Diamonds are graded for certification by laboratories using grading criteria. Four of these criteria are critical to understand when
making a diamond purchase or investment. Known as the “Four C’s” these criteria are: color, cut, clarity and carat. Color is the result of the composition of a diamond and it does not change. When a jeweler is describing the color of a diamond they are referring to the presence or absence of color in white diamonds. Because a diamond with no color allows maximum light to pass through, colorless diamonds are preferred for their sparkle. Cut refers to a diamonds reflective quality. Most diamonds are cut with 58 facets. The brilliance of diamonds is heavily dependent on the cut. The different angles and the finish of a diamond determine its ability to reflect light and cause its brilliance and fire. Remember that the cut of a diamond can have an impact on its durability as well as its beauty. Some cutting faults can make a diamond prone to breakage. A diamond that is cut too thin can also cause light to leak out of the back and the diamond will lose some of the sparkle and appear not to shine. So, as you can see the Cut is
probably the most important of the Four C’s. During the formation process, inner flaws, or inclusions occur in most diamonds. The
number and size of these inclusions determine what is referred to as the clarity of a diamond. Diamonds that are clear create more brilliance and therefore are rarer and highly priced. To be considered “flawless”, a diamond must have no surface or internal imperfections visible upon being viewed by a skilled diamond grader using 10 power magnifications. Carat is the unit of weight by which diamonds are measured. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 segments called points. 150 points would equal one and a half carats. When you go to the store to make that all important diamond purchase, do not be shy!
Ask questions, get the answers needed to make an informed purchase. Shopping for certified diamonds enables you to make an
informed selection. Knowing the “four C’s” allows you to comparison shop and purchase the best diamond at a fair price. But, before making a purchase, shop around and decide what shapes and styles really appeal to you.
Enjoy your diamond for years to come!

A common scam that most jewelry stores
participate in is the Carat Total Weight scam.
The tag on the piece of jewelry, usually a ring,
only states the total carat weight of all
diamonds in the piece, instead of listing the
total weights separately for each diamond.
This leads consumers to believe that the main
diamond in the piece is actually bigger than it
is. Ask what the total carat weight of the center
stone is. Also beware of fractions. Jewelry
stores are allowed to round off diamond
weights. This means that if the jeweler tells
you that it is a ¾ carat diamond, it is
probably between ½ and ¾ carat – but
closer to ¾.

Jewelry stores often run ‘fluorescence’
scams to varying degrees. Referring to a
diamond as a blue-white diamond is such a
scam. A blue-white diamond sounds very
unique and special, but in fact, this type of
diamond is of lesser quality – even though
the jeweler will try to make you think you are
getting something special. Jewelry stores
also like to show their diamonds in bright
lights. Lights make diamonds shine. Ask
to see the diamond in a different, darker
type of lighting as well.

Some truly unscrupulous jewelers target
those who want appraisals on diamonds
that were given to them as gifts or that were
purchased elsewhere. They will try to tell you
that the diamond is worthless, or worth less
than it actually is worth – and offer to take it
off your hands or trade it for a much better
diamond, along with the cash to make up
the difference. This is called low balling.
Get a second, third, and even a forth opinion
before taking any action.

Another common dirty trick is to switch the
diamond you have chosen and paid for with
one of lesser quality and value when you
leave it to be set in a piece of jewelry, or
leave a diamond ring to be sized. The only
way to avoid this is to do business with one
trustworthy jeweler. Avoid jewelers that you
have not done business with in the past.

There are many more scams that jewelry
stores commonly pull on unsuspecting
consumers. Just use your best judgment,
and purchase your diamonds with the
utmost care and consideration.

Why her satisfaction? Well, the little ornaments were of jade, and she herself had seen to it that the little granddaughter wore them for protection. Indeed, many Chinese believe that if a person wears jade and is involved in any sort of accident, the jade will be broken but its wearer will enjoy protection. No wonder, then, that grandmother noted this apparent confirmation of her superstition with that “I told you so” attitude!

This story helps us to understand why, for the Chinese, jade is “the quintessence of heaven and earth, “the most precious of precious stones” even surpassing diamonds.

The Chinese came to think of jade as being of supernatural origin, and hence as something that might be used to promote intercourse with heaven and propitiate the heavenly powers. Traditionally they associate it with their five cardinal virtues: charity, modesty, courage, justice and wisdom. Philosophers taught that jade, swallowed under the right conditions, would confer the ability to live for thousands of years, the power of rendering oneself invisible, and the ability to fly.

There are, of course, few who continue to hold to such beliefs, but they do serve to indicate the high esteem in which jade was held for centuries among the Orientals. But aside from the superstitions attaching to jade, it is, in fact, a most beautiful stone. In most parts of southeast Asia if you observe Chinese or Vietnamese ladies dressed in their best, you will seldom see them without a jade ornament somewhere about their persons.

There are two separate stones that go by this name: nephrite, a Silicate of calcium and magnesium, and jadeite or Chinese jade, a silicate of sodium and aluminum. Interestingly, that name “nephrite, from the Greek word for kidney, reflects the idea that ground-up jade is a cure for kidney ills. The difference between jadeite and nephrite is really of importance only to collectors. On the whole, jadeite is more brilliant and takes a higher polish, while nephrite looks more oily than glossy.

Although China has long been the emporium for art objects fashioned in jade, this material in its natural state is seldom found in China. It was imported from other lands, notably Turkestan. But now nephrite comes mainly from New Zealand, and jadeite is found chiefly in Japan, Burma and California. Jade is often found in riverbeds where it has been washed down from the mountains. It is also quarried from mountains, but the Chinese have a preference for riverbed jade.

Usually we think of jade as having a bright spinach-green color. However, it comes in a variety of colors ranging from pure white, through yellow, red, and blue to black.

Identifying Genuine Jade

Since there are many stones that bear a strong resemblance to jade, how can we know when we have the real thing? If you wanted to buy a piece of jade and avoid the imitations that are passed off as genuine, the easiest way would be to have an expert determine the question. Two things in particular make jade unique: its density and its hardness. Its density or specific gravity refers to the ratio of its weight to an equal volume of water. Jadeite has a specific gravity of 3.4 or slightly less, nephrite of about 3.0. Thus a piece of nephrite weighing three ounces would be of the same volume as one ounce of water.

Hardness determinations are based on the simple principle that a harder material will scratch a softer one, and never vice versa. So, to test a piece of jade we would need, for example, a topaz. If it made no impression on the stone, then it must be genuine jade.

Something simpler is to take a steel penknife or pin and scratch or prick the stone. It is impossible to make any impression on the real jade in this way, but most imitations, such as soapstone, would be marked. Of course, it is not advisable to go around indiscriminately scratching or pricking other people’s art objects. If, however, you really have reason to apply this test, there is often an inconspicuous place, say, at the back or on the base of an object, where you can try it out, and if it is genuine jade no harm can be done. Glass, also, can be treated to look very much like jade, but a piece of glass would weigh considerably less than jade of the same bulk.

The price of jade varies tremendously. More is involved than just the intrinsic value of a piece. Color, shape, quality and especially age and history play important roles. In 1960 a piece of carved Chinese jade was sold at auction for over $16,000. In 1860 a British expedition to Peking sacked the Emperor’s Summer Palace and carried off many of his magnificent jades. If one sees an object today marked “from the Summer Palace, Peking, then one can be assured of excellent quality, if the tag is telling the truth.