Welcome to: DIAMOND NEWSLETTER         Issue: 2001-10

The diamond, gems and fine jewelry information resource for
clients and friends of Diamond Source of Virginia, Inc.
http://www.DSOURCEVA.com

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If you know of someone who will be getting engaged or
celebrating a special event such as a anniversary, birthday,
or baby's birth forward this newsletter to them so they will
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THIS ISSUE'S TOPICS
		Opal: October's Birthstone
		Diamond Horseshoe Pendant ($100 off)
		Gold & Silver Buried Beneath WTC Ruins
		Diamond Shapes and Cut
		Platinum Demand for Jewelry Falls
		Price Calculator
		Famous Diamonds
		Bow-Tie
		Gem of the Day
		Big Ticket Items Brace for Slump
		Internet Marketing Tools
		Diamond and Jewelry Books
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OPAL: OCTOBER'S BIRTHSTONE
==========================
Among the ancients, opal was a symbol of fidelity and
assurance, and in later history it became strongly associated
with religious emotion and prayer.  It was believed to have a
strong therapeutic value for diseases of the eye, and worn as
an amulet it would make the wearer immune from them as well
as increase the powers of the eyes and the mind.

When we describe the opal, we realize how insufficient the
English language is.  It is unique among the gems, displaying
an array of very brilliant miniature rainbow effects, all
mixed together.  Its most outstanding characteristic is this
unusual, intense display of many colors flashing out like
mini-rainbows.  This effect is created by opal's formation
process, which is very different from that of other gems.
Opal is composed of hydrated silica spheres.  The mini-
rainbows seen in most opals result from light interference
created by these spheres.  The arrangement of the spheres,
which vary in size and pattern, is responsible for the
different colors.

Opal is usually cut flat or in cabochon, since there is no
additional brilliance to be captured by faceting.  In opals,
color is everything.  The more brilliant the color, the more
valuable the gem.  It is probably truer of opal than any other
stone that the more beautiful the stone and its color, the
more it will cost.

One word of caution must be offered: Opals require special
care because some tend to dry and crack.  Avoid exposure to
anything that is potentially drying.  And, believe it or not,
rubbing it periodically with an oil-moistened cloth--such as
olive oil--will help preserve it.  Do not soak it; soaking
some opals for only a few hours can cause them to lose some
or nearly all of their fire.


DIAMOND HORSESHOE PENDANT ($100)
==================================
Check out this exciting new Diamond Horseshoe Pendant,
made popular by Sarah Jessica Parker on the hit show,
"Sex and the City." It is a custom design made exclusively
for our Diamond Source of Virginia Customers. We are able
to provide this beautiful diamond and white gold pendant
and chain at a fraction of the retail store prices.

For photos and a detailed description, check it out at
http://www.dsourceva.com/diamond_horseshoe_pendant.htm

Mention you saw this notice in our newsletter and we will
take $100 off our already low price published on our web
site.  We are offering this special for a limited time
only so check it out today.  This $100 discount is only
available to our newsletter subscribers.


GOLD & SILVER BURIED BENEATH WTC RUINS
=================================================
Some 11.8 metric tons of gold worth an estimated
$110 million and 30.2 million ounces of silver valued at
$121 million are buried in the rubble below one of the
collapsed buildings in the World Trade Center, The New
York Times reported.

The precious metal was stored in vaults below 4 World
Trade Center, the paper said. It belongs to people or
firms that trade futures contracts on the New York
Mercantile Exchange.

A metric ton is equal to about 2,205 pounds.

The Times quoted James Newsome, acting chairman of the
Commodities Futures Trading Commission, which oversees
futures markets, as saying there was not much concern
about the gold and silver ``because the metal is secure
and because there is ample supply.''

Even if for some reason the gold can't be recovered,
there's plenty of supply in the world. One company
estimated the trade center hoard to be 0.3 percent of
the global supply, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The precious metals are used to settle trading in
futures contracts, the AP reported. Futures traders
generally don't want the actual gold; instead they're
buying contracts based on it to hedge or speculate.


DIAMOND SHAPES AND CUT
===============================
We recently updated our web site and, in particular,
revised the sections on diamond shapes and diamond cut.
Check out some of the unique shapes that you might not
have seen before at http://www.dsourceva.com/shape.htm

We also upgraded the section on cut to include a more
thorough discussion of ideal cut proportions and how the
definition of ideal cut varies by grading laboratory.
Check this out at http://www.dsourceva.com/cut.htm


PLATINUM DEMAND FOR JEWELRY FALLS
==========================================
Soaring platinum prices caused jewelry demand for the
metal to fall for the first time in 16 years, the
Platinum 2001 survey by Johnson Matthey reports.

Platinum prices that topped $600 caused price
sensitivity in the low-end market, the report says.
It predicts manufacturers may shift to lighter-weight
designs or lower-priced white gold.

Overall, jewelry demand for platinum declined by 1%
last year, due to weakness in the Japanese market. In
the U.S., demand for platinum jumped 15%, because of
the fashion trend towards white metal jewelry. The
report notes there was particularly strong growth in
platinum wedding bands. Manufacturers also introduced
lightweight platinum rings to meet mass-market price
points.

The outlook for platinum in the U.S. in 2001 is mixed,
the report said. While it expects platinum to continue
to make inroads in the jewelry market, it won't be
at the same growth as previous years.


PRICE CALCULATOR
================
Probably the most popular feature of our web site is the
diamond price calculator where shoppers can input a shape,
color grade, clarity grade, and carat weight to determine
an estimate of our price for that type of diamond.  If you
haven't tried it yet, check it out at:
http://www.dsourceva.com/cost.htm#calc


FAMOUS DIAMONDS
===============
Name The Star of Sierra Leone
Weight: 968.90 carats rough

Valentine's Day, 1972.   A routine workday at the diamond
mine in Sierra Leone.  Suddenly, a company engineer and a
plant security officer spot something big on the grease table
(grease sticks to diamonds and is used to separate diamonds
from ore).  At first, neither man could believe what they
saw.  There, trapped by the grease, is a huge diamond, the
size of a hen's egg.

When the stone is first offered for sale, none of the sealed
bids reaches the minimum price of more than $2.5 million set
by the government.  Finally, months later, Harry Winston
makes a deal for the Star.  Winston wants a world-class
diamond from his rough.  A 143.20 carat emerald cut is
fashioned, but upon close examination, it reveals inclusions.
Winston changes his mind, deciding that flawlessness is
more important than size.

The big diamond is recut into seven smaller stones, the
largest of which weighs 32.52 carats.  Besides these, the
rough yields 10 other stones ranging from 1.85 to 53.96
carats.  All told, Winston recovers only 238.48 carats, a
staggering loss of almost 75 percent.  But 13 of the 17
finished stones are reportedly flawless.


BOW-TIE
=======================
Face-up, many marquises, pears, and ovals show a dark
shadow resembling a bow-tie running widthwise across the
center of the table.  This is especially common in shallow
or very deep stones; but slightly deep pavilions sometimes
eliminate it.  On the other hand, as the difference between
length and width increases, and pavilion angle variations
become more extreme, the bow-tie tends to get darker.

The size and darkness of the bow-tie is significant.  It
is best examined face-up under normal lighting conditions
with the unaided eyes.  The significance of the bow-tie
is usually noted as slight, noticeable, or obvious.

For these oblong fancy shaped diamonds, we find a
noticeable or obvious bow-tie can be a serious distraction
and should be avoided.  Since there is no way to
determine bow-tie from the specifications of the diamond,
personal inspection is the only way to determine the
impact of this characteristic.

Photos of this bow-tie effect can be seen at
http://www.dsourceva.com/cut.htm


GEM OF THE DAY
==================================
Keep smiling.  Even when life knocks you flat on your back,
you are still in a good position to look up.


BIG TICKET ITEMS BRACE FOR SLUMP
===========================================
Retailers of luxury items like jewelry, cars, art and
antiques are all bracing themselves for a sharp decline
in sales a result of a bonus squeeze on Wall Street.

About 60 percent to 65 percent of fine jewelry sales rely
on impulse buying, according to Shay Strager, a jewelry
stylist and trend forecaster for Goldstein Communications.
The industry is now revising its marketing strategy to
try and attract more customers.

"We've abandoned our marketing efforts that revolve around
fashion and trend tie-ins to focus on the symbolic nature
of fine jewelry: sentimentality and bridal jewelry,
hand-me-down pieces that can last for generations,"
Strager said.


INTERNET MARKETING TOOLS
========================
If you or any of your friends and associates have a web site
and want to attract more visitors, we have found some exciting
tools that are on the leading edge of internet marketing.
Check out the information at the following web page:
http://www.dsourceva.com/internetmarketing.htm


DIAMOND AND JEWELRY BOOKS
=========================
One of the best ways to be a better shopper for diamonds and
fine jewelry is to read one or more of the great books
listed at the following web page:
http://www.dsourceva.com/books.htm

TOPICS FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS
=============================
If you have any topics, questions, or issues you would like to
see addressed in future DIAMONDS NEWSLETTERS, please send us
an email. Thank you.

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Denny & Anne Reinke
Denny@DSOURCEVA.com
1-888-477-8385 (toll free)
Diamond Source of Virginia, Inc.

http://www.DSOURCEVA.com