A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks or organic materials that are not minerals are also used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well.
1. Header of the Report – Who Actually Graded the Diamond?
The first detail to look for is the name of the issuing laboratory. The more well-known labs are GIA, AGS, EGL, IGI, and HRD but there are also plenty of other “specialty services” who issue reports too.
The more important question here is who uses these specialty services and why? You might have encountered the notoriously “cheap” diamond deals that come with obscure grading reports from “independent” appraisers or in-house gemologists.
The truth is, there are no deals here. These “cheap” diamonds are usually what they are; low quality diamonds that aren’t worth the fees of sending it to a proper lab for grading. Instead, unethical jewelers bank on the lax grading standards of “independent” appraisals and biased in-house reports to make low quality diamonds sound better on paper.
The bottom line is that you should only consider buying diamonds graded by GIA or AGS. The other labs have lenient standards and often over-grade diamonds for the benefit of the jeweler. For more information, you can refer to our article on the differences between gemological labs.
2. Report Number, Cutting Style And Measurements
The next detail you would notice is the report number, which is a unique series of digits for record keeping purposes. Most labs retain this number in their database in case you misplace your report and need a replacement. More importantly, this number also allows you to have a direct verification of the document via the gemological lab’s website.
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
1. Header of the Report – Who Actually Graded the Diamond?
The first detail to look for is the name of the issuing laboratory. The more well-known labs are GIA, AGS, EGL, IGI, and HRD but there are also plenty of other “specialty services” who issue reports too.
The more important question here is who uses these specialty services and why? You might have encountered the notoriously “cheap” diamond deals that come with obscure grading reports from “independent” appraisers or in-house gemologists.
The truth is, there are no deals here. These “cheap” diamonds are usually what they are; low quality diamonds that aren’t worth the fees of sending it to a proper lab for grading. Instead, unethical jewelers bank on the lax grading standards of “independent” appraisals and biased in-house reports to make low quality diamonds sound better on paper.
The bottom line is that you should only consider buying diamonds graded by GIA or AGS. The other labs have lenient standards and often over-grade diamonds for the benefit of the jeweler. For more information, you can refer to our article on the differences between gemological labs.
2. Report Number, Cutting Style And Measurements
The next detail you would notice is the report number, which is a unique series of digits for record keeping purposes. Most labs retain this number in their database in case you misplace your report and need a replacement. More importantly, this number also allows you to have a direct verification of the document via the gemological lab’s website.
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Wire wrapping is one of the oldest techniques for making handmade jewelry. This technique is done with some jewelry wire and findings similar to wire (like head-pins) to make components. Wire components are then connected to one another using mechanical techniques with no soldering or heating of the wire. Frequently, in this approach, a wire is bent into a loop or other decorative shape and then the wire is wrapped around itself to finish the wire component making that loop or decorative shape permanent. Because of this technique for wrapping wire around itself, this craft is called wire wrapping.
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
A banana peel, also called banana skin in British English, is the outer covering of the banana fruit. Banana peels are used as food for animals, in water purification, for manufacturing of several biochemical products as well as for jokes and comical situations.
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impuritiesand/or structural defects in the crystal lattice. Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond’s coloration, a diamond’s color can either detract from or enhance its value. For example, most white diamonds are discounted in price when more yellow hue is detectable, while intense pink diamonds or blue diamonds (such as the Hope Diamond) can be dramatically more valuable. Of all colored diamonds, red diamonds are the rarest. The Aurora Pyramid of Hope displays a spectacular array of naturally colored diamonds, including red diamonds.
When placed between two polarizing filters set at right angles to each other, the optical properties of the minerals in the thin section alter the colour and intensity of the light as seen by the viewer. As different minerals have different optical properties, most rock forming minerals can be easily identified. Plagioclase for example can be seen in the photo on the right as a clear mineral with multiple parallel twinning planes. The large blue-green minerals are clinopyroxene with some exsolution of orthopyroxene.
Thin sections are prepared in order to investigate the optical properties of the minerals in the rock. This work is a part of petrology and helps to reveal the origin and evolution of the parent rock.
A photograph of a rock in thin section is often referred to as a photomicrograph.
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impuritiesand/or structural defects in the crystal lattice. Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond’s coloration, a diamond’s color can either detract from or enhance its value. For example, most white diamonds are discounted in price when more yellow hue is detectable, while intense pink diamonds or blue diamonds (such as the Hope Diamond) can be dramatically more valuable. Of all colored diamonds, red diamonds are the rarest. The Aurora Pyramid of Hope displays a spectacular array of naturally colored diamonds, including red diamonds.
When placed between two polarizing filters set at right angles to each other, the optical properties of the minerals in the thin section alter the colour and intensity of the light as seen by the viewer. As different minerals have different optical properties, most rock forming minerals can be easily identified. Plagioclase for example can be seen in the photo on the right as a clear mineral with multiple parallel twinning planes. The large blue-green minerals are clinopyroxene with some exsolution of orthopyroxene.
Thin sections are prepared in order to investigate the optical properties of the minerals in the rock. This work is a part of petrology and helps to reveal the origin and evolution of the parent rock.
A photograph of a rock in thin section is often referred to as a photomicrograph.
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impuritiesand/or structural defects in the crystal lattice. Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond’s coloration, a diamond’s color can either detract from or enhance its value. For example, most white diamonds are discounted in price when more yellow hue is detectable, while intense pink diamonds or blue diamonds (such as the Hope Diamond) can be dramatically more valuable. Of all colored diamonds, red diamonds are the rarest. The Aurora Pyramid of Hope displays a spectacular array of naturally colored diamonds, including red diamonds.
When placed between two polarizing filters set at right angles to each other, the optical properties of the minerals in the thin section alter the colour and intensity of the light as seen by the viewer. As different minerals have different optical properties, most rock forming minerals can be easily identified. Plagioclase for example can be seen in the photo on the right as a clear mineral with multiple parallel twinning planes. The large blue-green minerals are clinopyroxene with some exsolution of orthopyroxene.
Thin sections are prepared in order to investigate the optical properties of the minerals in the rock. This work is a part of petrology and helps to reveal the origin and evolution of the parent rock.
A photograph of a rock in thin section is often referred to as a photomicrograph.
