Previously, I had discussed the two top diamond grading bodies, GIA and AGS. Well, it turns out that in North America, predominantly the US, GIA and AGS are the most favorable and trusted bodies. Over the Altantic Ocean, in the city of Antwerp, the world's largest diamond trade center, there exists another reputable diamond grading body, the HRD.
HRD, The High Diamond Council or Hoge Raad voor, was started in 1976 (much later than GIA - 1930s) is much like its North American counterparts and is a very reputable and trusted diamond grading authority. Since its origins are in the world's "diamond capital", you can tell how reliable their grading certificates are.
However, there have been debates and opinions on the differences between GIA/AGS and HRD. Researchers and diamond enthusiasts have compared reports generated by the two separate bodies and have found differences in their grading across the 4C's. I'm not going to go into details regarding the differences, but overall, neither is superior to the other. It's almost like comparing AGS000 and GIA Triple Excellent.
What you should learn from this blog post is the existence of a third reputable and proven diamond grading body, HRD, and it is based in the world's largest diamond trading city, Antwerp. So next time when you're out shopping for a ring and you see a grading certificate from HRD, don't freak out and instead, showcase your knowledge to the sales =P...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
--To Splurge Or Not To Splurge--
Well, looks like my whole budget has taken a different turn. Now that we're shopping around for a place, and with the way the housing market is heading, I need to save, and save a lot for a downpayment. This changes everything. I still want to give the Perfect Ring, but at the same time, I want to buy a place for us that is nice and that can't be compromised simply because I need to budget for the ring. Decisions, decisions... I need some way to make more money ><
Pros & Cons:
-real estate generally goes up in value over time.... diamonds do not
-the Perfect Ring might have a wow factor, but so does a nice place (or lack thereof)
-one cannot live without a place, but you can live without a ring
-a diamond is forever... but a house is where you live and rest in, every single day...
-skip the hardwood floor, big screen TV and granite countertop to go from a 50 points, I colour, SI1 to a 1.3 ct, F colour, VS1....? Argh...
-earnings from selling a house that has increased in value can easily buy a decent ring
Pros & Cons:
-real estate generally goes up in value over time.... diamonds do not
-the Perfect Ring might have a wow factor, but so does a nice place (or lack thereof)
-one cannot live without a place, but you can live without a ring
-a diamond is forever... but a house is where you live and rest in, every single day...
-skip the hardwood floor, big screen TV and granite countertop to go from a 50 points, I colour, SI1 to a 1.3 ct, F colour, VS1....? Argh...
-earnings from selling a house that has increased in value can easily buy a decent ring
Monday, February 8, 2010
--The Story (Part 2)--
This Quest for the Perfect Ring has been long and tiring. Not only because it is pretty hard to find a really, really nice ring for a really, really good price, but also because of the timing.
I have been meaning to buy a ring, propose and get engaged almost 2 yrs ago. When I first decided that, I took things easy and just casually educated myself on the 4C's, much like how I'm educating some of you who follow this blog. I also had to save enough money so I wouldn't be broke, or restricted on the budget.
With every year that pass, me and my girlfriend have been together for another year. Most of her friends are now engaged or married, yet, she, the one who's been dating since high school, who's always been the ideal couple, is, unfortunately, still unengaged. I totally understand how she feels since most of our common friends thought we would be the first ones to get engaged and married. However, I tend to see it in a different way. Up to a certain extent, there is no deadline to be engaged. Not after 2 yrs of dating, not after 5, not after 10. A proposal should happen when things feel right, and not dictated by people around you, including family. I always thought as long as you give your significant other security, make them feel that you're serious, and your relationship is stable, and it's just a matter of time before you get engaged and married, that everything would be ok. Well I guess I am partially wrong. Maybe as a female, there is some sort of social pressure, much like how girls compare their engagement rings...
I'm learning to compromise and trying to speed up my schedule, but I still don't want to ruin it just because of what others impose.
To be continued...
I have been meaning to buy a ring, propose and get engaged almost 2 yrs ago. When I first decided that, I took things easy and just casually educated myself on the 4C's, much like how I'm educating some of you who follow this blog. I also had to save enough money so I wouldn't be broke, or restricted on the budget.
With every year that pass, me and my girlfriend have been together for another year. Most of her friends are now engaged or married, yet, she, the one who's been dating since high school, who's always been the ideal couple, is, unfortunately, still unengaged. I totally understand how she feels since most of our common friends thought we would be the first ones to get engaged and married. However, I tend to see it in a different way. Up to a certain extent, there is no deadline to be engaged. Not after 2 yrs of dating, not after 5, not after 10. A proposal should happen when things feel right, and not dictated by people around you, including family. I always thought as long as you give your significant other security, make them feel that you're serious, and your relationship is stable, and it's just a matter of time before you get engaged and married, that everything would be ok. Well I guess I am partially wrong. Maybe as a female, there is some sort of social pressure, much like how girls compare their engagement rings...
I'm learning to compromise and trying to speed up my schedule, but I still don't want to ruin it just because of what others impose.
To be continued...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Band & Setting Choices Part 1
I wanted to blog a bit about this topic as I see it as an important component of the Perfect Ring. So you got yourself a shiny, big rock, but you're still missing the other half of a ring, the setting!
Typically, the circular part is called a setting, or band. For engagement rings, they usually come in the form of gold, white or yellow, or platinum. To further break it down, the gold bands come in either 14K or 18K gold. Platinum costs significantly more than gold. A 14K gold band could cost around $300-600 CAD, while a platinum one might sell for at least $1000+ CAD.
When brand new, it is pretty hard to tell the difference between platinum and white gold. So the first thing that may come to your mind is, why not buy the cheaper one. Well, like most things in life, you get what you pay for and there's obviously reasons why platinum costs more. Let me break down the differences...
White gold bands typically are a mix of white gold and other metals like silver, palladium and is usually treated with a layer of rhodium to make it white and shiny. Over time, the Rhodium plating chips and fades away and will make the band look dull and not as white. However, for a small price, most jewellers will re-Rhodium plate a white gold ring to "renew" it.
Platinum on the other hand is an almost pure metal when made into bands and is more dense, and white. Due to its density, platinum bands weight more than white gold bands. Platinum is also a lot stronger and thus can take more wear and not show it. Lastly, it is also more rare and therefore costs more than gold.
If you don't mind chips and scratches on your band, gold may be your better choice due to its price point. That and you have to get it replated with Rhodium every few years to keep the whiteness. On the other hand, if you want a stronger, more chip resistant band, platinum may be the way to go. However, you probably won't be able to replate or polish it (it's much more difficult than gold) and over time, it may dull a little bit.
If you can afford the extra money, a platinum band would be my choice =)
Typically, the circular part is called a setting, or band. For engagement rings, they usually come in the form of gold, white or yellow, or platinum. To further break it down, the gold bands come in either 14K or 18K gold. Platinum costs significantly more than gold. A 14K gold band could cost around $300-600 CAD, while a platinum one might sell for at least $1000+ CAD.
When brand new, it is pretty hard to tell the difference between platinum and white gold. So the first thing that may come to your mind is, why not buy the cheaper one. Well, like most things in life, you get what you pay for and there's obviously reasons why platinum costs more. Let me break down the differences...
White gold bands typically are a mix of white gold and other metals like silver, palladium and is usually treated with a layer of rhodium to make it white and shiny. Over time, the Rhodium plating chips and fades away and will make the band look dull and not as white. However, for a small price, most jewellers will re-Rhodium plate a white gold ring to "renew" it.
Platinum on the other hand is an almost pure metal when made into bands and is more dense, and white. Due to its density, platinum bands weight more than white gold bands. Platinum is also a lot stronger and thus can take more wear and not show it. Lastly, it is also more rare and therefore costs more than gold.
If you don't mind chips and scratches on your band, gold may be your better choice due to its price point. That and you have to get it replated with Rhodium every few years to keep the whiteness. On the other hand, if you want a stronger, more chip resistant band, platinum may be the way to go. However, you probably won't be able to replate or polish it (it's much more difficult than gold) and over time, it may dull a little bit.
If you can afford the extra money, a platinum band would be my choice =)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
--Cut--
The last and final C, Cut.
Cut
This is arguably the most important of the 4C's. The cut grade of a diamond refers to how 'well' the diamond is cut into the commercial stone from the raw stone. The cut of a diamond directly reflects how shiny and sparkly, and the brilliance and fire a diamond gives off. An excellent cut diamond can often mask flaws and lower grades in the other C's.
Technically speaking, the cut of a diamond is how much light is reflected back to the eye and surface of the diamond. A badly cut diamond will lose all the light by reflecting it to the sides or even bottom of the diamond. It can further be classified as shallow or deep cut depending on where exactly the light is reflected. In both cases, it is not reflected back up to the table of the diamond. On the contrary, excellent cut diamonds reflect maximum light right back up to the table and thus gives it more fire and brilliance.
That is also the reason why an excellent cut diamond can mask other defects. For example, if there are inclusions in an excellent cut diamond, the amount of light reflected back can make the inclusion harder to spot, or smaller than it appears. The same can be said for a lower colour grade like I, or J stone with excellent cut. The amount of light reflected back can offset the yellowish colour and make the stone appear more white than it actually is.
Cut is generally measured from Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, and Excellent. However, different grading bodies have different grading for Cut. For GIA, the highest cut is an Excellent cut. For AGS generally likes to grade their cut on a scale of of 0 - 10, with 0 being Ideal/highest, and 10 being Poor/worse cut. It's not entirely true that GIA Excellent = AGS Ideal 0, but they are pretty much the best cut stones around. Again, using GemScan, they have their Ideal cut, which is their highest cut grade. But do not compare this to the AGS Ideal 0 cut, as the latter is far better.
Personally, I try to maximize this spec. As I mentioned, having the highest cut can mask out and offset the other specs, so having an Excellent cut, G stone is probably better than a Good cut, E colour stone. Well, it is really hard to compare like that, but you get the idea =P Drawing comparisons to RPG games again, the cut is like your main weapon, your sword, Ultima Weapon, Ragnarok and colour and clarity are like head or body armour. If you were to only have one item, you'd pick your weapon, your best sword right? Same analogy here =)
Cut
This is arguably the most important of the 4C's. The cut grade of a diamond refers to how 'well' the diamond is cut into the commercial stone from the raw stone. The cut of a diamond directly reflects how shiny and sparkly, and the brilliance and fire a diamond gives off. An excellent cut diamond can often mask flaws and lower grades in the other C's.
Technically speaking, the cut of a diamond is how much light is reflected back to the eye and surface of the diamond. A badly cut diamond will lose all the light by reflecting it to the sides or even bottom of the diamond. It can further be classified as shallow or deep cut depending on where exactly the light is reflected. In both cases, it is not reflected back up to the table of the diamond. On the contrary, excellent cut diamonds reflect maximum light right back up to the table and thus gives it more fire and brilliance.
That is also the reason why an excellent cut diamond can mask other defects. For example, if there are inclusions in an excellent cut diamond, the amount of light reflected back can make the inclusion harder to spot, or smaller than it appears. The same can be said for a lower colour grade like I, or J stone with excellent cut. The amount of light reflected back can offset the yellowish colour and make the stone appear more white than it actually is.
Cut is generally measured from Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, and Excellent. However, different grading bodies have different grading for Cut. For GIA, the highest cut is an Excellent cut. For AGS generally likes to grade their cut on a scale of of 0 - 10, with 0 being Ideal/highest, and 10 being Poor/worse cut. It's not entirely true that GIA Excellent = AGS Ideal 0, but they are pretty much the best cut stones around. Again, using GemScan, they have their Ideal cut, which is their highest cut grade. But do not compare this to the AGS Ideal 0 cut, as the latter is far better.
Personally, I try to maximize this spec. As I mentioned, having the highest cut can mask out and offset the other specs, so having an Excellent cut, G stone is probably better than a Good cut, E colour stone. Well, it is really hard to compare like that, but you get the idea =P Drawing comparisons to RPG games again, the cut is like your main weapon, your sword, Ultima Weapon, Ragnarok and colour and clarity are like head or body armour. If you were to only have one item, you'd pick your weapon, your best sword right? Same analogy here =)
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