From: unique diamond princess engagement rings. The one standout quality that diamond jewelry possesses (that makes them so desirable) is their ability to absorb light and disperse it back to the beholder. Humans have always been mesmerized by these light displays for centuries now.

In the jewelry industry, light performance is the description of how well a gem stone returns the light to the viewer. These light properties described in light performance are brilliance, fire, and scintillation.

Brilliance

Brilliance is how we perceive the diamond’s brightness. Normally, brilliance is not just the simple return of the light to the eyes of the beholder coming from the stone’s external and internal facets. 

Brilliance is also more than just the scintillation, the availabilities of light sources and the contrasts. Included here would be the fluctuating variables of an imperfect human perception.

For some, brilliance is the most important feature to consider a gem stone’s beauty. This is because once brilliance is compromised, the diamond’s fire and scintillation are both reduced, too. 

Steep diamonds should be set in such a way that the light can enter in the pavilion and is reflected back out to the table (the stone’s top-most facet). Leakages are when a “window effect” is produced and the diamond can be seen through like plain glass.

Scintillation

The idea of scintillation had been thought of as alternating flashes of contrasting dark and brightness produced by facets, caused in turn by the viewer’s movement, the gem stone or the illuminating source.

For some experts, defining and measuring scintillation cannot be done accurately, claiming that observations are always personal assessments. 

Others would define it as a contrast for brilliant white or fiery colored sparkles that appear brighter to the human eye. “Sparkly” things always catch and attract attention. 

One expert defines two kinds of scintillation. Static scintillation is “the amount and the placement of darkness in a gem seen … [face-up view] in a jewelry store environment from a distance of 16 inches.” Dynamic scintillation “is the sparkle effect [one sees] when [any one of the] diamond, the light or the observer moves.”

Generally, scintillation is the total effect when small flashes of light are seen when the gem stone, the light source or the viewer is moved. Consequently, a diamond that is cut and polished that gives off a high level of this quality is considered high in light performance.

There is a common assumption that gem stones with additional facets are more scintillating. (Strangely though, some customers likes better the bolder, blocky scintillation of the Old Mine cuts.)

Fire 

The so-called fire in a gem is its ability to disperse white light into its component colors. These are the spectral colors which are produced when the diamond disperses back the light like an expensive prism. 

These flashes of color are more intense and more attractive, though.

However, maximum brilliance and maximum fire cannot be observed at the same time, with the same view and at the same point. Brilliance is best seen in well-lighted areas and fire appears better in a point-lit room.

Whichever quality attracts you to gem stone jewelry – brilliance, scintillation, or fire – you certainly are one of those men and woman who had fallen to the magic charms of a very beautiful-looking stone.

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From: cushion cut engagement rings. Diamonds are forever, so the song goes. That might be so, but your diamond jewelry still requires proper care and cleaning or you will not enjoy its celebrated beauty. 

Like any other personal ornament, gem jewellery needs some periodic cleaning and grooming to be at its best. The following are some practical care tips collated over time from gem stone owners.

Dirt and grime

A clean diamond shows more brilliance and fire than any stone of its kind that is dirty, smudged, or covered with grime. These definitely lessen the beauty of your jewelry.

This is simply because oil, dirt, or water reduces the natural sheen of the stone. Oil is usually caused from constant touching and natural day-to-day handling of your diamond jewelry.

Dirt and grime, on the other hand, often settle at the bottom of the diamond. These interfere with the diamond’s brilliance. 

The minutest film of oil that smudges the stone reduces the diamond’s capacity to reflect light. Dyes or other colored liquid materials can also have an effect on the apparent color of your stone.

Precautions

While it might be the hardest mineral and can only be cut or polished by another gem stone, a really hard blow can cause these stones to chip. 

Doing rough work, strenuous sports and other heavy activities might also be risky. They can loosen clasps, bezels and other holding mechanisms of your jewelry’s stone. 

It is good policy to remove jewelry when going into a swimming pool, Jacuzzi or hot tub. Chlorine and bleach could accumulate in your jewellery and make the gold and other metals brittle and could loosen the prongs that hold the stones.

Everyday toiletry items can dull your diamond’s luster. Lotions, soaps, powders, perfumes, hair sprays, and your own skin oils can diminish your diamond’s sparkle.

Cleaning 

If you do your own cleaning, you can prepare a mix of warm water and any mild detergent. Put in some few drops of ammonia, if you have it. 

Soak your jewelry for some minutes to loosen the grime and the oil. Afterwards, very gently clean your jewelry with an old toothbrush. (An eyebrow brush is very good.) 

Using warm water, rinse away the sudsy feel. With a soft lint-free cloth, pat it dry while trying not to touch it (if possible) with your bare fingers.  

There are commercial jewellery cleaners that come with applicators that you can buy and quickly clean your jewelry. Be careful to read and follow the instructions well. 

Regular inspection 

Everyday use (putting on and taking off) of your gem jewelry might loosen some of the metal frames. It is good to inspect your jewelry regularly.

Take it to a competent jeweler if you suspect something is loose for fixing. It is good policy if you can have you diamond jewelry examined once a year. The jewelers can do repair work, if there is need of one, and can do the cleaning as well.

Storing

Never store all your jewelry together in a bunch. The diamonds can scratch all the other gemstones, metals, and the other diamonds. 

Your gem jewelry is best stored in a fabric-lined case with individual compartments. Wrap them separately in soft cloth (or tissues) or in jewelry pouches for each piece. When you wear them, you can enjoy them in all their glorious best.

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From: affordable emerald cut ring. In diamond jewelry, the cut is one characteristic considered to be the most important. With a good cut, the quality of the final gem can offset a lower color quality or a generally poorer clarity. 

On the other hand, a D-color (a very high rating), Internally Flawless stone will not live up to its high promise if the cut is poor. The inferior quality of the cut would reduce all of the diamond’s brilliance, sparkle and scintillation.  

History 

Ever since the beginning of gem cutting in the mid-1300s, the techniques had evolved slowly through the years to what it is now today, which includes the use of lasers. It was in the 1600s when they found out that more facets meant more brilliance. 

It was with the Single cut that the modern and popular Brilliant cut of today was founded. The modern round brilliant cut diamond had evolved into a round outline, symmetrical triangular and kite-shaped facets, a table and a small culet, which was optional.

Cutting 

gem stone cutting, though done in around 5 basic steps, is actually a very long and intense process. For the layman, knowing the lengthy procedures would afford one to appreciate the work done. 

Stone shapes 

The natural shape of the original rough stone is the arbiter of the final shape of the finished diamond jewelry. Naturally oblong-shaped stones become marquises, ovals or pear shapes.

There might be near-perfect crystal shapes and they will more likely to become princess cuts or some other square cuts. Some large stones sometimes take a longer time to plan because of the fear of crystal wastage. They sometimes produce two gems out of one rough stone.

Planning

The first crucial step in making gem jewelry is planning when the rough stones are being subjected to lengthy scrutiny. The planner (his only work) decides where to mark the stone to fashion out a profitable polished gem or gems.

Mistakes like incorrect markings and others can cost as high as thousands of dollars. The planner decides the size, clarity, and the direction of the crystal when marking. Cleaving in a wrong position can shatter a diamond stone and make it worthless.  

Cleaving or sawing

After the planner’s markings, the stone is either manually cleaved or sawed. The saw is a diamond-coated rotary one, or a laser.

Bruting.

Bruting is the process where the worked-on diamond is being spun on a rotating lathe and another diamond is forced against it to gradually form a rounded outline at first.

Polishing

This is the final stage of the cutting process where the gem stone is given its finished proportions. 

The first polishing stage is blocking. This establishes the diamond’s basic symmetry. It is here where the first 17 or 18 facets are made, creating a single cut. For very small diamonds, the process for them ends here.

‘Brillianteering’ 

The brillianteering stage is next for the larger diamonds where their final facets are polished. This will determine their brilliance and their fire, whether they will be dazzling beauties or dull stones.

For the cutter, the driving force is always to create a diamond jewelry masterpiece.

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