How To Pick A Solitaire

October 9, 2012 8 Comments


wealthymatters.comFollow the steps below to zero in in the best solitaire for your budget

  1. First, identify the diamond shape you want from here. The most popular are round and princess cut.The round/brilliant cut never goes out of style and masks most deficiencies.
  2. Next decide the minimum carat weight acceptable.
  3. Start with the highest quality diamond of the shape and carat weight minimum you identified in steps 1 and 2, and begin making concessions in the following order until you arrive at a diamond that fits your budget:
    • First, lower the Clarity.Go as low as VS2 before making concessions in other areas.
    • Next, lower the Color. Go as low as H before making concessions in other areas.
    • Finally, lower the Cut. Go as low as Very Good in round diamonds, and Good in fancy shapes before making concessions in other areas.
    • If the diamonds that match your revised criteria are close to your budget, consider shaving off some carat weight in order to close the gap. A carat weight difference of 10% or less will be very difficult to detect visually. Read more of this post

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Diamond Colour Chart

September 14, 2012 9 Comments


wealthymatters.com

Except in the case of fancy diamonds,where vivid colours are preferred,the most prized diamonds are colourless and grading a diamond optimistically is a fine way to improve margins.I use the chart above to judge colour. Ideally diamonds should be colour graded before setting them because the metal colour is taken up by the set stones.A good workaround to the problem is to wear a diamond of the grade you wish to purchase set in the metal of choice and compare with the gemstones in the piece you wish to buy.This way the effect of different colour lights can be controlled too.Slightly yellowish stones might not show on yellow gold but why pay more for them?

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Diamond Size Chart

September 14, 2012 2 Comments


wealthymatters.com

Here is a chart I find useful to get a general idea of the weight of diamonds set in a piece of jewellery.I use it to roughly estimate the price of the diamonds in a piece I am thinking of buying.Most jewellers merely give a gross figure of diamond weight not the weight of individual gemstones.The price of a carat of diamonds varies greatly depending on the size of individual stones.So being able to estimate sizes gives you a good chance to bargain.After all if  diamonds are to be treated as assets we need to be sensible about the price we pay for them.Hope you fund this chart useful too.

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Collecting Gemstones

April 23, 2011 3 Comments


wealthymatters.comCollecting gemstones is a fantastic hobby.Observing the play of light in gems and taking in their myrid hues is really very soothing.It is astonishing just how beautiful some of nature’s creations can be.Gem collecting is a hobby almost anyone can indulge in for all gemstones are not expensive.In fact many semi-precious stones cost just a few  rupees.

Gemstones selected carefully and bought at the source at wholesale prices and held passively for a couple of decades can be reasonably good investments. They definitely keep up with inflation.

Gemstones are collected for their beauty.So taking your time to select the most beautiful stones is essential.Also it’s important to read up on the different ways in which natural gemstones are treated.Read up on whether treatments affect their desirability for other collectors.By paying a little attention to other people’s preferences while still buying gemstones you find beautiful will ensure a greater liquidity in future.Avoid paying retail rates unless the stone is extraordinary and even then bargain.Otherwise you are unlikely to ever recover the money you sink into your collection.The average jeweler will sell you a stone for two or three times what he paid for it wholesale and he’ll buy a stone from you for half of wholesale.

If collecting loose gemstones is not so interesting maybe you can buy gemstones on wholesale and have them fashioned into jewellery? This is another way of investing in gemstones.If you can handle the cost and quality control issues you can acquire beautiful jewellery at a fraction of retail prices. Read more of this post

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