G'day !*FIRST_NAME*!
IN THIS ISSUE October Newsletter.
What are the four C's ? (part B - clarity)
Editorial
Gemstone of the Month
Zodiac Gemstones
Auction Information
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September is nearly over and for many people it has been a terrible month. The atrocities in New York has left the world a changed place forever. Many of our clients come from the United States, and on a personal note, Patricia has many cousins living in New York, so it was a harrowing time for us trying to get in touch to see if everyone was all right (thankfully they were).
One of our clients was not so lucky, as his cousin was on the plane which went into the Pentagon. Our hearts go out to everyone, as I know the Americans appreciate our moral and spiritual support at this time.
The website is going through a few more changes, all geared to provide you with the very best for the Christmas run up. If there is something you have your eye on, now is the time to order it, as every year someone gets disappointed because another client snapped up the bargains. We only have one of everything so it's strictly 'First come - First served'.... You have been warned.
We have also provided a Direct Deposit facility for our AUSTRALIAN clients. You can either make payment at ANY Commonwealth bank, or do a transfer through Internet Banking, such as NETBANK. It's easy and very quick with same day dispatch to anywhere in Australia. If you need these details, just drop us an email at this address. gemmo1@iprimus.com.au
Overseas clients can also do an electronic fund transfer, but your bank charges a fee for that, so you'll have to enquire at your own branch as they are all different.
In the meanwhile, take care and watch the road.
regards. David and Patricia (gemmo1)
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WHAT ARE THE FOUR C's ? (PART B - Clarity)
Let's just have a quick recap. We are only talking about Diamonds here.
 | The four C's are:
|
If you missed the first instalment (topic covered in last month's Newsletter) it is available on the website. Just go to our FAQ's section and weave your way to the Articles section.
CLARITY
The clarity of a diamond is basically a method of grading a gem by the LACK of inclusions. The cleaner and clearer the stone, the more valuable it is. That's really all it means so don't make it any more complicated than that.
Before 1930 Diamonds were graded as either 'clean' (which means under low magnification no inclusions were seen inside the stone) or as 'Pique' which means they could see something. Duh..! That was scientific wasn't it?
Naturally, the shrewd little diamond merchants wanted to squeeze the last drop of cash out of us buyers, so by making things more intricate, they could reap the benefit of a few more dollars.
Thankfully the great American Diamond graders of the day, The Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) came up with a list of clarity gradings for polished diamonds towards the end of the 1930's, and this is basically what is still used throughout the world today. Well done GIA...
You must remember that an inclusion in a diamond is a natural thing. It proves the gemstone is genuine and not a fake or simulant (Cubic Zirconia CZ's for example). So with that in mind we can move on.
The standard low magnification used is still the trusty old 10x loupe or eyeglass. With enough magnification we could see an inclusion in just about anything, so the 10x eyeglass was adopted as standard and is still the best little investment you could ever buy (useful for checking hallmarks or fingerprints on the butter or almost anything). Trust me. The few dollars spent on a plastic 10x eyeglass will reward you a thousand times over in sorting the good from bad or real from fake.
There are about twenty or so minerals found in diamonds, from tiny garnet to spinel, green enstatite (don't ask me what the devil THAT is?) to diopside.
Inclusions can also comprise of fractures or cracks and as such are still
graded under the 'CLARITY' banner as faults. These can be formed by crystalline
or solid inclusions producing feather or fan like marks, faint growth
lines or wispy clouds.
Naturally, when you grade a stone, it should be clean, as sometimes surface dirt
could look like something inside the stone. And use a good light - NOT Florescent
tubes as they do not provide the right kind of light.
It is also worth noting that a diamond just under 0.50pts (half a carat) would only be graded in basic terms and smaller stones (under 0.15pts) would be graded in general terms such as 'fine' 'very good' 'good' 'fair' or 'poor' so anyone who would grade a diamond while it is still in the setting could only be half right, as the claws or mount could easily hide many inclusions. For Gems over a carat, it should ALWAYS be graded out of the jewellery setting, which naturally costs more as the stone has to be re-set afterwards.
The very best diamonds are graded as 'FLAWLESS' or 'LOUPE CLEAN'
We don't see many of these as they are expensive. Jewellers would normally have
to order these especially for you.
The next term used is VVS which stands for... (wait for it, you'll love
this...)
Very Very Small Inclusions. Phew... Wasn't that worth waiting for?
Then comes VS (yes, you've guessed it. Smart lot aren't you?)
Very Small inclusions. They've lost a 'very' somewhere. But wait... It gets
better.
SI stands for 'Small Inclusions' but at least this can be relatively easy to see with the 10x eyeglass, but NOT visible with the naked eye. My eyes are always Naked.
This is where things begin to be one of two things. Either you can see it with the naked eye, or you can't. Simple eh?
Each of the above grades are broken down into two sub-groups of 1 or 2.
So a VVS1 is better than a VVS2 for example. This depends where the inclusion
is:
If a VVS2 inclusion is right under the main face of the diamond (this main face
is called the ' Table' and we will be discussing that next month when we look at
the 'CUT' of the gemstone) it is not so valuable as a similar inclusion of the
same size tucked away at the bottom or in the corner. Naturally this second
gemstone being a VVS1 is worth more than the first example where everyone can
see the fault. Makes sense, doesn't it? Costs more too.... Told you they were
crafty.
The next set of grades are getting down there a bit and are labelled P1 to
P3.
The letter P is short for the old Pique' we mentioned earlier and is from the
French word which refers to the small 'pin pricked' marks which are the
inclusions themselves. Just thought you might like to know that...?
Basically it means marks, any marks, internal or external faults which can be seen with that 'Naked eye' we've mentioned, lowers the grade and price.
Most commercial diamonds at your local jewellers tend to be a little above average in the VS to SI range. The price is right and the general public couldn't tell the difference anyway. How often have you seen someone on the customer side of the counter using an eyeglass anyway? Once you get above half a carat it might be worth it but I bet your local Jeweller wouldn't be too impressed.
The biggest problem is when you buy Antique or Second-hand Jewellery from an auction or dealer. This is when an eyeglass becomes compulsory. Professionals use very expensive triplet lens loupes which cost hundreds of dollars, yet they really don't see any more than you can with your plastic 10x eyeglass. They are both of the same strength of 10x magnification.
In general terms, if there are any marks or faults, IN... AROUND or ON a diamond, it's got to be worth less than a gem without any easily visible marks at all. If you just use your common sense and good judgment, you shouldn't really fall prey to the con man with a rubbish gemstone for sale. Everything has a price remember.
Of choice then; it would be better to have a smaller quality diamond of good G/H colour (re-read last months article if you've forgotten) with a VVS or VS clarity grading, than a bigger, poor colour stone with Pique inclusions your Grandmother could see with her 'naked eye'.... In this sense 'Bigger' is NOT always better.
Have I 'Piqued' your imagination yet...?
NEXT MONTH: Part C is on Cut
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AUCTION INFORMATION:
With the demise of Yahoo Australian auctions (now SOLD.com) and Go Fish there are really only three Australian auction sites remaining. The biggest is still SOLD.com which is vastly improved since Yahoo has taken them over. Ebay is still a prominent force, yet their fee structure tends to put them behind SOLD.com when it comes to sellers costs. The third choice is STUFF auctions which does have an excellent site with good costings. Pity they don't get as many buyers as the other two, but my guess is they are coming up fast. Give them a go.
You can find them all with the following links....
Or use the links from our website at http://home.iprimus.com.au/gemmo1
If there is something of ours you like, you can either bid and wait for the auction to end OR you could email us direct and we can sell it to you sooner!
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GEMSTONE OF THE MONTH
The gemstone for the month of October is the finest gemstone of them all. Opal. There are never two alike. Even those which have been cut down the middle are opposites of each other. The Best opal in the world comes from Australia but the most prolific opal cutters in the world, are the Chinese. And they are VERY good.
Black opal is NOT just black. The body of the stone is black and through it runs the glorious colours of Reds, Greens, Orange and Yellow. All colours look good in a Black opal, even the deep blues and Violets.
White opal is found in many places, the most famous would be Cooper Pedy in South Australia, while Lightning Ridge in New South Wales would be the Black Opal capital of the opal world.
The second gemstone for this month is Tourmaline, a very underestimated
gemstone which really deserves a month of it's own. The most desirable is the
green, while the Pink is a very pretty gem indeed.
Tourmaline also has the most amazing Multi coloured crystals, such as the South
African gems, which are red on the outside 'skin' and green in the centre.
Tourmaline with colours the other way around are known as 'Watermelon'.
For Libra clients (born between the 23rd of September to the 22nd of October) your zodiac gemstone is the Orange Citrine or Smoky Quartz.
You are ruled by the planet Venus which is the 'Goddess of Love'
Personally, I'd go for the Opal.
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Until the next time, Take care and watch the road.
All feedback is welcome.
David and Patricia (gemmo1).
We are so confident in the Value of all our items, we offer a full, no questions asked, money back 14 day warranty on any item purchased from us.
