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Show . 12 Bridal Guide February 2004 Tips for Buying the Perfect Wedding Ring When you make a purchase which determine their clarity of a wedding ring, a little grade are called inclusions (inpreparation can save you hundreds of dollars. The purchase should be a pleasurable ternal) or blemishes (external). The following is a brief defini- memory. FL The price of all diamonds are controlled world wide by the so called Diamond Syndicate. This means that the purchase price is dependent on the quality of the diamond and sions or blemishes when examined with 10X magnification. the markup of the dealer. From a single dealer you could purchase a one carat diamond, with a price range from $400.00 to more than $20,000.00. This price range depends only on the quality of the stone. Now add different dealers with different markups the purchase now becomes difficult. When shopping you will have to ask for the same quality stone in order to determine which dealers really have the best buys. You should learn how to spot bad diamonds. Here are some guides. Clarity: Diamonds are graded according to their degree of clarity from flawless (perfect) to imperfect. The characteristics tion of each clarity grade: (Flawless) No inclu IF (Internally Flawless) No inclusions, only minor blemishes with 10X. WS, (Very, Very Slightly In- cluded) Inclusions extremely difficult to locate with 10X. easy to see with the unaided eye. (Imperfect) Obvious in clusions. Easy to locate with the unaided eye. P (Promotional) Very ob vious inclusions that can easily be seen by the unaided eye. Colon Diamonds are graded for color by deciding the ) amount by which it deviates from colorless. See the chart (D-Z- WS2 below. D Rarest White E (Colorless) Fine White VS, F G H I Commercial White (Very, Very Slightly Included) Inclusions very difficult to see with 10X. (Very Slightly Included) Minor inclusions very difficult to locate with 10X. VS2 (Very Slightly Included) Minor inclusions somewhat easy to locate with 10X. SIj(Slightly included) Noticeable inclusions which are very easy to locate with 10X. Notice- SI2(Slightly included) able inclusions which are very easy to locate with 10X. Some may be seen with the unaided eye. (Imperfect) Obvious in clusions with 10X. Somewhat I, J K L M N O P Q R Faint Light Yellow Very Light Yellow Light Yellow Z Fancy Cut: The cut of a diamond is the proportions in which the diamond was cut by the cutter. S - This involves angles between the facets and the different parts of the stone. Cut can also mean the shape (Pear, Marquise, Oval, Heart, Round, etc.) Carat Weight: This is easy. Diamonds are weighed by the metric carat. There are 100 points to the carat (.01 carat 1 point). Twenty points, or .20 carats, can also be expressed as 15 of a carat. However 15 of a carat can be from .18 to Have your jewelry diamond weight in exexpress act points. The more a diamond weighs, the more valuable it is - not just because it weighs more but also because it is worth more per carat. Five 20 point diamonds, which equals one carat, will only be worth about one fourth (14) as much as a single diamond of the same quality. When shopping, it is a good idea to specify an, eye clean (SI,) and a G to H color, diamond at each place you shop. This is the only way you can .22 points. compare apples to apples. Check the main stone carefully to see if you can see anything inside the diamond. If you can the dealer is not showing you an eye clean stone. Set the dia- - ir (Medding Center Large selection of silver plated items - Instead of a wedding book why not have an engraved serving tray that you can display at all times? Check out our reasonable prices and free gift wrapping. EARLS FURNITURE & APPLIANCE STORE . . lira 1 V. Huntington 43587-911- 9 ; ' ttt cm g ti e w wto o meni L I n uo a t t -- .11 J.1 " "i I LewisInc. Jewelry Co., GIA Certified Exufcfl Rep Best Jewelers til America ere GJA Certified 46 E. Main, Price -- 637-2176 v mond on a white piece of paper. If you can see any color it is not a G to H color. While we do not recommend diamonds as an investment, they do hold their value. Remember you are not buying a truck which will lose its value in five years. Diamonds are Forever. The wedding set you purchase should provide a lifetime of service and memories for the one you love. It is a good idea to have your rings checked for wear annually. Some women need to have their rings checked every six months if they are very active. It is a lot less expensive to repair the prongs on a ring than to replace a lost diamond and have the prongs repaired. We hope this information will be of some help when you are making that special purchase for the one you love, and may your marriage be a happy and prosperous one. We are here to help. Carol Moosman, President Lewis Jewelry |