Welcome to: DIAMONDS NEWSLETTER         Issue: 2000-12
*********SPECIAL HOLIDAY EDITION************

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

(unsubscribe instructions at bottom of this newsletter)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
know where to save money on a diamond or fine jewelry!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THIS ISSUE'S TOPICS
Turquoise: December's Birthstone
The Dresden Diamond
Do You Want A Colored Gemstone
Men's Wedding Bands
Diamond District Dangers
Only Buy the Clarity You Need
50% Off Sale
Price Calculator
Famous Diamonds
Gem of the Day
Beware of Fractions
Internet Sales
Diamond Grading Tips: Fluorescence
Bow Tie
Diamond and Jewelry Books
Internet Marketing
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


TURQUOISE: DECEMBER'S BIRTHSTONE
======================================
The highest ranking among all the opaque stones, turquoise-
the "Turkish stone"-is highly prized throughout Asia and Africa,
not for its particular hoe of blue (a beautiful robin's egg or
sky blue) but more important for its supposed prophylactic and
therapeutic qualities.  The Arabs consider it a lucky stone and
have great confidence in its benevolent action.  Used in rings,
earrings, necklaces, head ornaments and amulets, it protects the
wearer from poison, reptile bites, eye diseases, and the evil
eye.  It was also believed capable of warning of impending death
by changing color.  Buddhists revere the turquoise because it is
associated with a legend in which a turquoise enabled Buddha to
destroy a monster.  Even today it is considered a symbol of
courage, success, and love.  It has also long been associated
American Indian jewelry and art.

Turquoise is an opaque, light to dark blue or blue green stone.
The finest color is an intense blue, with poorer qualities
tending toward yellowish green.  The famous Persian turquoise,
which can be very intense and pleasing blue, is considered a
very rare and valuable gem.  The United States (Arizona and New
Mexico) is also an important source of fine turquoise, and is
now the major source of turquoise used in jewelry worldwide.

All turquoises are susceptible to aging and may turn greenish
or possibly darker with age.  Also, care must be taken when
wearing, both to avoid contact with soap, grease, or other
materials that might discolor it, and to protect it from abuse,
since turquoise scratches fairly easily.

But exercise caution when buying turquoise.  This is a
frequently simulated gem.  Very fine glass imitations are
produced that are difficult to distinguish from the genuine.
Very fine adulterated stones, and reconstructed stones (from
turquoise powder bonded in plastic) saturate the marketplace, as
does synthetic turquoise.  Make sure you are buying "genuine,
natural turquoise."


THE DRESDEN DIAMOND: GREEN GLORY
=================================
The legendary 40.70 carat Dresden green diamond is now on
display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.,
right next to the Hope diamond, until January 10th of next
year--thanks to Ronald Winston, son of the 20th century's
most famous jewel merchant, Harry Winston.

Today the Dresden is to green diamonds what the Hope is to
blues; the most famous gem of its kind.  Estimated to have
lost at least 60 percent of its original 100-carat-plus
weight during cutting, this green giant takes the prize for
size as well as beauty.

Keep in mind that beauty in green diamonds is nothing like
beauty in emerald, jade, or green grossular garnet.  Natural
green diamonds are extremely uncommon occurrences, the result
of irradiation deep within the earth.  And when they are found,
most are pale in color and light in tone, running a hue
spectrum from apple to algae green.  Don't expect these
diamonds to sport stop light or shampoo-green colors.

Nevertheless, the Dresden is a marvel--from a standpoint of
both shading and size.  True, there are green diamonds
without the vibrancy muting gray of the Dresden, but their
far smaller size makes them seem tiny in comparison.  The
Dresden is such a behemoth, at least as far as green diamonds go,
that it sets a standard that will likely never be challenged,
let alone beat.

Photo: http://www.dsourceva.com/dresden.htm


DO YOU WANT A COLORED GEMSTONE?
==================================
If you have ever wanted a gorgeous colored gemstone but
never knew how to find one, this is your chance to have one
hand picked for you.  In Tucson, Arizona during the first
weekend of February, the country's largest colored gem
trade show brings gem wholesalers from all over the world.
We will be attending the show to hand select the nicest
gems possible for our customers.

There are hundreds of booths of gems including: ruby, emerald,
sapphire, garnet, amethyst, tourmaline, jade, peridot,
spinel, and tanzanite.  If you would like us to add your
name to our shopping list, give us a call and tell us what
you are looking for. Every year we make many customers'
dreams come true as we find terrific values on the highest
quality gemstones in the world.


MEN'S WEDDING BANDS
======================
While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of women's
wedding ring style, there are relatively few common style of
men's rings.  The vast majority of men prefer some type of
comfort fit wedding band.  The term comfort fit comes from
the rounded inside of the ring that helps eliminate the
sharp edges.  Comfort bands come in a variety of finishes
including polished, two tone, hand craved, and milgrain
edges.

For men, the choice seems to focus more on the width of the
band which can range from 2 millimeters wide alll the way
up to 12 millimeters.  Sometimes couples decide to get
matching bands and/or rings but generally each will pick
what they think looks best and is most comfortable to them.

While the current trend is for the use of platinum in
women's wedding rings, men are often surprised how heavy and
expensive a wide man's band is if it is done in platinum.
Yellow and/or white gold is still the preferred metal for men.

Because men tend to wear their rings all the time, the rings
tend to take much more abuse than a women's ring.  A women
will take her ring off to wash her hands, do the dishes,
or fix dinner.  Men leave their rings on to mow the yard,
fix the car, or participate in sports.  This is probably
why you don't see many diamonds in men's wedding bands--
plus the fact that men learn early that most families
can only afford one jewelry lover.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Note:  Many of our newsletter subscribers did not receive
the October issue so we are including those articles below.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


DIAMOND DISTRICT DANGERS
=========================
When we visit with customers, we often hear that they are
contemplating making a trip to the diamond district in New
York to shop for a diamond.  Many people have heard of the
major diamond trading center located on 47th Street in New
York and the myth is that you can get a good deal there.
In reality, the wholesale trading takes place high above
the street in high-security offices hidden from the public.

The vendors on the street are more skilled at taking your
money than anyone you will find in your community.  They
are fast taking, high pressure salesman who specialize in
letting tourist think they are getting a deal.  They often
sell uncertified diamonds and reply on the difficulty of
customers returning to the Diamond District as part of
their sales strategy.

We recommend you never buy from anyone in the Diamond
District in New York unless you are there with a trusted
retailer who takes you to the true dealers who are not
at street level.  Don't become another statistic of one
who got ripped off while trying to get a good deal in
the Diamond District.


ONLY BUY THE CLARITY YOU NEED
=============================
We see more and more customers being told they need
VVS clarity or they will be able to see inclusions in the
their diamond.  Why pay for something you can not see?

For all shapes except emerald, we suggest VS2 or SI1
as your minimum clarity requirement since with an SI1 you
can not see anything with your naked eye.  The truth is
that you can not see the difference between SI1 and all
the higher clarity grades except with a microscope.
Higher clarity than SI1 does not add to beauty of the
diamond, only the rarity and therefore the price.  By
starting with an SI1 clarity you will get a bigger
diamond and have a better selection for getting a great
cut.  The highest clarity grades cost more but are not
necessarily going to appreciate as much as the grades in
most demand such as VS2 and SI1 as explained at
http://www.dsourceva.com/investment.htm on our web site.
The reality is that the first speck of dust that settles
on the diamond has much more visual impact on the beauty of
the diamond than anything in a diamond that is at least a
certified SI1 clarity grade.


50% OFF SALE
========================
You have all seen the billboards and newspaper ads
advertising half off sale at your local jeweler.  It is
not uncommon for stores to mark up items 300-500% so they
can mark them half-price during a sale. It's no great deal
if you are paying 50%, let alone 150% over wholesale.

Don't fall for sales of any kind.  If a dealer can afford
to mark it down, then they marked it up too high at the
start.


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.

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.

BEWARE OF FRACTIONS
==================================
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) allows jewelers to round
off diamond weights.  For example, a diamond labeled 3/4 carat
in weight might actually weigh anywhere between .69 and .81
carat.  While these are small weights, the price difference
can be significant.  For instance, if you bought earrings with
G color, SI1 clarity and 3/4 carat in each ear for $5160, you
might have over paid by $1600 if they really weight .69 carats.

Note: Jewelers are also allowed to be off one color and one
clarity grade.  If you don't purchase a certified diamond,
you could find yourself at the short end on weight, color,
clarity and therefore, value.

INTERNET SALES
==================================
Internet shoppers are expected to spend almost $20 billion
online during the 2000 holiday season, nearly double last
year's total of $10.5 billion, according to a recent survey by
the Gartner Interactive Firm.  About half that revenue is
expected to go to U.S. and Canadian e-tailers, with the rest
distributed among firms in Europe and Asia.

Robert Labatt, principal analyst for Gartner's e-Business
Services Unit, credits the increased willingness to do
business online to the e-tailers' extensive efforts in
increasing the customer's comfort level.  Chat rooms and
opportunities to interact with the internet firms are
encouraging more people to try this form of commerce.

DIAMOND GRADING TIPS: FLUORESCENCE
==================================
Fluorescence, if present in a diamond, will be indicated on
a diamond grading report.  It will be graded very faint,
faint, medium, strong, or very strong.  Some reports
indicate the color of fluorescence as blue, yellow, white,
and so on.  A stone with yellow fluorescence should sell
less since it will appear yellower than it really is when
worn in daylight or fluorescent lighting.  The presence of
blue fluorescence will not detract, and in some cases may
be considered a bonus since it may make the stone appear
whiter than it really is in daylight or fluorescent
lighting.  However, if there is very strong fluorescence,
there may be an oily or milky appearance to the diamond.
We recommend avoiding medium or strong fluorescence since
it is just not worth taking the chance of lower value.


BOW TIE
=======
One of the most obvious indicators of poor proportioning
in fancy shaped diamonds is the bow tie, or butterfly effect,
a darkened area across the center or widest part of the
stone, depending upon the cut.  The bow tie is commonly
seen in the pear shape or marquise but may exist in any
fancy shape.  Virtually all fancy shapes cut today will
exhibit some minimal bow tie effect.  Nonetheless, the
presence or absence of a bow tie is an indicator of proper
proportioning.  In poorly proportioned stones there is a
pronounced bow tie; the more pronounced, the poorer the
proportioning.  The less pronounced the bow tie, the better
the proportioning.  The degree to which the bow tie is
evident is the first indicator of a good or poor make (cut).


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

INTERNET MARKETING
=========================
If you or any of your friends have a web site and want to know
how to get more visitors, check out some of the tools we have
found to help with internet marketing at:
http://www.dsourceva.com/internetmarketing.htm


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

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter, simply reply to
this email and in the subject line put only the words:
unsubscribe diamonds
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

http://www.DSOURCEVA.com