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In most of the Western World - Europe, the Anglophone countries and increasingly Westernized Asian countries such as Japan and Korea - diamond engagement rings are a original part of the courtship and marriage process. Although plain gold bands for the actual wedding are also traditional, diamond jewelry in the form of a diamond wedding ring set has become much more common. Interestingly, the institution of rings for marriage predates the concept of diamond engagement rings by several centuries.
Diamonds Haven't Been Forever
Diamonds have been worn as embellishment as far back as the days of the Roman Empire, but weren't used in diamond wedding rings until Archduke Maximilian I of Hapsburg presented one to Marie of Burgundy on the occasion of their wedding in 1477. The concept of engagement rings had started about 250 years earlier as a effect of a papal decree; Pope Innocent Iii decided that couples should go straight through a longer betrothal duration prior to taking vows. Upon announcing their wedding plans, it was original for the man and woman to transfer plain metal bands - gold for royalty, silver for nobility, bronze for the upper and middle (merchant) class, and iron for peasants.
The shop for Diamond Engagment Rings is Created
The institution of presenting diamond engagement rings is shockingly recent - and in fact, goes back less than sixty years. In fact, it was the effect of a corporate marketing strategy designed to convince population of the existence of a "historical tradition" that in fact had never existed!
It was the DeBeers business - a corporate entity based in South Africa that today controls over half the world's diamond contribute - that came up with the most successful "catch phrase" of all time - "A diamond is forever." This campaign, which began around 1950, resulted in the creation of the new "tradition" of diamond engagement rings.
A similar attempt was made in U.S., again in an attempt to convince the social that it had long been "traditional" for men to receive engagement rings. American men didn't fall for it, but eventually, a similar marketing campaign resulted in today's full, shop for "his and hers" diamond wedding ring sets.
Diamond Jewelry and Weddings Today
Regardless of what advertising executives say, it is leading that those who have a wedding in their future do what is economically comfortable and meaningful for them. After all, millions of dollars have been spend for diamond wedding ring sets to celebrate weddings that lasted only a few years or months. On the other hand, there are couples wearing plain, simple gold bands who have gone on to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversaries.
For those who are arresting however, the "rule of thumb" - established by the diamond manufactures - is that men should plan on spending about six months' salary when considering the buy of diamond engagement rings.
brilliant Engagement Rings - Past gift and futureDiamond jewelry has been valued and worn throughout most of recorded history, although the art and science of cutting loose diamonds is relatively new - and diamond jewelry has only been ready to the general public for the last 150 years or so.
Prior to that, diamond jewelry was worn approximately exclusively by royalty. The earliest example of diamonds being settled in a setting dates from the time of the Norman Invasion of England; at that time, one of the Arpad kings of Hungary, possibly Andrew I, had rough-cut diamonds set into a crown for his queen. However, cut diamonds would not be ready for another half-millennium.
The mid-1500's were an energetic time; Martin Luther of Germany and Henry Viii of England had broken with the Church of Rome; Ivan Iv (the Terrible) wide Russia to its present-day borders, and Ottoman sultan Suleiman extended the Turkish empire as far west as Vienna. It was while this time of ferment that the first diamond-cutters' guild was formed in Antwerp, settled in present-day Belgium. An manufactures soon industrialized for the purpose of appraising loose diamonds, giving birth to the modern diamond jewelry market. Antwerp continues to be the center of the international diamond jewelry trade.
The gems that are used in diamond jewelry is 75% science and 25% art. Together, these make up the "4 Cs" that are used to rate loose diamonds:
* carat
* color
* clarity
* cut
"Carat" of procedure refers to the weight of the gem; a carat is equivalent to about 2 decigrams, or a mere 1/150th of an ounce. That means the largest cut, polished diamond in existence - the famed Star of Africa - weighs just a puny over 2-1/4 pounds.
Although we ordinarily think of clear or white diamonds, they come in a wide range of colors ranging from crystal-clear white to dark amber. Pink, green, blue and even purple diamonds are not unusual, and some are far more valuable than their white counterparts.
Clarity refers to just that - how clear the stone appears. All natural and synthetic diamonds have internal flaws; the fewer or the less apparent these flaws are, the higher the appraisal is likely to be.
These three qualities are objective, and really measured and quantified. Cut is a more subjective quality; selecting gems that are thorough for use in diamond jewelry requires a good eye and aesthetic sense.
Of course, loose diamonds are not really jewelry until they are settled in a setting, such as a ring or necklace. Even the finest diamonds' value can be affected by the setting; it is a value-added aspect of diamond jewelry.
The History Of solitaire JewelryApart from the Diamond four C's, one of the most often cited properties of a diamond is fluorescence. Diamond fluorescence, by definition, is the degree to which it gives off a colored hue when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. In some circles, fluorescence is considered an undesirable trait for a diamond. So, some vendors and buyers have lower expectations for the prices of diamonds that exhibit higher levels of fluorescence.
However, this is not a universally standard position. There is an ongoing, heated turn over with regard to what impact a diamond's fluorescence has on its appearance to the naked eye under normal conditions. There is no turn over as to whether fluorescence legitimately exists or not, as a diamond's fluorescence or lack thereof is clearly graphic when the diamond is located under a black light. Obviously, the habitancy in the "fluorescence is bad" camp are of the view that fluorescence has a clear and detrimental succeed upon the appearance of a diamond even when viewed in normal light.
Then there are those who take a more nuanced view of fluorescence. Some argue that, although any fluorescence in diamonds with good color ratings is a negative, a small to medium estimate of fluorescence can legitimately enhance the appearance of diamonds with lower color grades. Some also believe that fluorescence can enhance the wide appearance of plainly colored diamonds.
To some, fluorescence itself is an impurity that afflicts some diamonds. In these cases, as with those who plainly believe that fluorescence negatively affects a diamond's appearance, this plainly leads to a allowance in the value of diamonds that exhibit fluorescence, and the more fluorescent a diamond is, the more its value suffers in these circles. One leading voice on the anti-fluorescence side is the respected Rapaport Report, a diamond business publication that is often cited as the standard in diamond valuation.
On the other hand, there is someone else side that posits that fluorescence has legitimately no meaningful impact on the ability or appearance of a diamond, and therefore that fluorescence should not factor into the pricing of a diamond. The basic foundation of this position is the consulation that it isn't legitimately possible to distinguish diamonds of differing fluorescence from one someone else with the naked eye under normal light conditions.
This position appears to be backed up by a greater body of evidence. Most important are the results from a study carried out in 1997 by the Geological produce of America, which found that even individuals complex directly in the diamond trade, together with expert diamond appraisers, were unable to consistently identify or discern differing levels of fluorescence in diamonds.
Even more importantly, ordinary individuals complex in the study were unable to discern any succeed from fluorescence. This legitimately should determine the debate, as it is the consumer's tastes that drive the diamond industry, and it wouldn't make much sense to payment a buyer more money for a singular diamond based on a changeable that has no meaningful effect.
Nevertheless, there are still some vendors who will downgrade the price of diamonds that exhibit higher levels of fluorescence. For consumers, this can narrate a good opportunity. If you're seeing at two diamonds with the same ratings in every category except for fluorescence, and the seller is selling the more fluorescent diamond at a lower price, you essentially have the opening to buy the "same" diamond for less.
brilliant Fluorescence