Welcome to: DIAMONDS NEWSLETTER         Issue: 2000-11

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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THIS ISSUE'S TOPICS
Topaz: November's Birthstone
Girdle
Diamonds and Grease
Natural
Famous Diamonds
The Great Diamond Hunt
Roundness
AGS Introduces Laser Inscriptions
Diamond and Jewelry Books
Internet Marketing
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TOPAZ: NOVEMBER'S BIRTHSTONE
=============================
True topaz, symbol of love an affection, aid to sweetness of
disposition, and birthstone of November, is one of nature's
most wonderful and least-known gemstone families.  The true
topaz is rarely seen in jewelry stores.  Unfortunately, most
people know only the quartz (citrine) topaz.  In the past,
almost any yellow stone was called topaz.

Topaz occurs not only in the transparent yellow, yellow brown,
orangy brown, and pinky brown colors most popularly associated
with it, but also in light to medium red, light to medium
blue, very light green, violet and colorless.

Blue topaz has become very popular in recent years, although
most of it is treated and there is no way to determine which
is treated and which is natural.  Some of the deeper blue
treated topazes have been found to be radioactive and possibly
a health hazard.  In the United States, all blue topaz must be
tested for radiation levels.  However, be very careful when
buying blue topaz outside the United States, since it probably
has not been tested.


GIRDLE
===============
The girdle is the diamond's setting edge.  It needs to be just
thick enough to let the stone be set securely.  If it is too
thin, it is vulnerable to chipping;  too thick, and it can be
unattractive and difficult to set.  A thick girdle often creates
large, fuzzy gray reflections in the stone, especially if, as is
often the case, it accumulates dirt and grime.

On a step cut like an emerald, the girdle should be uniform in
thickness around the stone.  On a round, oval or cushion-shape
brilliant, it should undulate slightly between pairs of mains
and girdle facets and be thicker between the points of opposing
mains.  The girdle of a marquise, pear or heart is often slightly
thicker at the points to reduce the possibility of chipping.
Hearts have thicker girdles in their clefts.  Although slight
variations in girdle thickness are usually disregarded, sizable
variations can pose setting problems.

DIAMONDS AND GREASE
===================
If you wear a diamond, you probably have been surprised how
quickly a dirty film collects on the surface.  This is due
in large part to the fact that diamonds adhere to grease.  Put
your hands in dishwater and the grease quickly coats your
diamond.  The same thing happens with hand cream, body oils
and any other form of grease.

The fact that diamonds adhere to grease led to the invention of
the grease table in the late 1800s to separate diamonds for the
ore they are mined in.  The concentrate recovered from the
washing pans, pulsators, or heavy media separators is washed
over tables coated with thick grease.  The diamonds will adhere
to the table and then the resulting mixture is periodically
scraped off and melted down to remove the diamonds.

Today, the grease belt is more common.  Grease is automatically
applied at one end of a conveyor belt, the concentrates are
washed across it, and the resulting diamond-studded grease is
scraped off at the other end.

The amount of blueground (diamond ore)which has to be processed
is enormous.  Although figures differ for each mine, it takes
about 250 tons of blueground to produce a single one-carat
polished stone.


NATURAL
===========
A natural may not be a fault.  It's actually a piece of the
natural surface of the diamond crystal.  In cutting, a cutter
may decide to leave part of the "natural" rough surface in
order to get as large a diamond as possible from the rough
stone.  If this natural is no thicker than the thickness of the
girdle and does not distort the circumference of the stone,
most dealers consider it a minor defect at worst; if it extends
into the crown or pavilion of the stone, it is a serious fault.

Sometimes, if the natural is somewhat large but slightly below
the girdle, it will be polished off.  This produces an extra
facet.


FAMOUS DIAMONDS
===============
Name:  The Lesotho
Weight: 601.25 carats (rough)
Color: Brown

Lesotho is an isolated, landlocked mountain kingdom, poor
in natural resources and entirely surrounded by South
Africa. Lesotho was considered too remote to allow
profitable diamond mining.  In 1960, when the government
opened 30-square-foot claims, there was no shortage of
local prospectors seeking a big strike.  On May 26, 1967
Ernestine Ramaboa, working the claim she shared with her
husband Petrus, discovered a brown diamond of extraordinary
size.  The diamond, weighing 601.25 carats, caused a
sensation.  Eventually sold to Harry Winston who had the
diamond flown to New York and invited the Ramaboas as
his guests.

On March 5, 1968, on live TV, the stone was cleaved at
the precise point where nature left a crack in the
surface.  It was eventually cut into 18 polished stones
totaling 242.50 carats, the largest a 71.73 carat
emerald cut.

THE GREAT DIAMOND HUNT
=========================
Diamonds have been found in India for at least 3000 years.
For centuries, in fact, India was the world's only major
source, although there is no record of systematic mining
before about 1000 AD.  The Indian mines are no longer
significant producers.  Through the ages, however, new
sources are constantly discovered as older ones are depleted.

In the 1970s, gold miners in Brazil began finding shiny
pebbles which they tended to keep because they were beautiful.
Most had no idea of what they were worth, and better-informed
prospectors bought them for pocket change.

Over a hundred years later, diamonds were discovered in South
Africa, where the first alluvial (water carried)finds let
prospectors to the kimberlite pipes which had originally
brought these treasures to the surface.  This in tern led to
greater understanding of the geology of diamonds, and
transformed prospecting from a haphazard venture into a
scientific enterprise.

Today, diamonds have been found on every continent, although
not everywhere in commercially viable quantities and
qualities.  It is becoming clear that diamonds are much more
widely distributed over the entire globe than people once
thought.  Prospecting technology is also increasingly
sophisticated-the independent prospector with his shovel and
pan is being replaced by electromagnetic mapping techniques
and helicopter-mounted infrared cameras.

As a result, three out of five of today's major sources have
been discovered in the last quarter-century.  There is no
likelihood of running out of gem quality diamonds in the
foreseeable future.


ROUNDNESS
=============
A round diamond is not perfectly round and its roundness will
affect value.  The measurements of a round diamond include the
highest diameter, the lowest diameter and the depth.
Recognizing the rarity of truly round diamonds, some deviation
is permitted, and the stone will not be considered "out-of-
round" unless it deviates by more than the established norm-
approximately 0.10 millimeter (one-tenth of a millimeter) in
a one-carat stone.  In other words, the difference between the
two diameters should be less than 0.10 millimeters for a one
carat diamond, 0.12 millimeters for a two carat and 0.14
millimeters for a three carat.


AGS INTRODUCES LASER INSCRIPTIONS
=================================
The American Gem Society lab is now offering a laser
inscription service-similar to that offered by many of its
competitors-that "writes" on a stone's girdle.  The new
system an inscribe any type of gemstone, including colored
gemstones and can be used to inscribe words and/or logos,
and is experimenting with bar codes.

The AGS has become the premier grading laboratory for round
exceptionally well-cut diamonds.  When wholesalers buy stones
that have great cut they send them to the AGS for grading
even if they have been previously graded at another lab.  The
wholesalers hope to attain the AGS Ideal cut grade which means
the diamonds has Ideal polish, Ideal symmetry and Ideal
proportions.  These AGS Ideal cut diamonds are priced at a
premium but are in high demand by customers who want the best
of the best.


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