{"id":23054,"date":"2023-08-19T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2023-08-19T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=23054"},"modified":"2024-01-13T09:30:33","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T14:30:33","slug":"the-best-way-to-examine-a-diamond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/the-best-way-to-examine-a-diamond\/","title":{"rendered":"THE BEST WAY TO EXAMINE A DIAMOND"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/div>\n

People love to look at diamonds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I love showing them.<\/h2>\n

\nBut there are 6 basic steps<\/strong> to examining a diamond. Things that could make or break<\/strong> a potential diamond sale.<\/p>\n

\nIt’s MUST-DO tricks<\/strong> that can not only show you exactly what you’re buying, but also keep you from getting ripped off<\/strong> as well.<\/p>\n

\nBecause the more knowledge you have about the diamond you’re buying, the better your buying decision<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nSo let’s take a closer look<\/strong> at these 6 important <\/strong>steps and learn how to examine a diamond the right way.<\/p>\n

1) Use a Loupe or a Microscope<\/h2>\n

\nDiamonds are small<\/strong>, but they have the biggest accumulated wealth of any object their size. Meaning, it’s hard to see any great detail with the bare eye.<\/p>\n

\nYou’ll need yourself a magnifying glass<\/strong>, preferably 10x<\/strong> (a microscope<\/a> or a jeweler’s loupe<\/a>… and they even sell jeweler’s loupes for the iPhone<\/a> too). Diamonds and the 4c’s are all graded under 10x power<\/strong>. 10x allows you to see the stone, all of its flaws<\/strong>, inscriptions<\/strong>, facets <\/strong>and surface graining<\/strong> characteristics (some people like to use 30x<\/strong> to really see the stone in great detail<\/strong>). <\/p>\n

\nWithout magnification (and using a microscope really is the best way<\/strong> to see them), most diamonds would look the same side by side<\/strong>. So seeing them under tight scrutiny separates the good from the bad<\/strong>, the best from the worst, the expensive from the cheap<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2) View it Clean<\/h2>\n

\nYou MUST, MUST, MUST<\/strong> clean the diamond first!<\/strong> For any kind of debris<\/strong>, dirt, dust<\/strong>, hair, or particles <\/strong>can not only hinder light, but make it look dark<\/strong>, dull, and mistaken as flaws<\/strong> and imperfections. Clean it with an ultrasonic cleaner<\/a> or a steam cleaner<\/a>. Make sure it’s perfectly clean<\/strong> so everything you’re seeing is the diamond, and nothing but the diamond<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

3) View it Loose<\/h2>\n

\nMounted diamonds are tough to view<\/strong>. The mounting gets in the way (and it can also alter the true color<\/strong> of the stone). The prongs cover up flaws<\/strong>, chips, cracks<\/strong>, carbon spots… You’ll never fully know what’s hidden underneath that chunk of metal<\/strong> (what the jeweler doesn’t want you to see…), until you see it naked<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nView it loose<\/strong> (if you can). For loose and unmounted allows you to see the entire stone<\/strong>, naturally, without any obstruction<\/strong> or mask<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4) Use Tweezers PLEASE!<\/h2>\n

\nDon’t hold the diamond with your fingers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

NOPE! Never!<\/h2>\n

\nFingerprints leave marks<\/strong>, oils, wavy lines<\/strong> across the surface… They show up under a microscope. Don’t do it!<\/strong> Use diamond tweezers<\/a> only, and carefully <\/strong>clip the sides of the girdle (gentle<\/strong>; you don’t want to harm the delicate edges). Not only will tweezers present the diamond well, but they’ll allow you to view the diamond, tip it in the light<\/strong>, secure the stone (keep it from flying across the room). Locking tweezers<\/a> are the best <\/strong>tweezers to use!<\/p>\n

5) View it from all Sides<\/h2>\n

\nLocked in the tweezers, rotate your hand around to see the stone from all angles<\/strong>, side, and even upside-down<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nView the inscription <\/strong>on the girdle (if it has one), view the stone for any chips<\/strong>, cracks, broken culets<\/strong> (very point of the diamond). Make sure you don’t see any circles, holes, or tubes<\/strong> in the pavilion <\/strong>(base), where laser drilling<\/strong> or fracture filling<\/strong> could have occured (called diamond enhancements<\/strong>, and they must be disclosed<\/strong> at the time of the sale, or otherwise, it’s FRAUD!<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

\nCheck the diamond everywhere<\/strong>; The flaws and the color of the stone are best seen from the side or bottom<\/strong> (not distracted by facets, brilliance, or light).<\/p>\n

\nDon’t be afraid to reposition the tweezers<\/strong> to get a better view. Check the girdle and surface (seeing the light reflecting off the facets) of the stone as well (you’ll be able to see if the surface is flat<\/strong>, or if it’s uneven<\/strong>, wavy, or rippled<\/strong> like waves<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

6) Light Light Light<\/h2>\n

\nThe more light you use, the easier it will be to see<\/strong> inside the stone. This sounds obvious, but it’s true<\/strong>. Make sure when you’re looking at diamonds, you have plenty of light<\/strong> to illuminate your object.<\/p>\n

\nAlso meaning, if you’re using a hand-held jeweler’s loupe<\/a>, lean yourself back slightly<\/strong> so your own shadow <\/strong>doesn’t fall over the stone.<\/p>\n

\nThe best microscopes<\/a> to use are the ones that have extra lighting on the sides<\/strong> and bottom (so all the imperfections stand out)…<\/p>\n

There you have it…<\/h2>\n

\nThe best 6 ways<\/strong> to examine a loose certified diamond.<\/p>\n

And the BEST place to Buy one?<\/h2>\n

\nJames Allen HERE:<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\"Examine<\/a><\/p>\n

James Allen has the best deals<\/strong> (compare their prices with mall stores, you’ll be astounded<\/strong>), the best selection, and you’ll be able to see them loose and magnified<\/strong> from all sides (and you’ll see the REAL <\/strong>stone, and not just a sample stock photo<\/strong> like other websites show you).<\/p>\n

\n(Plus, if you use my special code “ringsum<\/strong>” at the time of checkout, they’ll give you 10% off the mounting!<\/strong> [not good with any other discount or promotion])<\/p>\n

So Happy Shopping!<\/h2>\n

\nAnd happy viewing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nCheers! :)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People love to look at diamonds. I love showing them. But there are 6 basic steps to examining a diamond. Things that could make or break a potential diamond sale. It’s MUST-DO tricks that can [Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9,7,6,5,29,3,10,16],"tags":[1392,1393,488,1395,1394],"class_list":["post-23054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-carat-weight","category-certification","category-clarity","category-color","category-cut","category-diamond-guide","category-diamonds","category-engagement","category-guides","tag-diamond-loupe","tag-diamond-microscope","tag-diamond-quality","tag-diamonds-closeup","tag-examine-a-diamond"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23054"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}