Diamond Education Training Video #1 PDF

Training Video #1 Diamond Education - The 4 Cs (what professionals use to look at diamonds and get a sense of characteristics - Carat - Weight of stone - 1ct is 200 mg - Generally coincide with diamond - Different shapes of stones can look differe...

Training Video #1 Diamond Education - The 4 Cs (what professionals use to look at diamonds and get a sense of characteristics - Carat - Weight of stone - 1ct is 200 mg - Generally coincide with diamond - Different shapes of stones can look different in size for the same carat - 1ct marquise look huge because of its weight - Princess cut diamonds has most of its weight in its belly so it looks smaller - All different stones have different matter weight - Sapphire is heavier than a diamond - Measurements will be smaller - Moissanite would be larger - It’s an important factor for lifestyle - Active lifestyle (maybe smaller stones) - Size changes - (Video) - Average size that people are after: 2 carats - Used to be $20 000+ range, now in $6000+ range - Colour (13:30) - A common misconception just refers to the hue - Diamonds do occur in a variety of shades - GIA created the colour grading system (alphabetical) in early 1900s because there was a lot of different grading systems worldwide that conflicted - We start at D because a lot of other systems already used A - c so they wouldn’t be associated with past grading systems - Created to create 1 system that was the same  - D - F (Colorless) - what we typically work with - G - J (Near Colorless) - what we typically work with - K - M (Faint) - can use if its the right fit - N-R (Very Light) - might see in malls, - S - Z (Light) - When we’re talking about coloured diamonds, it’s a completely different chart - At the end of that chart, you will have a Fancy Vivid diamonds aka a Canary yellow diamond - Second most requested colour for diamonds - Salt & pepper - “galaxy” , “icy”, “rustic”, “grey”, “opalescent”, “salt & pepper” (all terms used for S&P diamonds) - They do occur in colour ranges! - S&P diamonds have imperfection/ inclusions (could be a bit of a mineral or other matter) - So far - all mined - S&P diamonds would have been given to the tool & die industry - drill bits, files etc - More affordable (because they have imperfections) - But prices have gone up - Clarity - Refers to any internal characteristics inside the stone - Carbon deposits, feather (looks like a crack), and crystal deposit (types of inclusions) - Flawless (No inclusions and no blemishes visible) - Untouched - Internally flawless (No inclusions visible but does have blemishes) - Very very Slightly included: VVS1, VS2 (inclusions so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader) - What we usually see when we’re looking for stones for clients, means that you would need to have 50 - 100x magnification to see anything inside the stone - If you were to look at it with a Loupe (10x magnification), you’d most likely not see anything because there’s so few and so small inclusions Very Slightly Included: VS1, VS2 Inclusions are observed with effort but can be characterized as minor. - You would still need more than 10x magnification - VS2 and above you can be guaranteed with your naked eye that it should be completely clear, there should be nothing inside Slightly Included: SI1, SI2 (Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) – Inclusions are noticeable. - There are some imperfections, there are some stones in this range (SI1) that are eye clean  Eye Clean - when we’re looking at a diamond, no visible inclusions with naked eye Included: I1,I2,I3 Included (I1, I2, and I3) – Inclusions are obvious which may affect transparency, brilliance and durability. - Can almost always see inclusions with naked eye - AG very rarely work with stones in this range - With lab diamonds its much easier to get a diamond with a DEF colour and VVS ranges - Flawless diamond that has absolutely nothing inside, under a microscope, there’s nothing to be found - completely clear - Internally flawless - (technically means the diamond has not been touched with human hands - Flawless - if you touch with a tweezer, it becomes Internally Flawless because the outside surface has been affected - There are special rubber tweezers that exist for handling flawless diamonds - Generally, diamonds that are sold as Flawless are sold in a package (so you can’t touch it) - As soon as that diamond has been set, if you get it re-graded, its now going to bu bumped down to Internally flawless - Cut - Refers to the way a stone is faceted - Differs from shape - Cut (like a facet) - Affects light performance - Shape - “Is it a round or oval diamond” - Can be confusing because some people can say “cushion-cut diamond” not a “cushion shape diamond” - Table (top of the stone) - Girdle (widest part around the edge) - Thick girdles can affect light performance - Culet (point of diamond) - Cut can also refer to the depth of the diamond - If the cut is too shallow or too deep, you’ll lose light through the sides and the bottom of the stone - When the facets are cut in an ideal way, your going to have the maximum light performance - Fire - Scintillation - Rainbow effect - Some folks will get confused and see a blue effect and think it’s a blue diamond - it’s not. It’s just the fire Grading: Excellent, very good, good, fair , poor - Looking at angles of facets - If they have perfect symmetry and proportion to one another - Polish is perfect (light reflecting off and into the stone) - We always want an Excellent to very good - Sometimes weird shapes don’t get a Very good/ excellent rating because they can’t be mathematically symmetrical (like a moon!) - You’ll also see Ideal - There are different grading systems out there - Excellent and ideal are the same thing - Sometimes when you see ideal, they’re at the top end of Excellent so the polish and the symmetry are both excellent  - We use excellent because that’s what the GIA uses - 2 of the Cs are objective and 2 are subjective - Carat is objective - Cut (based on mathematics) - Colour (Use perfect set of diamonds to measure all the others) - Clarity (done by humans within parameters) - - Hearts & Arrows is a marketing term that was created by a jeweler to sell diamonds - Just means that the diamonds are in the excellent cut grade - It only technically apply to round and cushion cut diamonds - Bow tie effect - Only applies to elongated stones such as ovals and marquise - This is where you’ll see a black void - You can actually avoid this effect by staying within the excellent and very good cut grade - If there is a bowtie effect, it wouldn’t have the mathematics and symmetry of the facets to give it an excellent to very good cut grade - it would be considered (good, fair, poor) - All elongated stones do have some darkness because they’re not a circle that is the same depth all the way around the stone. Some of the facets are more shallow to create that oval shape. That’s normal. Diamond Fluorescense - None, faint, medium, strong, very strong - Only exist for earth mined diamonds - Just a natural effect of some diamonds that grow in the earth - It is something that’s found in grading reports - Will fluoresce under black light - SOMETIMES if the diamond has a very strong fluroescense - they can look a bit cloudy in daylight - We can just take it into sunlight to test - Most stones don’t have that effect - Fluorescence can bring the price down a little bit - FUN FACT - Height of disco - When you went to the disco, everyone would know you had a real diamond - Some people that have multiple stones in their band, sometimes they’ll have 1 or 2 diamonds that fluoresce! - Shapes + Antique Cuts - - Rose Cut - Most common in 1600s - Flat at the bottom, domed and faceted at the top - Would place a shiny plate at the bottom and it would give the illusion of a really big stone - Very transparent - Understated sparkle, quiet beauty - Most s&p are rose cut - Old mine cut - 1800s - 1900s - Thicker than the modern cut - Whole diamond has less facets - Extra facet at bottom where culet would be - Gives a circle through the top (table) - More asymetrical - Old european cut - More symmetry - Fewer facets than modern - Antique (some people like!) - Quiet beauty - Modern Round Brilliant - Quite symmetrical, all facets are perfectly placed, completely reflects light back t o us - You can see how opaque the stones get the more modern they get - Same material, different opaqueness - It’s hard to get stones in the antique patterns  - There are 2 ways we can work with a stone - Work with moissanite - Does come in - All modern cuts can fall into these shapes: - Often will be cut as brilliant (triangular facets across the bottom - Radiant cut would fall into brilliant category - Fresh ice look - brilliant cut - Step cut - doesn’t have fresh ice look, more rectangular, long, fewer facets - Brilliant Cut - mathematically calculated to get you the best light - Stone shapes - Some stones are 1:1 ratio, sometimes are not - (ovals are not) - A 1:20 ratio is smaller (less elongated) than 1:50 - Divide the length by width - Generally, 1.3 is typically what youll see - 1.4+ is getting elongated - When you get over 1.5, you might start to get that bowtie effect Lab Grown Diamonds - Lab grown and earth-mined are a real diamond - If you were to get ice from your fridge and ice from a building, they would both be ice - Mined diamonds occur under the earth’s surface after thousands of years - Start w carbon then over time (w. Heat and pressure) grows into diamond  - With a lab-grown diamond, you start with a carbon seed (earth-mined diamond) then use that fragment to grow a diamond (by re-creating the earth’s environment) - There are different types: - High pressure High Temp - Made in a chamber, there’s carbon that is connected to the diamond piece to create crystal - Can create diamonds in a D to F range - Chemical Vapor Deposition - Uses carbon-rich gas (gas molecule has carbon molecules and hydrogen molecules in the chamber and when it connects to the plate that has the seed, the carbon grabs on and the hydrogen escapes) - Using this process is more common - The diamond is a maximum of G colour - Easier and less expensive - Post growth treatment - Started in the CVD, finished in the HPHT - Coloured diamonds are more expensive than colourless Diamond Certificates - The information is assessed before it comes to the market - The diamonds are mined, then sent off to an independent lab to have paperwork done and generate a certificate - The grading is done by a third party so there’s no conflict of interest - There are a lot of associations that grade diamonds - GIA are the ones that created the current system - European Gemological Laboratory is a really lenient lab (might come back with a higher rating) - We ONLY curate stones form associations that are trustworthy - Diamonds that are over 1 ct are certified - Smaller stones are sold in a parcel - The origin of the diamond is often not documented, a lot of the associations don’t require the origin - It’s extra money so a lot of associations don’t use it - A lot of canadian diamond producers will pay extra to make sure that the canadian origin is attached to it - Tend to be extra expensive - “Are they ethically sourced” - we work only with diamond partners that are working with mines that have very strict fight holders and investors - Have lots of shareholders that have a lot of scrutiny for work conditions, age of their workers - We only work with diamond partners who have those strict standards - There;s 2 different types of paperwork that would come w your engagement ring  - One would come with a serial number from when it was graded - The other is an appraisal - For the whole ring - Description of ring - Retail Replacement value - Why are there 2 different types of paperwork? - Diamond certificate makes sure that you’re getting what the jeweller says your getting - Appraisal is a third party so theres no conflict of interest, giving you the details of your ring for insurance - Insurance company will ask for appraisal - A wholesale appraisal is just appraised for the nuts and bolts of your jewellery - We provide an appraisal for all of our engagement rings - Wedding rings are optional - S&P diamonds don’t come with certificate because they don’t have a cut or colour that falls into the grading system Gemstones Video #2 - Sapphires, emeralds, and rubies are the gemstones we work the most with - Industry standard to not come with certificate but more common to know origin - When it comes to gemstones, it’s easier to be able to tell where they come from - When we work with our gemstones partners, theyre working directly with the mines and families that are mining them - We want to try and match the client’s vernacular when talking about jewellery - Try to not use too many technical terms - “Diamonds have little imperfections called inclusions” - Get exact colour match - Gemstones outside of diamonds are more included - Normal to see small inclusions with the naked eye - Even with a super clear emerald, you can explain to them that it’s in their DNA - They’re cut deeper to showcase colour - WINDOW - Stones that are cut too shallow, where you can see right through the stone - ZONING - when you have a stone where you'll have color in different zones within the stone - Ideally, you still want the stone to be symmetrical - Gemstones have a lot more variation in cuts and asymmetry - Gemstones can be a lot more difficult to set and they can loosen more easily  - Diamonds have a nice notch (girdle) - The girdle is deeper on gemstones (often) - Having the prongs holding onto them can be tougher - It might be normal for a client to come back to us for tensioning on their stone every year Lab gemstones - Similar process to create lab grown gemstones - Lab are much less included - You can control the environment - Much more affordable - Not all colours exist - I.e montana teal green colour - Colours vary from jeweler to jeweler - Mined gemstones that are perfect in colour can be really expensive - (can be 2,3,4,5 times the price) - The only one we dont recommend to clients is sapphire because it has a low refractive rate, no colour, they just look like a low quality diamond because it doesn’t have that sparkle - Would recommend a moissanite - Lab grown - Naturally occurring moissanite are found in meteors, some have fragments of gemstones - Hardness of 9 - Higher REFRACTIVE(rainbow, disco effect) (i.e when a diamond facet sparkles once, a moissanite facet will sparkle twice) - It’s its thing in its own right (don’t compare to diamond) - More affordable - There are cheap and crappy moissanite - really yellow - We work with the top quality moissanite - we work with the folks that created lab grown moissanite, they were the only ones to create it until their patent ran out - Cutting Charles & boulevard: cut a little differently. - Moissanite is cut slightly more deeply which allows a better angle for the material that moissanite is made of - - Design - White and yellow are the most popular choices - What they pick is their personal choice - Ask them if they wear jewellery - It’s good to go with something that’s safe - Can wear a $20 ring to give it a try - Silver is too soft for fine jewellery - Choose white gold or platinum All gold that’s mined from the earth is yellow - White gold has white metal added - All karats will look the same - We generally recommend 18k for white gold because it’s a great combination of keeping its whiteness and durability over time - Last step is a platinum dip (rhodium plating) we like a platinum dip because its more familiar to the client - Makes it white and shiny - More of a creamy, less white - Bottom of the ring wears the most - You see the least amount of colour difference Platinum - White metal - Platinum (not gold) - Doesn’t need dip - Metal stays on ring longer - White gold will wear away - Softer but more rigid than gold - You can scratch it easily - If you were to take a knife and make a scratch, gold would make a valley - It smooths aside - Platinum will show a very rectangular gauge - Difficult to work with, more expensive to work with in the future - If you’re allergic to white gold, platinum is a great hypoallergenic option! - If their engagement ring is platinum! Both rings will wear down at the same rate over time - It’s heavier - Platinum gets so scratched, it makes its own patina (when it wears down and looks like its antique!) - Some people like it! - Platinum might not polish the same (because of deep gauges) - “Why does anyone use platinum?” - WG was discovered how to alloy to make a white colour in the turn of the century - Before 1900 - there was no white gold - You’ll see a lot of old engagement rings - Companies that have been around for a while, they work with platinum because its what theyve always worked with - Became a status symbol Rose Gold - Mix of yellow gold and copper (might contain other metals)  - Don’t recommend going higher than 14 since copper is so soft. Ring becomes super fragile and colour is really orange - It is generally more soft at any karat. You can expect more maintenance, so needs a lot more care Yellow Gold - 24k is pure - 22k you might find in east asia - We work with mainly 10, 14, 18k - 14k subdued, subtle yellow, bit more durable - 18k bright, intense yellow, - 10k mainly options for mens bands, more pale, not flashy, subtle colour, more durable 4 vs 6 prong - Most rings have 4 prongs - Personal preference - 4 prongs, you see more of the diamond - Clients will mention that they make the stone look square - A stone under 1ct may look crowded with 6 - 6 prongs may look more “antique” Setting orientation - 4 prong is what we see the most (traditional 4 corners) - NSEW/Compass setting - Prongs are on top, bottom, and sides - Can be a cool way to customize if you want to make it unique - Traditional 6 prongs (3 on top 3 on bottom) - OR hexagonal setting - Blends in more with bands 4 prong side profiles Non-cathedral (1 connection point) Cathedral (3 connection point) - More durability - Rings can get caught in shopping carts, may bend setting - More support for accidental knocks or tugs Floral - Can have diamonds on the band or no diamonds - We have a timeless aesthetic, paired down and classic 6-prong side profiles Traditional - like the Tiffany ring originating in the 1800s. Classic one connection point, connects on a wider angle, has a crown setting - You’re going to see this a lot, a lot of jewelers have a style of this ring - Very traditional, classic, popular - Made in 2 pieces (WG on top YG on bottom) - 1 connection (non-cathedral)  - Can have a hidden halo or rope detail on gallery rail - PRONE TO CATCHING - Might be more disjointed - 3 connection (cathedral) - Trellis - Instead of just the post, we have the prongs that come up and create a more ornate look, more antique - Has more of a flow - Floral - 4 prong - like a lotus flower - 6 prong - like a daisy Low set - more subtle - Do you want to have a wedding ring that sits flush or has a curve? Pave + Setting styles Slim Micro pave - Pave - “ like It’s paved in diamonds” - Most popular type of setting on the band - Very classic, understated - We hand drill each hole under a microscope and put the diamond and create the prongs by hand with the surrounding metal - Prongs are not made until they’re handmade - Micro-setting - Takes a lit of skill! - Very smooth and seamless - The highest quality way to do pave - Most jewellery production will put the holes in the wax - A lot quicker, less expensive - Prongs are bigger - Stones are smaller - Cant get the castings clean - With us, you can set the pave in a mirror finish Our Process - We make the rings in wax first - Then cast - File, remove casting skin Wall Pave - More antique style Prong setting - More striking Wall w. Milgrain - antique look Shared prong - one stone sharing 2 prongs  - Needs at least 2 prongs to hold stone! For fragility Can get pave halfway or ⅔, more fragile Eternity - should not do - Can’t resize Halo Options - Slim modern halo - Pave - Shared prong (more antique/vintage style) - Can make the stones larger (like petals) - Iconic princess Di halo (with prong on the outer edge of stones on halo) - Graduating halo - Trailing antique halo - Don’t generally recommend 1 connection point for halo rings - Side profiles with halos - Mainly 1 connection and 3 connection - 1connection are so prone to catching - Often when you have 3 connection, theres more of a flow (shoulders flow into the head) and durability - 1 connection might appear more disjointed Use words like “ modern” and Antique/victorian/vintage and traditional - Great way to talk about, use more accessible language Shoulder Stone Rings - Popular category of rings - Past, present and future of partners - Look at scale of side stones! (large, med, small in comparison to centre stone) - Examples of shoulder stones include: - Rounds - Pears - Baguettes - Marquise - Multi stones Side profile - Cathedral & non-cathedral - Side profile can give a totally different vibe - Can have trellis - Floral - Flush to finger style Cluster Rings  - Not just one, a multi-stone ring - Generally, cluster rings look best flush to finger since you have so many stones - Can make higher up for wedding band Surprise elements - Include if their inspo images have Hidden halo - When you have a border of stones that aren’t seen from the top - Organic hidden halo - Hidden scarf - when the halo is wrapped around the base of the setting (does require the stone to be set higher) - All of our settings are in the middle to lower-set - Some jewellers set stones super-high - Usually it’s because an antique diamond has been set into a pre-made setting - “Can we remove support bar”? - When you bang your ring, the support bar holds your prongs in tension. Rings that dont have the support bar are constantly loosening Filigree - Scroll-work look - Antique Surprise stone - Inside - Outside - ⅔ way - When you put gemstones further down the band, it may be more prone to damage vs. a diamond. Unique crossbar Surprise pave Floral side pattern