Phiten Titanium Necklace - Whats the deal

October 14, 2008 by admin  
Filed under Gifts

Can a phiten necklace help relieve pain. Seems like a lot of people swear by the phiten necklace for managing pain. I’m not convinced the Phiten Necklace would make any difference at all, but since I don’t own a Phiten Necklace I can’t say for sure. It does seem sort of like the magnet craze that went on a few years ago. I’m not sure I believe in the phiten necklace craze going on currently.

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Looking for a Diamond Try Diamond Geezer

July 28, 2008 by admin  
Filed under Gifts

Diamond Geezer is a premier online store for buying diamonds of all sorts. From Diamond Wedding Bands to Diamond Engagement Rings. Diamond Geezer has them all. There have been featured on the Dragons Den in the UK and this has greatly increased their exposure. Following are just a few of the items you can find at DiamondGeezer.com

22-brilliant-cut_claw-set_tiffany_band_plat diamond_wedding_rings

So if you need to buy some Diamonds for that special someone then Diamond Geezer may be a place worth checking out. They are not overly expensive as diamond purchases go and the quality looks very interesting. After all a diamond is a girls best friend.

For a little history on the origins of a diamond and how it came to be so treasured read on:

 

The diamond is perhaps the most valuable gemstone on earth. Its history as one extends from thousands of years in the past to form the basis of current detailed methods practiced in cutting and appraising diamond.

History
Early diamonds used as gemstones originated in India. Golconda served as an important center for diamonds in central India. Diamonds then were exported to other parts of the world, including Europe.

The Darya-e-Nur Diamond from Golconda.
The Hope Diamond
from Golconda mines.Early references to diamonds in India come from Sanskrit texts.[3] The Arthashastra of Kautilya mentions diamond trade in India.[4] India remained the only major source of diamonds in the world until the discovery of diamonds in Brazil.Buddhist works dating from the 4th century BC as a well-known and precious stone but don’t mention the details of diamond cutting. Another Indian description written at the beginning of the 3rd century describes strength, regularity, brilliance, ability to scratch metals, and good refractive properties as the desirable qualities of a diamond.[6] A Chinese work from the 3rd century BC mentions: "Foreigners wear it [diamond] in the belief that it can ward off evil influences".[6] The Chinese, who did not find diamonds in their country, initially did not use diamond as a jewel but used as a "jade cutting knife".[6]

The diamonds reached ancient Rome from India.[3] Diamonds were also discovered in 700 AD in Borneo, and were used by the traders of southeast Asia.[3] But India remained the exclusive source of diamonds to Europe until the 18th century.[3] With the depletion of India’s diamond resources the exploration for seeking out and finding diamonds from other parts of the world began, which led to discoveries in Brazil (1725) and South Africa (Kimberley, 1867).[1] South Africa became the favored center for diamond resources, and quickly rose as the world’s biggest diamond producer.[1]

Diamonds were traded to both the east and west of India and were recognized by various cultures for their gemological or industrial uses. In his work Naturalis Historia, the Roman writer Pliny the Elder noted diamond’s ornamental uses, as well as its usefulness to engravers because of its hardness. It is however highly doubtful that Pliny actually meant diamonds and it is assumed that in fact several different minerals such as Corundum, Spinel, or even a mixture with Magnetite were all referred to by the word "adamas".

Gemological characteristics
The most familiar usage of diamonds today is as gemstones used for adornment a usage which dates back into antiquity. The dispersion of white light into spectral colors, is the primary gemological characteristic of gem diamonds. In the twentieth century, experts in the field of gemology have developed methods of grading diamonds and other gemstones based on the characteristics most important to their value as a gem. Four characteristics, known informally as the four Cs, are now commonly used as the basic descriptors of diamonds: these are carat, cut, color, and clarity.

Most gem diamonds are traded on the wholesale market based on single values for each of the four Cs; for example knowing that a diamond is rated as 1.5 carats (300 mg), VS2 clarity, F color, excellent cut round brilliant, is enough to reasonably establish an expected price range. More detailed information from within each characteristic is used to determine actual market value for individual stones. Consumers who purchase individual diamonds are often advised to use the four Cs to pick the diamond that is "right" for them.

Other characteristics not described by the four Cs influence the value or appearance of a gem diamond. These characteristics include physical characteristics such as the presence of fluorescence, as well as data on a diamond’s history including its source and which gemological institute performed evaluation services on the diamond. Cleanliness also dramatically affects a diamond’s beauty.

There are three major non-profit gemological associations which grade and provide reports or certificates ("certs") on diamonds; while carat weight and cut angles are mathematically defined, the clarity and color are judged by the trained human eye and are therefore open to slight variance in interpretation. The associations are listed below.

Gemological Institute of America (GIA) was the first laboratory in America to issue modern diamond reports,[8] and is held in high regard amongst gemologists for its consistent, conservative grading.
American Gem Society (AGS) is not as widely recognized nor as old as the GIA but garners a high reputation. The AGS employs a number system for grading cut quality, color grade, and clarity. The highest grade being ‘0′, and the lowest being ‘10′.
Diamond High Council (HRD) Official certification laboratory of the Belgian diamond industry, located in Antwerp. Antwerp World Diamond Center
Within the last two decades, a number of for-profit gemological grading laboratories have also been established, many of them also based in Antwerp or New York. These entities serve to provide similar services as the non-profit associations above, but in a less expensive and more timely fashion. They produce certificates that are similar in detail to the GIA’s.

Carat
The carat weight measures the mass of a diamond. One carat is defined as 200 milligrams (about 0.007 ounce avoirdupois). The point unit—equal to one one-hundredth of a carat (0.01 carat, or 2 mg)—is commonly used for diamonds of less than one carat. All else being equal, the price per carat increases with carat weight, since larger diamonds are both rarer and more desirable for use as gemstones.

The price per carat does not increase smoothly with increasing size. Instead, there are sharp jumps around milestone carat weights, as demand is much higher for diamonds weighing just more than a milestone than for those weighing just less. As an example, a 0.95 carat diamond may have a significantly lower price per carat than a comparable 1.05 carat diamond, because of differences in demand.

A weekly diamond price list, the Rapaport Diamond Report is published by Martin Rapaport, CEO of Rapaport Group of New York, for different diamond cuts, clarity and weights.[9] It is currently considered the de-facto retail price baseline. Jewelers often trade diamonds at negotiated discounts off the Rapaport price (e.g., "R -3%").

In the wholesale trade of gem diamonds, carat is often used in denominating lots of diamonds for sale. For example, a buyer may place an order for 100 carats of 0.5 carat, D–F, VS2-SI1, excellent cut diamonds, indicating he wishes to purchase 200 diamonds (100 carats total mass) of those approximate characteristics. Because of this, diamond prices (particularly among wholesalers and other industry professionals) are often quoted per carat, rather than per stone.

Total carat weight (t.c.w.) is a phrase used to describe the total mass of diamonds or other gemstone in a piece of jewelry, when more than one gemstone is used. Diamond solitaire earrings, for example, are usually quoted in t.c.w. when placed for sale, indicating the mass of the diamonds in both earrings and not each individual diamond. T.c.w. is also widely used for diamond necklaces, bracelets and other similar jewelry pieces.

Clarity
Main article: Diamond clarity
Clarity is a measure of internal defects of a diamond called inclusions. Inclusions may be crystals of a foreign material or another diamond crystal, or structural imperfections such as tiny cracks that can appear whitish or cloudy. The number, size, color, relative location, orientation, and visibility of inclusions can all affect the relative clarity of a diamond. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and other organizations have developed systems to grade clarity, which are based on those inclusions which are visible to a trained professional when a diamond is viewed under 10x magnification.

Diamonds become increasingly rare when considering higher clarity gradings. Only about 20 percent of all diamonds mined have a clarity rating high enough for the diamond to be considered appropriate for use as a gemstone; the other 80 percent are relegated to industrial use. Of that top 20 percent, a significant portion contains one or more visible inclusions. Those that do not have a visible inclusion are known as "eye-clean" and are preferred by most buyers, although visible inclusions can sometimes be hidden under the setting in a piece of jewelry.

Most inclusions present in gem-quality diamonds do not affect the diamonds’ performance or structural integrity. However, large clouds can affect a diamond’s ability to transmit and scatter light. Large cracks close to or breaking the surface may reduce a diamond’s resistance to fracture.

Diamonds are graded by the major societies on a scale ranging from flawless to imperfect.