4 C's Archives | Schwanke Kasten

30 Mar

Cushion Cut Diamonds

A cushion cut diamond is the perfect answer for those torn between round brilliant and princess or square cut diamonds. Cushion cut diamonds were once the standard cut for diamonds, before round brilliant cuts took over. With their soft, rounded corners, cushion cut diamonds bridge the gap between round brilliant cuts and princess cuts. At Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, we have a beautiful array of GIA certified cushion cut diamonds for your engagement ring or jewelry piece.

Cushion Cut Diamond Engagement Ring from Rahaminov

PROS & CONS of Cushion Cut Diamonds

Jewelers and recipients alike, enjoy this design for its classic and timeless aesthetic. Furthermore, gemologists have determined these cuts to have the most dispersion of light, or fire. Additionally, the jewelry market typically prices round brilliant cut diamonds higher than cushion cut for two reasons.

Demand
Less waste

However due to the deeper cut needed for this design, you will need to overcompensate with a larger stone than anticipated.

4 C’S

CUT:

Chunky vs Crushed Ice: Jewelers refer to these two terms when talking about the back facets and light reflections. If the light reflections appear in broad flashes, it refers to “chunky” aesthetic, if it appears as broken glass

"Crushed Ice" Cushion Cut — “Crushed Ice”

Length-to-Width Ration: Cushion cuts can come in “square” ratios as well as varying rectangle ratios. We should mention that you ought to avoid a length to width ration between 1.06 to 1.10.
Standard vs Modified Brilliant Cushion Cuts: Beginning in the 1920’s, diamond cutters added an extra row of facets beneath the girdle. However there is minimal affect on the beauty or structural integrity of the diamond.
Depth and Table: look for a cushion cuts with a depth and table under 70%. As well as symmetry and polish that is very good or excellent.

CARAT WEIGHT:

As we previously mentioned, cushion cuts tend to appear smaller than their round counterparts due to the depth of the cuts. That being said, if size is an issue, you may have to go larger than anticipated.

COLOR:

Cushion cuts show more color than round brilliant but this effect is negated by their brilliance and dispersion. However, we suggest looking for cushion cuts with color grades of I or higher.

CLARITY:

Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers tell shoppers to choose clarity grades of SI1 or higher as the integrity of the stone is not compromised as well as the aesthetic.

Email, text or call Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers today to learn more about cushion cut diamonds and how to set up a free consultation with one of our highly trained sales associates.

09 Aug

Colored Diamonds – Natural Blue

It is a well-known fact that diamonds are among the rarest gemstones on Earth, naturally colored diamonds are even more so. So much so, that gemologists and geologists are still learning about how diamonds obtain color. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) just published a report on blue diamonds. The study, conducted by GIA, took place over two-years using 46 blue diamonds submitted to the GIA.

Colored Diamonds – Blue Diamonds, A GIA Study

Evan Smith, a Lead Researcher at GIA, estimates that 0.02% of mined diamonds containing the trace element boron. Scientists largely conclude boron is responsible for natural blue diamonds color. This explains why in recent auctions, blue diamonds are fetching record prices. Moreover, finding these diamonds with natural, solid inclusions is even harder.

The Process

Gemologists concluded in this article that blue diamonds form an estimated 4 times deeper in the Earth’s mantle (most form between 93 – 124 miles below in continental plates brought up by Kimberlite eruptions). Researchers hypothesize diamonds fuse with boron in the sublithospheric mantle (superdeep) from oceanic rock. Furthermore, they state oceanic rocks are subducted 410 miles or deeper over a billion years by plate techtonics!

In addition, geologists make inferences from inclusions in these diamonds. This information tells gemologist about the surrounding minerals and known locations of said minerals.

08 Feb

New Engagement Rings Website

With Valentine’s Day, the second most popular day for proposals, coming up. We redesigned our Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers engagement rings website to be more intuitive.

We created an easy-to-use web page to help you understand how to select the perfect diamond engagement ring.

Start at the diamond education page, “All About Diamonds”, where briefly highlight several questions you should ask yourself before shopping. Then dive into the 4 C’s of diamond quality. The actual diamond is the bulk of your cost; therefore, it’s very important to fully understand what you are looking for when selecting a diamond.

Once you have an idea of what kind of diamond you want, we recommend checking out our “Engagement Ring Mounting Ideas” page to see the different ways your beautiful diamond can be mounted into a ring setting. While the rings showcased here represent some of our more popular styles, we encourage you to stop in at our Whitefish Bay location to see our complete engagement collection. With an on-site GIA certified gemologist and a goldsmith we can easily make your dream ring a reality.

Have the ring? Here are some ideas on where to propose in Milwaukee.

15 Nov

Buying An Engagement Ring

Buying an engagement ring can seem like a scary experience. It doesn’t have to be! Before you go buying an engagement ring, the experts at Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers recommend considering the following:

Buying an Engagement Ring – Budget

Budget: The golden rule has always been two month’s salary. However, we believe that you should set aside a budget that won’t leave you dead broke. We recommend setting an honest budget with the forethought that engagement rings are expensive.

Learn the 4C’s:

Carat Weight – This is the size of the diamond (or another precious gemstone). If your finance wants a big stone but your budget is limited, ask for a stone with a large table. While this will affect the brilliance and fire of the stone, it will make it appear larger. If you want a beautiful stone and size isn’t the issue but the budget is. Select stone just under the nearest whole carat (i.e. 1.85 carats vs. 2 carats). There tends to be a jump in price once a diamond’s size hits the nearest whole integer.
Color – Ranging from D – Z, D being colorless and Z being a light-yellow hue. The more colorless the diamond, the more expensive. From the visible eye, it is tough to tell the difference between colorless and near-colorless.
Cut – If she is more reserved or traditional, you may want to opt for a round, brilliant cut diamond. However, for a unique look, there are a whole array of fancy cuts like Ascher, emerald, marquise, pear- and even heart-shape are used for creating engagement rings. Do keep in mind, fancy cut diamonds typically are limited in the types of mountings.
Clarity – To the naked eye, the clarity of the diamond is often impossible to judge – sometimes even to a trained professional! We recommend, while important, that this be the last of the 4C’s to consider.

Mounting

Mounting: There are numerous types of diamond mountings that can showcase the center stone, however it is important to consider the following:

Will you be purchasing a matching wedding band in the future? Some mountings and diamonds are made in a way that a matching wedding band is not feasible. There are practical solutions to this, however.
Consider her line of work, sometimes a high mounting isn’t possible. This is especially important if she works in the medical field or works with her hands frequently.
If she has skin allergies, a certain skin tone or wears a particular color of jewelry, you may need to consider a specific type of precious metal.

Ring Size

Ring Size: If you can, swipe a ring that she often wears on her ring finger, then we can help you select a size for the ring. Jewelers can size up or down most engagement ring mountings one size. Another option is to simply present a ring, and then come and choose a slightly larger ring size as it is easier to solder a ring down.

Ask your married friends, her friends, AND your parents for help and input. There is nothing wrong with being nervous or unsure as it can seem like an overwhelming experience.

We recommend checking out our diamond vocabulary list, to familiarize yourself with various diamond terms. Visit one of our Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers stores to work with our highly trained staff, including GIA certified gemologists, to discover buying an engagement ring with easy!

31 Aug

Diamond Cut Grading – GIA Diamonds

At Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers in Milwaukee and Whitefish Bay, WI, we carry a full range of GIA certified diamonds for engagement rings. Over the past several months, we have been diving into how the GIA (Gemologists Institute of America) grades diamonds. In essence, GIA determines the quality of a diamond based off of a mixture of “4 C’s”; cut, clarity, color and carat weight. Today we are expanding on how the cut of a diamond affects its grade, diamond cut grading.

Courtesy of GIA.edu

Diamond Cut Grading

When talking about the cut of a diamond, we are referring to the physical shape of a diamond. The GIA will break down diamond cuts into two major categories, Brilliant Cuts and Fancy Cuts.

Brilliant Cuts

Jewelers will refer to brilliant cuts as a round brilliant diamond. Containing specifically 58 facets, this cut is generally the safest in terms of “sale-ability”, insurability and flexibility (when it comes to mountings). These facets and the relative proportions, although not agreed upon universally, are imperative to displaying the diamond’s brilliance, scintillation and fire along with its overall structure (symmetry, polish quality, weight to diameter and girdle thickness).

Fancy Cuts

Fancy cuts typically arise due to odd shaped rough diamonds or leftover rough diamond after a round brilliant has been cut from it. Furthermore, fancy cuts are more likely to appear on colored diamonds. The GIA will further divide fancy cut diamonds into three more categories:

Modified Brilliant – displaying a similarity of light play like a brilliant cut, modified brilliant cuts come in a wide array of styles. Marquise, heart, trillion, oval and pear cuts are the typical styles.
Step cuts – typically have a square or rectangular outline using step-cuts (parallel cuts to the girdle). However, despite the unique look, step cuts typically lose the brightness and fire that is associated with diamonds. Diamond cutters usually use step cuts to make emerald and square cut diamonds.
Mixed Cuts – Lately, diamond cutters are combining modified brilliant and step cuts to make a youthful cut diamond. Princess cuts and Radiant cuts are the most common styles.

Currently, the GIA only has a diamond cut grading standard for brilliant cut diamonds. In which, the GIA grades diamond cuts into 5 different categories: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Trained gemologist grade the diamond by a number of factors:

Measurement – minimum diameter (mm) to maximum diameter to depth for round diamonds. The carat weight is also one of the factors in determining this grade
Polish Quality – absence of surface blemishes
Symmetry – exactness of outline to its shape, placement and alignment of its facets as it relates to its 58 facets.

So, if you are searching for a traditional round brilliant diamond, the cut grade will give you a lot of information regarding the quality of the diamond. Stop by Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers to see our full range of GIA certified diamond engagement rings!

04 Aug

Diamond Vocab – Words and Phrases to Know

Picking out a diamond can be nerve-racking. Therefore, at Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, our aim is to deliver the most comfortable engagement ring shopping experience as possible. In fact, we devised a quick “cheat-sheet” on diamond vocab that you should be aware of!

Diamond Vocab

“GIA” – Gemological Institute of America. In fact, this organization is one of the most well-regarded diamond grading laboratories and is responsible for developing the most widely used grading system.

“Four C’s” – Four qualities that determine the value of a diamond. They are Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat

“Cut” – The physical shape of the diamond as well as the effect of light that each shape plays on the appearance of the stone
- “Brilliance” – The combination of brightness, fire and scintillation
  - “Brightness” – The amount of white light returned back through the crown of the diamond. Both internal and external returned light
  - “Fire” – Dispersed light that appears in the color spectrum
  - “Scintillation” – Intense sparkles from light when the diamond moves. Generally, appears as black or white
- “Round Cut” – Most popular and greatest flexibility within the four C’s
- “Fancy Shape” – Any diamond shape other than round
  - “Emerald Cut” – Square or rectangular shape with cut corners. However, on the crown and pavilion there are three concentric rows cut (think stair steps)
  - “Radiant Cut” – Resembles the cut of an emerald cut but with the brilliance of a round cut.
  - “Cushion Cut” – Also referred to as a “pillow cut” are square or rectangular cut diamonds with rounded edges
  - “Princess Cut” – Resembles a square or rectangle
  - “Pear Cut” – Resembles a tear drop
  - “Oval Cut” – An elongated round cut
  - “Marquise Cut” – Similar to an oval cut but with definitive points at each end
  - “Trilliant Cut” – Resembles a triangular cut
  - “Heart Shape” – Resembles a heart
- “Clarity” –
  - “Inclusions” – Impure characteristics found within the diamond
  - “Blemishes” – External flaws on the surface of a diamond
- “Carat” – Refers to the weight or size of the diamond. All other factors equal, the more carets the more expensive
  - “Point” – Refers to 1/100 of a carat
- “Color” – Generally refers to the degree of absence of color.

Diamond Vocab – Parts of a diamond

“Crown” – The top half of a diamond
“Culet” – Protects the tip of the pavilion from being damaged
“Girdle” – The outer edge of a diamond
“Facet” – Any smooth flat surface of a diamond. Round brilliants almost always have 58 facets
“Table” – The largest facet and top part of the diamond
Pavilion – Lower half of a diamond

Diamond Ring – Diamond Vocab

“Mounting” – Is the full ring setting minus the “head” or center stone
“Semi-Mount” – A ring setting with the side stones pre-set. The main (center) stone is selected by the customer
“Shank” or “Band” – Refers to the metal of the ring that wraps around the finger
“Center Stone” – The main stone
- “Prongs” – Hold the center stone in place
“Side Stones” – Diamonds that surround the main stone
- “Halo” – Side stones that surround the main stone on all sides
“Shoulder” – Side stone diamonds that recede down from the center stone to the shank

Moreover, stop by Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers today to work with our highly trained sales employees and GIA certified gemologist to find the diamond as beautiful as your true love!

31 Jul

Diamond Clarity – 4 C’s

As we have been examining in-depth the elements that make-up the rare, natural diamond, we will take a look at the next property that gives diamonds their value – diamond clarity. According to the GIA, the clarity of a diamond refers to the “absence of inclusions and blemishes” (GIA). Due to the sheer amount of time, heat and pressure that occurs to form a diamond, irregularities may form. They may be internal (inclusions) irregularities to its carbon structure or external characteristics (blemishes) that can affect the clarity, and consequentially the value.

Diamond Clarity – Inclusions

Inclusions may occur from crystals from a foreign material, structural imperfections as well as defects arising from the cutting process. There are 10 types of inclusions that Beyond the 4 C’s, gives a great in-depth look at the various types of diamond inclusions should you be interested in learning more.

Blemishes

Blemishes on the other-hand are surface level attributes. They can occur due to structural imperfections and damages during the cutting process if handled incorrectly. There are 10 types as well.

GIA Clarity Grades

GIA certified diamonds became the standard of diamond grading in the 1950’s. Thus, most diamonds will be graded under the following scale for clarity which is based on visible inclusions and blemishes under a 10 x microscope (loupe) with a “dark field illumination”. It is as follows:

Flawless (FL) – no inclusions or blemishes visible under 10 x magnification
Internally Flawless (IF) – no visible inclusions under 10 x magnifications and small blemishes on surface
Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 & VVS2) – minute inclusions that are difficult to spot by a skilled grader under 10 x magnification
Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) – minor inclusions that are somewhat easy to spot by a trained grader under 10 x magnification. Inclusions at this level are still likely to be invisible without magnification
Slightly Included (SI1 & SI2) – inclusions that are easy to spot when viewed under 10 x magnification
Included (I1, I2 and I3) – clearly visible to trained grader under 10 x magnification. These inclusions may threaten the durability and brilliance of the diamond.

In fact, on the GIA’s website, they have a wonderful interactive clarity chart that explains the various grades.

At Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers we use GIA certified diamonds from leading suppliers like Ritani, Forevermark and Naledi Engagement Rings. When purchasing a GIA certified diamond, you are provided a card detailing all the attributes of the diamond: cut, clarity, color and carat weight. Our goal is to provide you a confident and stress-free experience when shopping for your true love’s ring. Contact Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers today to schedule your personalized consultations with one of our GIA certified gemologists.

27 Jul

Engagement Ring Mounting Guide

So, you’ve chosen the perfect diamond for your engagement ring – now you need to display it! That is where the ring setting or engagement ring mounting comes into play. There are a few things to consider before selecting your engagement ring mounting design:

Engagement Ring Mounting Considerations

One – where or when will the ring be worn the most? If someone has a job where they are in and out of latex gloves, you might consider a mounting where the diamond sits a bit lower, like our Claire or Charlize engagement ring designs.

Two – what type of metal should be used? Platinum? Gold? What’s the difference? Some people are allergic to the alloys (like silver, nickel or zinc) which are added to gold to make it more durable for jewelry. Therefore, designing a ring in platinum would be recommended. Additionally, if you are going with a “white” metal for your ring, then platinum will always stay white; where as white gold, after 5-10 plus years or so, will need to be rhodium plated as the nickel, zinc and/or silver begins to wear through. It’s not a big deal to have this done, and fairly inexpensive.

Three – what is your budget? You’ve spent most of the budget on the center stone, but a plain 14K rose, white or yellow gold mounting is $500. Obviously, the more detail that you add the price will increase.

Design Preference – Engagement Ring Mounting

After that, it’s all about personal preference in the design. When you think about it, there are really only four ring styles – solitaire, solitaire-plus, halo and three-stone. Creating a ring that is unique from the other is about other choices like how you want the diamond to sit on the ring itself, and do you want additional diamonds around the center stone (which creates the halo style) and/or on the ring band itself. And if you do elect for diamonds on the sides, should they be formed as a split shank (V-shape) or tapper up to the diamond, or maybe they should be set in channel or bar style, etc.

Here is a brief explanation of ways to mount the diamond, the different rings styles and designs:

DIAMOND MOUNTING / HOW THE DIAMOND IS HELD ON/IN THE RING

4-Prong … this is how most diamonds are mounted; look closely at our SK Solitaire ring and notice the prongs.
6-Prong … this creates a more star-like appearance and is more secure. Usually seen only with solitaires.
Bezel Set … this is where metal is surrounding or partially surround the diamond. This gives the ring a more modern appearance.
Tension Set … where the diamond is held by the pressure the metal of the band. While these are super cool, they are very difficult to size because of the exact engineering behind the metal holding the diamond in place.

BASIC RING STYLES

The SOLITAIRE Engagement Ring – This style continues to be the most popular choice because of its simplicity, and ability to pair perfectly with most wedding bands. With the solitaire, it is one diamond mounted on a ring with 4 or 6 prongs, or bezel-set or tension set. If you are looking to create a unique look to your solitaire, choose a mounting that has more detailed design in the metal. But a word to the wise, do have a wedding band created to match your special engagement ring to ensure the rings fit together properly.
The SOLITAIRE-PLUS Engagement Ring – This is one diamond but has added diamonds on the sides that either tapper up shown here or have a split shank as seen here.
The HALO Engagement Ring – This is one diamond surrounded by a crown of smaller diamonds, creating the illusion of a larger looking center stone. This is great choice if you are selecting a smaller stone for the center. The Halo looks great on a plain metal ring or one ornate with diamonds.
The 3-STONE Engagement Ring – This ring literally has three stones that represent the past, present and future. The center stone is typically bigger than the two side stones. Note, if you want to make this ring more unique, consider a blue sapphire or ruby as your center stone.

DIAMONDS ON THE SIDE ALONG THE RING BAND

BEZEL SET – all diamonds are enclosed with medal surrounding them – historically, this was how much of jewelry was designed. So, if you are looking for a more vintage style, our Henley engagement ring is for you.
CHANNEL SET – Brides next most popular ring choice is a channel set engagement ring. Just as the name implies, it’s a channel of diamonds that sit into the metal of ring. These rings make great wedding band as well.
BAR SET – Is a bit opposite from the channel set, in that a BAR of vertical metal is between the diamonds, where the diamond is only exposed on the outside edge of the ring. This looks great with Ascher or Emerald cut center stones.
U-SET / PRONG SET – are variations of setting exposed diamonds along the band, so all you really see is diamonds.
PAVÉ – Jewelers “pave” the ring with diamonds. The pave setting “pa-vay” closely sets smaller diamonds with small metal beads or prongs to create a continuous sparkle. This magnifies the overall brilliance as well as the center stones presence.

If you are choosing an engagement ring mounting with diamonds on the sides of the band, we strongly encourage you to also have a matching wedding band created at the same time, so that you are sure to have all the diamonds matching in color, size, and quality. Your fiancé will have to relinquish her engagement ring for a week to ensure all the stones match and line-up.

At Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, we carry a full range of GIA certified diamonds and can help you choose or customize the perfect engagement ring mounting. Stop in or set-up an appointment to visit us at our Whitefish Bay or downtown Milwaukee location.

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.

01 Mar

The 4 C’s of Engagement Rings: Carat

The final post in our Schwanke-Kasten series exploring the “4 C’s of Engagement Rings,” we now turn our attention to “Carat.”

The weight of a diamond is measured in the unit called carat weight. As the weight of a diamond increases so does its rarity, and its price. Fewer than one in one million mined rough stones are large enough to produce a finished 1 carat diamond.

Source: Diamond Council of America

A metric “carat” is defined as 200 milligrams and every carat can be subdivided into 100 ‘points’ so a one carat diamond equals 100 points and a diamond of 75 points weights .75 carats. A diamond’s carat weight is written in decimal numbers, but it’s often expressed in fractions (a .70 – .83 is expressed as 3/4th of a carat).

Carat weight is often the most objective grade of all the 4Cs.

Read about the other “C’s” in our series: