Welcome to: DIAMONDS NEWSLETTER         Issue: 2001-04B

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
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THIS ISSUE'S TOPICS
Office Closed
Ideal In Fancy Cuts
Looking For Something Really Special?
Bulletproof Beauty
$500 Million Heist Foiled in London
Platinum Prices Have Soared
Clarity Grading
Octahedron
Where Diamonds Form
Diamond and Jewelry Books
Internet Marketing
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OFFICE CLOSED
=========================
Our office will be closed from noon, Thursday April 19 until it
opens again on Monday, April 23.  If you need to contact us,
please leave a voice message or email.


IDEAL IN FANCY CUTS
=================================
While there is a wealth of information about the various
definition of ideal cut round brilliant diamonds, most consumers
have no idea what constitutes great cut for the fancy cut
diamonds such as pear, heart, oval, marquise, princess, emerald
or radiant.  There is no one industry standard for round let
alone fancy cuts, but there are some specific guidelines that we
use when we search for diamond.

Each fancy shape has its own set of depth percentage, table
percentage, crown height percentage and length to width ratio
that will increase the likelihood that the diamond will have
great brilliance, sparkle and beauty.

If you are shopping for a fancy cut diamond and are interested
what specifications define the top cut class for that shape,
give us a call and we will be happy to discuss this with you.


LOOKING FOR SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL?
============================================
We will be attending the annual JCK Jewelry Show in Las Vegas
the first week of June.  This is your opportunity to get access
to wonderful designer jewelry at a fraction of regular retail
prices.  With almost 3,000 booths of diamonds and jewelry from
all over the world, this trade show brings the most beautiful
jewelry in the world to one place.

If you have special piece of jewelry you've always wanted but
didn't think you could afford, give us a call so we can find
it for you.  The same goes for color gem stones since we can
hand pick from the most beautiful colored stones in the world
for your special ring, pendant or bracelet.

While the Diamond Source of Virginia does not have an inventory
of diamonds or jewelry, we have accounts with the leading
wholesalers and designers across the country and can special
order your custom jewelry or pick it out in person at this show.
We go with our shopping list for our customers and return with
the best of the best.  If you have a special request, please
give Anne a call at 888-477-8385 and tell us what you want.


BULLETPROOF BEAUTY
=========================
Beauty meets the bulletproof vest in a gown designed for Miss
Israel to wear at the Miss Universe pageant next month.  The
top of the silk dress, embroidered with diamonds and pearls,
is covered by an army-issue flak jacket adorned with diamonds
for a so-called softer look, the Associated Press reported.

The dress sends a message that everyday life should go on
despite renewed violence, its designer said.  ``I want people
in Israel to continue to go out,'' said Galit Levi, a Tel Aviv
fashion designer. ``But be careful.''

Levi also designed two prior Miss Universe dresses. In 1998,
her design featured the faces of Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat
and Bill Clinton, leaders known for Middle East peace efforts.
In 1999, the first Arab Miss Israel, Rana Raslan, wore a dress
with a large red Star of David, an Israeli symbol.

Ilanit Levy, an 18-year-old soldier from Haifa, will wear the
bulletproof dress in the Miss Universe competition May 11 in
Puerto Rico


$500 MILLION HEIST FOILED IN LONDON
===========================================
Would-be thieves crashed a bulldozer into London's Millennium
Dome on Nov. 7, hoping to snatch $500 million worth of
diamonds*including the spectacular 203-ct. De Beers Millennium
Star. The robbers planned to make their getaway in a speedboat
waiting on the Thames River. It would have been the world's
largest robbery, but the diamonds were already gone from
their tented exhibition arena, and Scotland Yard was waiting.
Officers disguised as cleaners overpowered the robbers, and a
dozen men were arrested without a shot fired.

Tipped off by police, dome officials had replaced the gems
with crystal fakes. De Beers officials say the pear-shaped
Millennium Star is arguably the most perfect large diamond in
the world.

Four men were arrested after trapping themselves in the vault
that usually houses the diamonds. Police picked up another
near a speedboat on the river, and a sixth man on the opposite
shore. Six others were apprehended later in southeastern
England.

Representatives of the New Millennium Experience Co., which
operates the dome, said the diamonds are displayed in an
exhibition area of the facility called the "money zone" and
are closely guarded. The Millennium Star is displayed in a
reinforced glass cylinder, and the area has alarms and
security cameras. The collection also features 11 large
diamonds of a distinctive vivid blue color.

Police said the robbers, apparently disguised as workmen,
crashed through a perimeter fence and drove the bulldozer
past security guards at around 9:30 a.m., shortly after the
attraction opened for the day. As they entered the building,
they donned gas masks before unleashing smoke bombs.
Fortunately, none of the estimated 100 visitors in the tent
were nearby.

Disguised police were positioned around the inside of the
dome. After the robbers went into the vaults and became
trapped, they were ordered to come out at gunpoint by the
officers. The intruders were captured as they bashed at the
display cases with hammers and sledgehammers.


PLATINUM PRICES HAVE SOARED
========================================
For the past ten years, platinum prices have fluctuated
between $350-$450 per troy ounce on the commodity markets.
In the second half of 1999 the prices start a climb that
saw prices move from $350 to almost $650 per ounce at the
start of this year.  This increase is mostly due to the
big increase in demand in platinum jewelry while supplies
have not been able to keep up.  Check out the price chart
at http://futures.tradingcharts.com/prairielinks/PL/M
that plots this trend.  Note how there are some weeks
where the price has $100 swings.

The impact on you the consumer is two fold, the prices you
pay today are almost twice what they were a year ago and
the supply of parts for mountings and jewelry can sometimes
take weeks to restock.  The other impact is that if you
bought jewelry with significant platinum content, it is
now worth more and would cost more to replace.  If your
appraisal is more than one year old, you might want to
consider having it reappraised for insurance purposes.


CLARITY GRADING
==============================
Undoubtedly, size is an important factor in determining
the clarity grade.  The more difficult it is to see an
inclusion, particularly face-up, the less it will
influence the clarity grade.

Almost as a part of size, the number of inclusions must
be considered.  Clarity grading does not, however, consist
of merely counting inclusions, but rather judging how
readily that number can be seen.  A stone could, for
example, have a number of minute pinpoints and still be
graded high on the scale.  Usually one or two of the
largest inclusions will establish the grade.  Additional
inclusions, if small or minute, will have little or no
effect on the grade.

The position of an inclusion affects how readily it can be
seen.  Cutters call the area seen through the table the
"heart" of the stone and make every effort to orient rough
stones so that inclusions are not visible through the
table of the finished stone.  The preferred position for
inclusions is under the bezel facets or near the girdle
because they are less noticeable there.

Sometimes inclusions are located where they cause
multiple reflections in the pavilion facets when you look
at the stone in the face-up position.  Such reflectors
lower the clarity grade more than similar non-reflecting
inclusions.

The type of inclusion can sometimes influence the clarity
grade.  Most inclusions do not threaten a diamond's
durability.  Remember, long before a stone ever reaches
the consumer, it has already been subjected to considerable
heat and stress in both the cutting and manufacturing
processes. It is unlikely to get rougher treatment simply
by being worn.  But large cleavages or feathers,
particularly when they reach the table or extend from the
crown through the girdle, are potentially hazardous since
they could be extended by a severe blow.

Most inclusions are white or colorless, but sometimes
they are black, brown, dark red, or green.  These, or
course, are easier to see and lower the clarity grade more
than a colorless inclusion.  However, curiously enough,
a dark inclusion dead center under the table is often
surprisingly inconspicuous.

Most inclusions have little impact on the beauty of the
diamond since they are not visible with the naked eye.
The high price associated with high clarity has more to
do with rarity than beauty.  If most diamonds were flawless,
it is likely that included diamonds would command the
greatest interest and price.


OCTAHEDRON
===========================
The octahedron is the most common form of gem quality
diamond crystals.  The octahedron is shaped like two
pyramids, one upside down and fastened at the bases.
Perfectly formed octahedrons, called glassies, are among
the most striking of all mineral crystals.  Rough crystals
with this shape are well suited to be cut into the popular
round and princess shapes.


WHERE DIAMONDS FORM
==============================================
Diamonds form only under certain chemical, temperature,
and pressure conditions.  Scientists estimate that the
necessary conditions of temperature and pressure can exist
in parts of the Earth's mantle (inside the crust) between
75 and 120 miles beneath the Earth's surface.

Almost all diamonds are carried to the surface by a specific
type of peridotite rock called kimberlite.  The Australian
diamonds were carried by a similar type of rock called
lamproite.  For billions of years, kimberlites have
periodically carried diamonds to the Earth's surface.

We call diamond deposits in kimberlite pipes primary
deposits.  The kimberlite itself is not very tough so it
breaks down with sunlight, heat and cold, wind and rain, and
other environmental forces.  The diamonds often get washed
out of the pipe and into the beds of rivers where they
gather in potholes and eddies. These are called alluvial
deposits.  If the river currents are strong enough, they
may carry their diamonds all the way to the sea.  There
the stones either settle to the bottom or are washed back
onto the beach.  These diamond rich areas are called
marine deposits.  Diamonds found in alluvial and marine
deposits and in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are said
to be from secondary deposits.


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.

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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