Feed: Princess Cut Diamond Engagement Rings - AggScore: 58.7
The shadowy diamond trade, the plight of African orphans, the amorality of some corporate masterminds and the dangers of uninformed foreign policy decisions are just a few of the ingredients tossed into “Diamonds,” a four-hour miniseries that starts tomorrow and wraps Tuesday on ABC.
The result is a potboiler, an appealing enough adventure yarn that tries with varying levels of success to blend an urgent social message with a soap opera revolving around good old-fashioned ruling-class manipulation and intrigue.
The multiple plots here were suggested by Matthew Hart’s book was more a nuts-and-bolts look at the high-stakes world of the world’s most desirable gem.
The component areas of the diamond game have been pumped up here into dramas with fictional heroes and villains, though casual observers may be forgiven if they see the movie’s Denmont Diamond company, for example, bearing more than passing resemblance to the real-life De Beers.
Much of the action in “Diamonds” stems from a crisis inside Denmont, which finds its domination slipping as new competitors from rogue nations.
In response, the Denmont directors crudely fire their courtly CEO Piers Denmont, who is beautifully played by Sir Derek Jacobi, and replace him with his estranged son Lucas (James Purefoy), who plays the game unburdened by Piers’ quaint notions of decency and morality.
Through complex links that require patience from the viewer, we find this shift in corporate policy is connected to the murder in the Eastern Congo of U.S. Sen. Jane Cameron’s daughter.
Cameron (Judy Davis) storms over to Africa demanding retribution against the Congolese regime. What she finds is not what she expected.
A different sort of exploitation befalls beautiful London model Luna Koroma (Louise Rose), who gets a dream gig as the face of the Denmont diamond and falls in love with Lucas even as she grows uneasy about defending the company’s ethics.
As this suggests, “Diamonds” is more soap than social commentary, and it’s well into Tuesday’s second installment before the multiple plotlines begin streamlining themselves, coming together and heading in the same direction. It then wraps up a little too neatly, if not in all cases happily.
That said, viewers who get hooked by the fictional story will also come away knowing a little more about the disturbing real one. Many a summer miniseries has offered less.
Article by: dhinckley[at]nydailynews.com
There are Diamonds that differ in size. But the more interesting part is there are Diamonds that differ in Color.
How Diamonds Get Their Color?
Treatments like irradiation make it possible for more people to own these vividly colored diamonds. Most natural colored diamonds are rare and also extremely expensive. When shopping for colored diamonds you need to assume that any affordable fancy color diamond has been treated. Ask about the stones origin and request to view a lab certificate to verify authenticity.
Fancy colored diamonds are all the rage these days. Gemologists have developed new ways to create versions that are affordable for the average person – by treating less desirable diamonds. These less desirable diamonds are treated with irradiation followed by intense heat. This turns brown and yellowish diamonds into beautifully colored diamonds that you can afford. This produces stunning greens, blues, yellows, reds, purples and other colors. These colors are considered permanent, but there is a possibility they could change during repairs if a high heat is used.
Natural fancy color diamonds get their coloring from different trace elements present in the stones, such as nitrogen, which produces a yellow diamond. Diamonds can be colored by exposure to radiation during its creation. An example of a diamond affected by radiation is a Green diamond which is by the way the rarest of them all.
The Super Ultra Rarest of Them All Diamond
A “fancy” diamond is a natural diamond that has color. These colors vary from red, green, purple, violet, orange, blue and pink – and most shades between. Fancy color shades vary from faint to intense.
Synthetic colored diamonds are another option if owning a colored diamond is something you desire but cannot quite afford. They are real diamonds, but they are created in a lab.
Another way that a natural colored diamond gets color is by its inclusions. Regarded as flaws and undesirable in a colorless diamond, inclusions give unique tones and brilliant flashes of color in a fancy color diamond. Remember that Natural fancy colored diamonds are very expensive, any colored diamond labeled to be sold as natural should be accompanied by a certificate from a respected grading lab.
The most famous diamonds in the world are Color diamonds. The Tiffany Diamond, which is yellow and the Hope Diamond which is blue are colored diamonds. Color diamonds have an amazing financial track record. The value has never decreased on wholesale level in more than 30 years. Blue and pink diamonds have doubled every 5 years of a strong economy. In the 1970’s you could have bought a very high quality blue diamond for about 50K and today the very same stone would be worth between 2 and 3 million.
Carbonado, commonly known as the ‘Black Diamond,’ is a natural polycrystalline diamond found in alluvial deposits in the Central African Republic and Brazil. Its natural colour is black or dark grey, and it is more porous than other diamonds.
Extraterrestrial formation
Not all diamonds found on earth originated here. A type of diamond called carbonado diamond that is found in South America and Africa may have been deposited there via an asteroid impact (not formed from the impact) about 3 billion years ago. These diamonds may have formed in the intrastellar environment, but as of 2008, there was no scientific consensus on how carbonado diamonds originated.
Presolar grains in many meteorites found on earth contain nanodiamonds of extraterrestrial origin, probably formed in supernovas.
Scientific evidence indicates that white dwarf stars have a core of crystallized carbon and oxygen nuclei. The largest of these found in the universe so far, BPM 37093, is located 50 light years away in the constellation Centaurus. A news release from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics described the 2,500 mile-wide stellar core as a diamond. It is estimated to be ten billion trillion trillion carats, more or less. It was referred to as Lucy, after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”.
Cut Black Diamond aka "Carbonado"
Unusual properties
The characteristics of carbonado noted in this section are based mainly on the summary of Heaney et al. (2005), unless otherwise noted.
Carbonado diamonds are typically pea-sized or larger porous aggregates of many tiny crystals, black in color. The most characteristic carbonados have been found only in the Central African Republic and in Brazil, in neither place associated with kimberlite, the source of typical gem diamonds. Lead isotope analyses have been interpreted as documenting crystallization of carbonados about 3 billion years ago. The carbonados are found in younger sedimentary rocks.
Mineral grains included within diamonds have been studied extensively for clues to diamond origin. Some typical diamonds contain inclusions of common mantle minerals such as pyrope and forsterite, but such mantle minerals have not been observed in carbonado. In contrast, some carbonados do contain inclusions of minerals characteristic of the Earth’s crust: these inclusions do not necessarily establish formation of the diamonds in the crust, however, because these obvious crustal inclusions occur in the pores that are common in carbonados. These inclusions within pores may have been introduced after carbonado formation. Inclusions of other minerals, rare or nearly absent in the Earth’s crust, are found at least partly incorporated in diamond, not just in pores: among such other minerals are those with compositions of Si, SiC, and Fe?Ni. No distinctive high-pressure minerals, including the hexagonal carbon polymorph, lonsdaleite, have been found as inclusions in carbonados, although such inclusions might be expected if carbonados formed by meteorite impact.
Carbonado The Black Diamond
Theories on origin
The origin of carbonado is controversial. Some proposed hypotheses are as follows:
- Direct conversion of organic carbon under high-pressure conditions in the Earth’s interior, the most common hypothesis for diamond formation
- Shock metamorphism induced by meteoritic impact at the Earth’s surface
- Radiation-induced diamond formation by spontaneous fission of uranium and thorium
- An origin in interstellar space.
None of these hypotheses for carbonado formation was generally accepted in the scientific literature by 2008.
Star Produced Black Diamonds aka "Carbonado"
Source: Wikipedia
The way you announce your engagement is as individual as you are. Some go privately to close family members so they can be the first to know. Then they make phone calls to loved ones who are further away. While becoming more acceptable, it is generally not considered acceptable to send an engagement notice by email. It is too important an occasion for that.
One of the most exciting times of life is when you get engaged. You and your intended naturally want to tell the world you’ve found “The One”. So how do you go about it?
After those closest to you are told, you may wish to send a formal announcement to those who you hope to invite to the wedding. These can be just an announcement that you are engaged if you haven’t worked out the wedding details yet. They can also be used as a “save the date” notice if you know when the wedding will be but it is too early to send the invitation. “Save the date” notices are appreciated because it gives your loved ones time to make travel plans.
You may also want to have an engagement party at which to share the happy news. Naturally your closest family and friends will likely know the news but it’s a fun way to let others know.
Throughout history, engagement announcements have had another function: to alert people who believe there is an impediment to the marriage, such as a previous marriage, consanguinity (a closer blood relationship than allowed by law) etc. Many religions have laws about prior marriages or the degrees of blood relationship allowed in marriage. Engagement announcements are thus used to start the time period at which an impeding marriage can be contested. That’s the source of the “speak now or forever hold your peace” phrase used at so many traditional weddings.
These historic concerns are the reason why many ministers announce engagements in their services and why people began publishing marriage engagements in local newspapers. Some denominations call these the wedding banns: announcing the engagement three times over the same number of weeks, to give the congregation ample opportunity to learn of the impeding marriage.
An engagement announcement also begins a period for the couple to learn about each other and the duties expected in their marriage. It is meant to be a time of discernment before taking the big step into marriage, which society has always meant to be a lifelong commitment.
Only rarely are engagement announcements made just a few days before the wedding. This happens when the couple is afraid of their relative’s reaction. Those getting married in a church are probably bound by church rules to a longer engagement or risk not being able to have their wedding in that church.
In today’s society, of course, engagements are much more relaxed. Some quickie weddings take place without any engagement at all or engagements of just one day. Today the engagement period is mainly meant to share the couple’s excitement in the many preparations involved. It is truly an exciting time and definitely worth telling the world about.
Conclusion
Let’s face it, when it comes to engagement parties, one of the most awaited events is ring giving. Nothing else comes close to giving your soon wife to be the most precious Princess Cut Diamond Engagement Ring.
2nd Best Most Popular Diamond Cut in the World
The Princess cut is the second most popular cut shape for diamonds, next to a round brilliant. The top of the diamond is cut in a square or rectangular shape and the overall shape is similar to that of an inverted pyramid with four beveled sides. The princess cut is a relatively new diamond cut, having been created in the 1970s. It has gained in popularity in recent years as a more distinctive alternative to the more popular round brilliant cut, in which the top of diamond, called the crown, is cut in a round circle and the bottom, called the pavilion, forms a point like a cone. A princess cut with the same width as the diameter of a round brilliant will weigh more as it would have four corners which would have been cut off and rounded to form a round brilliant. The princess cut is sometimes referred to as a square modified brilliant, as its faceting style is similar to a round brilliant with triangular and kite-shape facets radiating from the center. It combines the brilliance of a round cut with an overall square or rectangular appearance.
The square princess cut diamond is usually slightly cheaper than round brilliant cut diamonds of the same carat weight because it retains about 80% of the rough diamond, as opposed to the round brilliant which retains only about 50% of the rough. The ability to retain more crystal weight makes this shape popular amongst diamond cutters.
Source: Wikipedia
Top 10 Most Popular Choice for Gift
1. Chocolates
2. Flowers
3. Dogs or Any Pet
4. Electronic Item
5. Jewelries
6. Stuffed Toys
7. Book
8. Bag
9. Music
10. Perfume
Well…I just couldn’t believe jewelries is at number 5 spot. Anyway, just maybe too many people nowadays consider the price more than the value specially in these hard and trying times. But for me I would still vote on jewelries for my top 1. Princess Cut Diamond Rings are perfect for really really big occasions…just like an engagement or whatever..
Stay Tuned=)
Maximillan I of Austria gave the first diamond engagement ring on record to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. He had the ring commissioned to unite their two houses and make their marriage a unifying symbol to the country.
The smallest diamond engagement ring ever made was given to Princess Mary who was married by proxy to the Dauphin of France in the year 1518. Princess Mary was two years old at the time.
Throughout history diamond engagement rings have become larger, more elaborate, and have included a wide variety of other jewels and metals. Diamond engagement rings settings can be made of silver, platinum, white or yellow gold or a mixture of these elements.
What better way to show the world that you are in love than by the act of giving and receiving a diamond engagement ring? With many actresses and other famous women sporting bigger and sparklier diamond rings, celebrity engagements have become a delight for the jewelry lover. The size of the diamond is not necessarily the key as to what makes some of these rings so famous and recognizable, rather it seems to be a combination of the engagement ring itself and the famous lady it is associated with.
Famous ladies and their engagement rings
Celebrities and other famous people influence the look and style of many aspects in fashion and also set trends. Diamond engagement rings are no exception to this rule. The following is a partial list of the famous ladies and their equally famous engagement rings:
Royalty:
* Queen Elizabeth II received an engagement ring from Prince Phillip that was made from diamonds from his mother’s tiara.
* Grace Kelly was given a 12 carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring from Prince Rainier.
* Lady Diana was engaged with a ring made of an 18 carat blue oval sapphire that was circled by fourteen diamonds.
Actresses:
* Elizabeth Taylor was engaged to her third husband, Michael Todd, with an emerald cut diamond that weighed almost 30 carats. However, she is more known for her other pieces of jewelry, one more striking than the other: the 39 carat Krupp diamond, the 69.42 carat pear-shaped Taylor-Burton diamond and the 17th century heart-shaped Taj Mahal diamond.
* Priscilla was engaged to Elvis with a 3.5 carat diamond engagement ring that was circled by another 21 smaller diamonds and diamond chips.
* Sharon Stone was given a three diamond, 3.5 carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring by Phil Bronstien.
* Catherine Zeta-Jones’ promise to Michael Douglas was finalized with a 10 carat antique marquise diamond estimated at slmost $2 million.
* Joan Collins got a heart-shaped diamond ring in a nineteenth-century setting from husband Percy Gibson.
Pop stars:
* Madonna received from Guy Ritchie an antique Edwardian three-stone diamond ring with a decorative platinum band. The Neil Lane ring was supposed to represent their family: mother, father and son Rocco.
* In the case of Toni Braxton, drummer Keri Lewis designed a stunning 4.5 three-stone diamond ring with an oval-shaped center stone and 2 heart-shaped diamonds on the sides.
* Paris Hilton, even though not a pop star but a diva anyway, received 2 diamond engagement rings from billionaire Paris Latsis, a $5 million 24 carat canary diamond ring and a $2.1 million 15 carat white diamond ring.
* Britney Spears has two engagement rings also: one that she bought for herself before the wedding, a $40,000 4 carat cushion-cut diamond ring with a platinum pave setting, and one that she received 9 month after the marriage from husband Kevin Federline.
* Christina Aguilera became engaged to Jordan Bratman after he presented a $54,000 20-carat diamond engagement ring designed by jeweler Stephen Webster.
* Whitney Houston sports a stunning 4 carat oval-shaped center stone with trillions on the sides which she received from Bobby Brown.
Replica diamond engagement rings
Of course there is the very famous pink diamond ring that Ben Affleck gave to Jennifer Lopez. This 6 carat radiant shaped pink diamond quickly caught the attention of the public and has become a highly sought after replica. It is completed with a platinum band as well as three baguette white diamonds on each side. The pink diamond engagement ring is reported to have been purchased for $1.2 million in 2002. The ring, while easily identified is also very feminine and modern looking.
Replicas of the famous pink diamond ring are now available for a moderate price. The cost of the replicas depends on the quality of the stones and the materials used in reproducing the pink diamond engagement ring.
Some replicas are styled as more antique diamond engagement rings. These rings have an everlasting quality and symbolize tradition and heritage. The recent engagement of Camilla Parker Bowles in February of 2005 featured such an antique engagement ring. The platinum ring has an emerald-cut center diamond with three diamond baguettes on each side. This ring originally belonged to the Queen Mother and is believed to be valued at over $1 million.
Since few people can afford the original item, there will always be a market for replicas of these one of a kind diamond engagement rings. The quality of the replicas varies, as does the price. It is important to note that the styles of diamond engagement rings that are popular with celebrities will soon become the styles that are sought after by the not quite so rich and famous.
Israel Itzkowitz of Ambar Diamonds created the princess cut diamond in 1979. Three years of research went into the design to create a new faceted diamond that had similar optical properties to the round brilliant cut diamond. It is now the second most popular diamond cut shape only exceeded by the round brilliant cut.
The overall shape of the diamond is a square or rectangle with the top of the diamond cut into a square shape and the body of the diamond is similar in shape to a payramid. The princess cut is usually less expensive than the round brilliant cut because not as much of the dimaond needs to be cut away to get the desired finished shape. The ability to retain more of the crystal weight makes this shape popular amongst diamond cutters. The diameter of the princess diamond is usually smaller than that of a round diamond with the same carat weight, and the length is usually longer than that of a round cut. Some of the brilliance is sacrafice in order to have this unique square shape.
Tastes may vary but the minimum recommendations for buying a princess cut diamond are as follows:
Cut should be Very Good.
Color should be G or better.
Clarity of the diamond should be VS2 or better.
Percentage of depth to width needs to be 58 to 80 percent.
Princess cut diamonds are considered brilliant-style shaped because this particular cut takes advantage of the light with their vertically angled crown and tent-like facets, by bouncing the light around within the diamond. Princess-cut stones sparkle more than ordinary square-cut diamonds and after seeing one it’s easy to understand why they call it brilliant cut.
When a diamond crystal is being examined the gem cutters try to determine the cut that will allow for not only the best look but also the best profit margin, after all they are businesspeople as well as artists. The carat weight yield of a princess-cut diamond can be as high as 62% higher than that of a round cut counterpart. It is not uncommon for both of these cuts to be cut from one single crystal. The rough diamond is simply sliced in half through the middle and one half will be come a princess cut and the other a round cut. It is also easer for natural flaws to be hidden in the uncut corners of the princess cut diamond.
Flaws or inclusions are small bubbles of gas, liquid or other impurities that were caught inside the diamond crystal during its formation and are quite common. The uncut corners of the diamond are usually hidden by the four-prong used to hold the diamond in the setting of the jewelry. Although you may not be able to see these flaws, the flaws are week points and proper care must still be taken to protect the diamond from becoming chipped or even cracked.
If you love the fire of the traditional round brilliant cut but want something a little different, you might just fall in love with the icy fire of the princess cut. Since it was designed to get the maximum brilliance from a square cut you will get a little more carat weight for your money.
A Diamond Cut fit for a Princess
Aside from its gemstone, type of metal to be used in mounting it, and the size of the stone, one of the biggest considerations in looking for a ring is its cut.
Among the various cuts in the market today, princess cut diamond rings are most popular ones especially in weddings or engagements. By definition, a princess cut refers to a special diamond cutting process that has a contemporary and modern appeal. Unlike the traditional round diamond cut, a princess cut has a square sparkling cut that highlights sparkling brilliance of diamond.
Aside from exemplifying tremendous allure and sophistication, most jewelers agree that a princess cut diamond engagement ring is becoming a popular choice among future brides because of its 76 facets and uncut corners usually mounted in a four-pronged setting. Here are some information your might need to know in purchasing that precious princess cut diamond engagement ring:
1. Categorically, a princess cut belongs to the class of diamond shapes known as “fancy cuts.” If you’re looking for a princess cut diamond engagement ring, your basic guide are those rings that are cut in square or you may prefer a brilliant cut which is more expensive compared to others.
2. If you are to choose a setting, consider a bezel setting because it is the most ideal among princess cut diamond engagement ring settings. Most jewelers suggest this setting because it makes the stone look larger than its actual size on the ring.
3. Be careful in choosing colors especially that of setting or mount because it can greatly affect the color of the stone or diamond on the ring. The basic rule is match the color of your setting with the color of the stone or diamond on your ring.
If you have chosen a yellow gold in a bezel setting, choose yellowish diamond; if you choose white diamond, consider using white gold or a platinum setting to highlight the color and clarity of your stone. Princess cut diamond engagement rings come in platinum, white gold and yellow gold.
4. Shop around and look around. Although popular jewelry stores are the best and most reliable sources of princess cut diamond engagement rings, try looking around – it can be in less popular jewelry stores or online jewelers – because they can provide you with a product that suits your personal taste, preference and budget well.
5. Have your ring evaluated by a certified and trusted gemologist to validate its grade and quality.
Some people believe that there is nothing much to philosophize about weddings or engagements because these are just a start of a new endeavor, a new life and a death of singleness. Contrary to these people’s opinion, there is much to philosophize and examine about weddings and engagements – especially the ring.
