20 Jun

Carat Weight – 4 C’s of Diamonds

Today we finish our “Making of a Diamond” exposé with an in-depth look at carat weight. When a jeweler refers to the overall weight of a stone, the are referring to the carat total weight or CTW. It’s important to note, karat and carat are not the same. Karat is associated with gold purity, whereas carat measures how much diamond weight is in a particular jewelry piece.

Carat Weight Origins

So, where did the word “carat” comes from? Hundreds of years ago, traders used a carob for determining the weight of gemstones. A carob is a small seed from the St. John’s beard (or locust bean) plant) which is consistently uniform in size and weight; perfect for determining carat weight of diamonds. Jewelers and gemologist began officially using the term “carat” in 1907. Now, jewelers and shoppers universally use “carat” to measure diamonds and other valuable gemstones. One carat is equal to 200 mg (.02g), which is another way of looking at carat weight. The GIA likens carat weight to comparing a dollar to pennies. In other words, think of it “as a dollar divided into 100 pennies, a carat is divided into 100 points” (GIA).

It is worth noting, while the overall carat weight can increase the stone’s value (all other properties held equal), two stone of equal carat weight can have vastly different values due to differences in the other Four C’s. Jewelers will typically describe a diamond to the hundredth of a carat. However gemologist measure diamonds to the hundred thousandth due to the stone’s value.

At Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, we have a variety of GIA certified diamonds of all sizes to meet the budget for your dream stone. Should you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with one of our GIA certified gemologist, please do not hesitate to reach out to Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers.

19 Jun

Diamond Color – Four C’s

Generally, when we think of diamonds we do not associate color to them. However, one of the four major “C’s” is diamond color or lack thereof. According to GIA, the foremost authority on diamond grading which Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers uses for their engagement rings, “a chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond has no hue, like a drop of clear water, and consequently, a higher value” (GIA).

Diamond Color

So EXACTLY how does a diamond not have color and how can a diamond inherit color? The most common occurrence with clear diamonds is the varying degrees of yellow/brown hues. This is graded on the universally accepted GIA scale from D – Z under very controlled lighting and viewing conditions. In fact, some of the color distinctions are “so subtle that they are invisible to the untrained eye; however, these distinctions make a very big difference in diamond quality and price” (GIA).

Colored Diamonds

However, jewelry auction house will place a premium on diamond color because they know they add value, just look at these incredibly expensive diamonds that have been sold lately! And while color can take away from the value of a normal clear diamond, it can also add tremendous value when the color is outside of the normal range of D – Z (delete color) grading. These colors can exist in the shades and hues of: red, blue, green, pink, yellow and even white and grey diamonds. As we mentioned before, these tend to occur because of one of two conditions.

Scientists know that chemical imperfections found in the diamond can cause color. Chemist believe high levels of hydrogen cause grey diamonds. They also know that a presence of boron can create blue diamonds, which are some of the rarest and often the most expensive.
Structural imperfections to the normal diamond lattice arrangement of carbon atoms can also lead to inclusions of color. Scientists believe green diamonds get their color from “radiation displacing carbon atoms from their normal positions in the crystal structure” (GIA).

In some cases, scientists are not even sure what causes the hue of a diamond. Pink diamonds are so rare that scientists can’t make a conclusion on the hue’s causation. However, it will likely be a matter of time before they discover a similarity among them.

Interestingly enough, GIA uses a separate scale to grade colored diamonds. The scale takes into consideration 27 hue varieties and saturation hue of 9 descriptors ranging from faint to fancy vivid.

Read more on Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers regarding the 4Cs and how to pick the perfect diamond for an engagement ring.

05 Jun

Diamond Cutting | Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers

As we have looked at the incredible scarcity of diamonds, we decided to dive deeper, beyond the 4 C’s and into the process of diamond cutting. Diamonds, are one of the hardest objects found on earth. In fact, Diamonds top the Moh’s scale of hardness at a 10. There are entire industries dedicated to making industrial tools that use diamonds for cutting through other materials. In fact, when cutting a diamond, diamond cutters will either use other diamonds or specialized lasers.

That being said, this presents diamond cutters an enormous challenge and tedious effort to bring it from a rare rough stone to the beautiful, valuable finished diamond! In this process, there is no room for error; every step must be meticulously scrutinized because one mishap and the profitability of the diamond will be affected.

The Process:

Determining Cut, Proportions and Size:

Being the most important C of the 4 C’s, the diamond cut refers to the diamonds proportions, symmetry and polish. This, according to Lumera, is the most important factor when determining the “beauty of a diamond”. The balance between the optimal cut (a combination of brilliance, fire and scintillation*) and carat weight, is crucial. Cuts too deep or too shallow will lose light entering the diamond. This light tends to escape through the bottom of the diamond.

This is where proportions come into play; the size, shape and angle of each facet of a diamond. Light entering the diamond in the forms of refraction and dispersion, will bounce within the diamond and then exit. The result, is white light separating into the visible color spectrum. Combining the shapes, angles, culet size, polish, symmetry and facet effects determines the cut grade. Please note, that this only refers to round diamonds which the GIA attributes a cut grade.

Cleaving or Sawing:

Once the diamond cutter has planned and mapped out the cut of the diamond (usually mapped with 3D imaging), the rough diamond must be cut into smaller, more manageable sizes. Cleaving, generally refers to cutting the diamond into smaller pieces along the diamond’s tetrahedral plane, the point where the diamond is the weakest. When no plane is present, due to odd shaped rough diamonds, cutters will use either a laser or a phosphor-bronze blade rotating at roughly 15,000 rotations per minute (How Stuff Works). It is at this point, where the diamond begins to take on its initial appearance.

Bruiting or Cutting:

This step is when the diamond truly takes form into its final product. This refers to the meticulous cutting (either by hand, bruiting, or mechanically with a lathe). As we mentioned before, it takes another diamond to cut a diamond. The first step, known as girdling, uses two diamonds spinning in opposite directions to create rough round stones.

Polishing:

The process of blocking and brillianteering will form the facets of the diamond (Beyond 4 C’s). During the blocking stage, diamond cutters add 8 pavilion mains, 8 corns, 1 cutlet and 1 table facet. They will add the remaining 57 facets during the brillianteering stage. By placing the diamond on a rotating arm and using a spinning wheel coated with an abrasive material made up of diamond dust, the diamond cutter determines the diamond’s fire and brilliance during this stage.

Inspecting:

Next, the diamond is inspected and graded. At Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, we use G.I.A. certified diamonds for our diamond engagement rings.

For a deeper insight into the diamond cutting process, we recommending checking out the video below. Call Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers at one of our locations to schedule a consultation with one of our G.I.A.-certified gemologists. Check our the diamond cutting video below. Diamond cutting is the most important part of the pricing a diamond. Poor diamond cutting can damage the structure of a diamond.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDFKRySInVs

Notes

Brilliance refers to the brightness created by the combination of all the white light reflections from the surface and the inside of a polished diamond (Lumera)
Fire is the dispersion of light into the colors of the visible spectrum, seen as flashes of color (Lumera)
Scintillation are the flashes of light and dark, or sparkle when a diamond or light source is moved (Lumera)

09 May

Diamonds Throughout History | Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers

Two monumental diamond sales already slated in 2017, so we decided to take an in-depth look into diamond history. We are going a step further and examining stories behind some of the more famous stones as well.

The Origins – Diamond History

The G.I.A., the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones and pearls, states diamond history can be set as early as the 4^th century BC in India, when diamonds were given value. (G.I.A. – “Diamond History Lore”). Various trade routes, helped diamond appear in countries like France and Italy. By the 14^th century, diamonds had become the fashion norm across Europe, and the importance of diamond cutting emerged in Venice (CBS – “Diamond History”). The supply source in India declined, due to demand, which caused the value to increase. This demand obviously led explorers and entrepreneurs to venture elsewhere. And in the 1700’s, Brazil became a powerhouse in the diamond industry. They dominated the market place for over 150 years (G.I.A.)!

The Modern Diamond Industry

In 1866 miners discovered a large deposit of diamonds in Kimberly, South Africa. This began the modern diamond industry. Hence the name Kimberlite tunnels. One of the most famous diamonds, Star of South Africa, was unearthed three years later. Originally an 83.5 carat rough diamond, was cut to a 47.69 carat pear-shaped diamond, and traded for “500 hundred sheep, ten oxen and a horse” (Famous Diamonds – “Star of South Africa Diamond”). Then, in 1888, a young entrepreneur named Cecil Rhodes established the De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited, which at one point “controlled up to 90% of rough diamond production in the world”.

De Beers

“In the 1870’s, annual production of rough diamond was well under a million carats. By the 1920’s, the figure was around three million carats. Fifty years later, annual production approached 50 million carats, and in the 1990’s it surpassed 100 million carats per year”, (G.I.A.). Prior to 1947, engagement rings rarely used diamonds. It wasn’t until the De Beers hired N.W. Ayer (an advertising agency) to come-up with the world-famous slogan, “A Diamond is Forever”, that the diamond marketplace changed forever. This slogan was so effective that Ad Age deemed it the slogan of the century. According to The Atlantic, in the proceeding 40 years, “De Beers’ wholesale diamond sales in the United States increased from $23 million to $2.1 billion (U.S.D.)”.

Current Market

Australia, Botswana, Russia, Congo Republic, Canada, South Africa and India produce the majority of natural diamonds. For more incredible stories behind many famous diamonds, we recommend checking out this site. In the meantime, we invite you to take a look at Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers’ expansive diamond jewelry selection and G.I.A. certified diamond engagement rings. Rings that reflect the beauty of your true love.

This link is a brief timeline of the history of some very famous diamonds.

Hope you enjoyed!

20 Apr

Making of a Diamond |Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers

With the DIAMOND being April’s birthstone and used is almost every engagement ring mounting, we thought it would be only fitting to share with you, “The Making of a Diamond”.

In fact, this past month, we witnessed the largest internally flawless diamond the GIA has ever graded sold for $71.2 Million (USD)! The Pink Star was cut from a 132.50 carat rough diamond back in 1999 and then polished by master diamond cutters for over two years. The end product produced a 59.60 carat diamond that was fancy vivid pink color.

The Making of a Diamond

Despite popular opinion, most natural diamonds are, in fact, not made of compressed coal. We will call that the Superman Theory.

In fact, “Almost every diamond that has been dated was formed during the Precambrian Eon – the span of time between Earth’s formation (about 4,600 million years ago) and the start of the Cambrian Period (about 542 million years ago). In contrast, the earliest land plants did not appear on Earth until about 450 million years ago. Moreover, this is nearly 100 million years after the formation of virtually all of Earth’s natural diamonds.” – Geology.com

How do diamonds form?

In fact, the formation of natural diamond requires very specific conditions. According to Live Science, nature’s recipe for diamonds is the following:

Bury carbon dioxide 100 miles into the Earth
Heat to about 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit
Apply pressure of 725,000 pounds per square inch (hence Superman)
Quickly rush towards Earth’s surface to cool.

There are two places on earth that meet those conditions; in the lithospheric mantle (right below the continental plates) and at the site of a meteorite strike.

Deep Source Eruptions

The most common way diamonds are formed are from “Deep Source Eruptions” – a process that can take upwards to 1 billion years!

The mantle produces immense pressure and heat to form diamonds. After forming, deep volcanic-like eruptions violently thrust the diamonds towards the crust. These produce kimberlite and lamproite pipes.
- Kimberlite pipes (named after the city where the Star of South Africa was discovered) are the most important carrier of diamonds and garnets, forming in a carrot shape between 93 and 280 miles beneath the surface. These pipes allow exotic minerals from the mantle to surface (Science Daily).
- Lamproite pipes are a far more common occurrence yet rarely prove to be a reliable source for diamonds. Scientists say the difference between Lamproite pipes and Kimberlite pipes are that Lamproite are shaped like champagne flutes and shallower than Kimberlite pipes.
There are three other ways that scientists have discovered diamond creations but are far rarer than Deep Source Eruptions.
- Subduction Zones:
  - Scientists believe that minerals, previously subducted by an oceanic plate going under a continental plate due to plate tectonics are another form that may actually involve coal as a source of carbon! However, this is also incredibly rare.
- The other two deal with extraterrestrial objects entering the Earth’s atmosphere and the rarest!
  - Asteroid Impacts
  - Meteorite Fall

Next time you are looking at diamonds remember the amount of time and extraordinary circumstances needed to create them. Explore some of our extraordinary diamond jewelry, and stay tuned as we look into the history of diamonds in the modern world!

13 May

Mother’s Day Spending (Press Release)

(May 10, 2016) Mother’s Day was this past weekend. and families were ready to splurge on gift cards, jewelry, flowers, breakfast at I-Hop, and other gifts and accessories for mom. While the typical Mother’s Day gifts tend to remain the same, the amount American consumers will spend on them has been steadily increasing year after year. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, we spent an average of $172.63 on mom in 2015. Almost $10 higher than the prior year. This average is higher than any other year in the 12-year history of the survey.

A Successful Mother’s Day

Schwanke-Kasten owner Tom Dixon was recently interviewed about Mother’s Day spending.

“Having been in the jewelry business for so many years, we have seen this trend supported by increased sales over time,” said Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers owner Tom Dixon. In fact, Tom is the 4th generation owner of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers.

Total national spending in 2015 exceeded $21.2 billion dollars and is projected to be even higher in 2016. According to recent trends, 80% intend to give a greeting card. However, over two-thirds will buy flowers (amounting to approximately $2.4 billion in sales). Those looking to give mom the ultimate “wow” with jewelry make up about 34.2% of Mother’s Day shoppers. These shoppers will spend over $4.3 billion for items like necklaces, rings, and bracelets on Mother’s Day.

“Moms are very special. To many, Mother’s Day is a very special holiday for many consumers,” Dixon said. “No matter what someone spends, the most important thing is the way we make mother’s feel on their day.”

For jewelry store owners and other retailers, this means making sure they have the appropriate inventory and are running competitive promotions. Each year there is no shortage of sales to choose from. Retailers look forward to this holiday for an annual boost in sales.

“In the 27 years that I have owned Schwanke-Kasten, we have definitely seen our fair share of people purchasing jewelry for the special women in their life.”

Schwanke Kasten - Wedding Rings

From Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers

Category Archives: Schwanke Kasten Jewelers News