How Much To Spend For A Diamond Engagement ring

Purchasing a diamond engagement ring should be approached with a sense of reason just like any other major purchase.

How much you spend for an engagement ring should depend on many factors, including your current employment status, your general credit standing, and your current financial status and how much discretionary income you possess.

The ring itself is a symbol of your relationship, not the size of the diamond it contains. If the lady you are planning on spending your future years with thinks otherwise, then maybe the relationship needs some rethinking.

Diamond facts-know what you are shopping for:

Before shopping for a diamond, know something about them and what you should be looking for in a diamond so you do the best for the money expended. Read full article

Is The "Cullinan" Still The World's Largest Diamond?

This past week it was reported that a new diamond find will top the size of the famous "Cullinan Diamond" twice over.

This newly found diamond was discovered in South Africa, and so far little is known about it. The name of the mine has not as yet been disclosed to ensure security.

The Cullinan Diamond has held the world record for size for more than a hundred years. In it's original form it was 3106 carats. To add to it's fame, stones that were cut from the main stone have been a part of the British Crown Jewels since 1907 when the Star of Africa was given to King Edward VII for his birthday.

This new diamond is reported to be over 7000 carats. Many are holding their breath waiting to hear if it is verified as real and if it is colorless. Should this new world's largest diamond be genuine and display other properties essential to a valuable diamond, the bidding will doubtless be furious.

Availability of Spessartite Garnet

Spessartite Garnet

Garnets have been known to man for over five thousand years. The spessartite garnet is the new kid on the block, only having been discovered during the 1800's in Spessart, Bavaria.
Until recent years spessartite garnet was not a gemstone that was well known except to gem collectors, and the price was prohibitive.

In 1991 there was a deposit found in Namibia, a southern African country which borders Angola, and just before the year 2000 there was another very abundant find in Nigeria. These two finds have made this gemstone more readily available to all, and at a much more modest prices, but that may not last.....Read more about spessartite garnet

Diamonds in the Workplace

Diamonds in the workplace

Usually when we think of diamonds, we have thoughts of glamourous people, gems we have admired on other people, or maybe our own wedding set.

Diamonds do seem to be the universally preferred gemstone and are often thought to be the most valuable of gemstones, but this is not necessarily so. Other gemstones such as emeralds and rubies can have a far greater value.

Diamonds are a very versatile mineral and have the distinction of being the hardest chemical substance on earth. And though they are often the preferred gemstone, many that are mined will never find their place as an adornment in jewelry. This is because only a small percentage of diamonds that are mined are of a quality suitable to be worn as gemstones. Perhaps twenty percent at most make their way into jewelry settings as adored gemstones.

So what is the fate of the other eighty percent? More about diamonds in the workplace

Cleaning and Caring for Diamonds

Cleaning Your Diamond

A diamond is very durable and strong, considering how delicate and beautiful they are, and they can last a lifetime and beyond if they are cared for properly.

Caring for a diamond is fairly simple and there are just a few things to keep in mind when caring for your precious stone. there are different cleaning options that will help keep it as sparkling and brilliant as the first time your wore it.

there are a number of cleaning procedures that you can do at home on a regular basis, but you can also return to your jeweler where you made your diamond purchase and ask for a professional cleaning. This may be included in your warranty agreement at no charge. It is also wise...More about diamond cleaning

Diamond Engagement ring

At the ripe old age of 19, country crooner Le Ann Rimes got engaged to dancer Dean Sheremat. However, unlike most 19 year olds who get engaged, Le Ann got a huge rock. To be specific, a 5 carat cushion-cut diamond with vintage appeal. The groom-to-be was not much older, at 21 years of age. Prior to this engagement, the young beauty was engaged to actor Andrew Keegan.
150 guests were invited to witness the couple exchange vows in February of 2002. The traditional ceremony was held at Perkins Chapel at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and included a string quartet. The grammy winner was dressed in a strapless Vera Wang dress. A picture of her late grandfather was reportedly pinned to her garter.

The reception was held at the Four Seasons Hotel. Dinner included sushi appetizers, beef tenderloin, and pasta The cake was said to be a stand-out:The five-foot white-chocolate-and-strawberry wedding cake was decorated with thirty-five dozen roses…..that’s more roses than I had at my entire wedding.

A particularly special moment was when Le Ann and her father shared a father-daughter dance. The two were previously embroiled in a bitter lawsuit whereby Le Ann claimed her father stole 7 million dollars of her earnings, over a 5 year period.

When reminiscing about their wedding, Dean talks about how fast it seemed that Le Ann walked down the aisle. Maybe she was in a hurry to try out her new surname…Mrs. Le Ann Sheremat. The couple described the day as very emotional filled with both laughter and tears. Now married for three years, the couple works at their marriage by keeping things interesting, infusing humor into their daily lives, and taking trips together.

The couple currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee and everything seems to be going well for the talented pair. The couple recently took a second honeymoon to Los Cabos, Mexico, staying at the luxurious Las Ventanas resort.

The author just celebrated her one year anniversary and sports a beautiful ascher cut ring. She and her husband put together the website: http://www.ultimate-engagement-ring-guide.com/ to help you find the perfect ring.

Citrine The Affordable Gemstone

Citrine, from the quartz family is among the more affordable gemstones. The name is derived from the work citrus and refers to it's yellow coloration.

Yellow gemstones are rare in a natural form, although sometimes the heat and force of nature itself creates the color.

More often though, it is through the intervention of man that yellow citrine gemstones are created. Amethyst, also from the quartz family, is often heat treated to create citrine and the yellow gemstone.

Diamond Clarity

Diamond clarity refers to the measure of flaws that can be found in and also on the outside of a diamond. the more perfect, and the less flaws a diamond has, the more value will be assigned to and the higher price tag it will have. there are a small number of diamonds which fall into the category of having no flaws. The majority of diamond flaws will not be seen without ...More about diamond clarity

Famous diamonds

Much has been written about diamonds and they have been a popular topic of conversation all around the world. Some diamonds have a large place in our world's history and have found their place among both the powerful and the lowly.

Royalty, celebrities, the very rich and even the lowly have had a long standing fascination with diamonds. They have been a prominent object in many religions and belief system down through the centuries, and have been worn as much for protection and good favor as they have for adornment. More about famous diamonds.....

Diamond Engagement Rings

The traditional giving of diamond engagement rings, is often attributed to Archduke Maximilian of Austria who in 1477 gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, This is the first written account, but the practice may date back even further.

It isn't completely clear when diamonds became a part of rings symbolizing marriage and engagement, and just what the significance is, but there could be many theories.

The placement of the ring on the fourth finger was established by the early Egyptian belief that the vein in that finger led directly to the heart. It would seem that romance is not a new invention.

Tourmaline Gemstones

what makes the tourmaline gemstone so unique is it's wide range of colors. This gemstone may offer the most color diversity among the precious gemstones.

Legend tells us that the tourmaline while making it's journey up from the depths of the earth crossed a rainbow, taking on the many color variations of the rainbow.

Tourmaline gemstones in many cases feature more than one color within a single gemstone. Color can also vary depending on whether it is viewed in daylight or artificial light.

Color Treated Diamonds

Although color treated diamonds are just as real as those made colored by nature's process, you should be made aware of this at the time of purchase.

Diamonds that may not be as desirable in the colorless version becuase of inclusions or flaws are often treated by irratiation or painting. This process makes these diamonds more affordable and available to a wider range of pocketbooks.

If you are purchasing a colored diamond with the understanding that it is colored by the natural process, it will be more valuable, and more costly. For this reason you should request a grading certificate from a grading lab to be assured that you are getting what you are paying for.

Beautiful Ruby Gemstones

The ruby gemstone, the birthstone for July, is a hard stone second only to the diamond.

Rubies had a hard time in the creation process. The very element, chrome, which produces it's coloration made it difficult to grow gems of any size.

The color of the ruby is it's outstanding feature and most valued quality. Flaws are more easily tolerated in this gemstone, and sometimes even welcomed, as some see it as evidence of authenticity.

The ruby is a very striking gemstone, but it is best to do some homework about the qualities and what to look for when shopping for a ruby gemstone.