposal process. Ladies will accompany their gents to the jewelry store. They will be actively involved in the decision of design, size, and yes even cost of their engagement ring. Women of the 21st century are seeing marriage as an equal partnership, one in which they should have a say in all aspects, and this is where men can really be thankful. To maintain a small element of the surprise tradition, men might pick out the final diamond alone after the setting has been agreed upon. Or he might arrange for a formal evening in which he prepares just the right thing to say to officially ask for her hand in marriage. Romance isn’t dead in proposals, after all.

The point is this; forget the idea of what is average, and concentrate on what is right for you and your fiancé. That’s all that really matters.

Click here to browse our large selection of Engagement Rings.

Kim G

A rock is just a rock, unless it’s a diamond. Globally, an estimated 10 million people are supported by the diamond industry, which makes one wonder what is really involved in the journey of a diamond.

Most diamonds are mined in pipe-like bodies of kimberlite rock and it’s not exactly an easy venture. Mined from open pits up to 300 meters deep, an average kimberlite mine contains approximately 25 carats of diamonds for every 100 tons of rock, and of those 25 carats, maybe only 5 carats are usable for gems. The remaining diamonds are used in industrial equipment; the diamond drill bit isn’t just a pretty name.

Diamonds can also be found in river or beach gravels where they have accumulated after erosion of kimberlite pipes. The most notable of this type of deposits can be seen in Namibia, located in South Africa. Here, the beach deposits are so rich with natural diamonds that diamonds are mined in huge open sand pits. This mining operation only yields approximately 5 carats of diamonds per 150 tons of gravel, however almost all of those 5 carats are of gem quality. The diamond rich soil does not end at the water’s edge. Off the coast, large mining ships are equipped with specialized vacuum apparatus that actually collects rough diamonds from the sea floor.

Diamonds are separated from the rock by various means such as passing the sediments through a grease belt to which only diamonds stick and all else is washed away. Another separation method is passing the sediments through an x-ray beam which causes the diamonds to become fluorescent and thereby easily picked out. No matter what method is used, a final check is always done by hand, through each and every ton of rock mined.

From the mine rough diamonds are separated into two classifications; gem or industrial quality. Of the gem quality stones, the rough diamonds are sorted again according to shape, size, color, and inclusions. ‘Inclusions’ can be a vague term, but it is meant to encompass the internal flaws of a diamond such as cracks or internal imperfections such as carbon deposits. These inclusions will determine what special care the diamond cutter will need to consider when preparing the final gem.

A diamond cutter must examine the rough stone in order to determine what shape and size to cut the stone. The round brilliant cut is the most popular cut because it enables the cutter to retain as much of the original stone as possible while giving it the most amount of sparkle. Once determined, the cutter will mark the stone for cutting and the rough diamond will be divided by sawing the stone using a paper-thin metal disc which is coated in diamond dust. A diamond, being the hardest natural element, requires another diamond to cut it. While each facet is carefully cut into the stone, diamond dust is produced which is saved and used for further sawing and faceting. A facet is the tiny surface on a diamond that traps light and makes a diamond sparkle. Most round brilliant cut diamonds have 58 facets, more so if the stone is of exceptional size.

Once the final gem is cut and polished, it is ready to be graded. Diamond grading can be confusing for most people but it needn’t be. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) was formed in 1931 and is a non-profit institution. They are an educational organization that has a simple and unbiased diamond grading system by which diamonds can be measured. It is important to note that the GIA does not place dollar value on diamonds; it simply reports the weight, proportions, clarity, color and fluorescence of the diamond.

Once graded, the diamonds are purchased by buyers from all over the world to be set into jewelry and sold to the consumer; you. So the next time you peer into a case full of diamonds at the mall and breathe the words ‘what’s the big deal?’, now you’ll have an answer. That little sparking gem had a long journey.

Sheri L

“Diamonds Are Forever” is the seventh in the series of James Bond spy movies, as well as Shirley Bassey’s title song, inspired by Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name. The song emphasizes that diamonds last “forever and ever” and “when love is gone, they’ll luster on.” Diamond is the world’s hardest natural material and diamonds are the most durable and ever-lasting material on Earth, so, yes, diamonds really are forever thanks to their durability. .

Durability is stability, hardness and toughness

A gemstone’s durability is its degree of stability, hardness and toughness. Toughness relates to chipping and breaking, while hardness has to do with scratching. Stability refers to how well the gemstone resists light, chemicals and heat. Diamonds have excellent stability and hardness as well as good toughness so this all adds up to incredible durability.
Stability – Diamond is used in the electrical industry and in engineering drill bits because of its high resistance to heat, light and chemicals. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is technology that allows synthetic diamond to be fabricated, either in thin or thick sheets, due to a gaseous chemical reaction.
Although diamonds are highly resistant to most chemicals, bleach should not be used to clean diamonds. Diamonds are often cleaned with a mixture of ammonia and water or a diamond cleaner and soft-bristled brush. Diamond has an extremely high melting point of 3,820 degrees Kelvin. It is the best heat conductor of all natural elements, due to its high lattice density. Lattice density refers to the amount of atoms per unit of volume. As atoms are denser in diamond than in any other natural material, diamond is also the hardest of all natural materials.

Hardness – Diamond measures a perfect ten on the Mohs
scale. The Mohs scale is named after Friedrich Mohs, a German mineralogist, and it tests hardness by how easily a mineral can be scratched. Talc has a score of only one to diamond’s ten.
Softer minerals cannot scratch harder minerals. Diamond is so hard that the next hardest mineral on the Mohs scale, corundum – which is sapphire and ruby, is four times softer than diamond. The hardness of diamonds makes them perfect for wearing as jewelry as they are not easily scratched. Since diamonds can scratch other diamonds, however, diamond jewelry pieces should be kept separate in a jewelry box.

Toughness – Ruby, sapphire and alexandrite are all tougher gemstones than diamond, but diamond is still very tough. A diamond will usually only break if it is dropped on a hard surface or hit with a blow that splits its four-way cleavage. Cleavage is a straight, clean crack in a gemstone.
Feathery cracks on the top of a diamond may cause easier breakage and diamonds with these types of surface cracks are not very durable. A good quality cut diamond has its girdle, or outer rim, left thick enough to prevent chipping. The pointed end of a diamond is called a cutlet and if the cutlet is too pointed, breakage could occur during the setting process.