Diamonds in the Sky

Only one fifth of all rough diamonds mined are suitable for gem cutting.

I bet you didn't know this. It's not the diamond that contributes to its shine, but actually the cut. Sure color, carat, clarity are important but a bad cut can ruin diamonds. A professional diamond cutter determines which cut to give. Every diamond has it's own unique cut.

In a white diamond, the absence of color is important. The lesser the color, the more valuable. If a diamond has full color, like a blue diamond or a yellow diamond, it is worth thousands more than a white diamond.

The size of diamonds are measure in carat weight. The larger carat weight, the more it will cost.

Clarity of diamonds is defined on the amount of blemishes with the stone. The blemished happen in nature. Blemishes will have some effect on sparkle.

The cut makes or breaks a diamond. A bad cut can make a diamond loose its shine no matter what.

To make matters worse, there are still other things that can make a diamond loose its shine.

Your fingers contain oils that can dull a diamond's surface. Diamonds easily soak up this oil and loose its luster.

You can restore the sparkle in your diamonds much easier than the gem cutter who made a bad cut.

Cleaning your diamonds is simple. Soak your diamonds in an ammonia-based household cleaner like window cleaner or jewelry cleaner. Remove your diamonds from the solutions in the morning. Remove any remaining dirt with a horse hair brush or soft cloth. Reserve your brush or cloth exclusively to clean your diamonds only.

When cleaning your diamonds, take care to clean around the metal post. Some metals weaken and become fragile after soaking in cleaner.

Encrusted dirt on diamonds can be removed using an ultrasonic cleaner. This cleaner uses ultrasonic waves to remove the dirt. It can also loosen the stones. Let a professional jeweler clean your diamonds with this method. The jeweler will inspect any mountings and tighten them if necessary

As long as you take regular care of your diamonds, they will last you forever.