My Ring Doesn’t Look As Good As When I Bought It
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When I first saw my ring in the jewelry showcase I fell in love with its brilliance and fire.  Today my ring looks dull and lifeless. What happened?

1. Lighting – Jewelers pay lots of money to have lighting experts make their jewelry sparkle and glow. Ask to see it outside before you buy it, preferably in the shade or on a cloudy day. This is what your ring really looks like when it is clean and polished. This is what it will look like when you are having coffee at an outdoor cafe. Do you still love it? If you can’t walk outside prior to purchase, don’t buy it without a moneyback guarantee (not a store credit). Then look at it outside.

2. Dirt – If your jewelry looked good outside on the day you bought it and today it looks dull, the most common reason is that grease, soap scum and dirt have accumulated underneath your gemstones. Home cleaning will often restore the original beauty, provided you have been advised by a knowledgeable professional and you have the proper equipment. For example, emeralds, pearls, opals, tanzanite’s and other gemstones are sensitive to heat and/or cleaning solutions. Although you can put your diamond in pure acid, the metal holding your diamond, might deteriorate in certain cleaning solutions. Ask your jeweler if they provide free jewelry cleaning – if they do, take all of your jewelry in. Do it today and in most cases the improvement will be remarkable.

3. Scratching – Possibly your jewelry has become scratched and abraded. Diamonds are the hardest substance and they will scratch everything. Do not throw your jewelry in a pile – lay each piece individually or put each piece in it’s own baggy. Scratches can also occur during daily wear. Do not wear fine jewelry when working in the garage. Scratched gemstones and metals can be polished and usually restored to their original beauty. Often the gemstones must be removed, polished and then reset. Discuss these options with a skilled professional.

The bottom line: You pay a lot for jewelry, make wise choices and then protect the beauty and the investment.

Appreciating the Beauty and Uniqueness of Colored Diamonds
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When you hear the word “Diamond” you probably picture a clear, sparkling, faceted, brillian stone – often in an engagement ring. You may not be aware that diamonds occur naturally in every color including blue, red, orange, yellow, purple, pink, brown, black and combinations of these colors. Many of these colored diamonds are rarer and much more expensive than the well known “D” thru “Z” colors. However, some colors like black and brown can be both beautiful and very affordable. The most expensive colored diamonds ever sold were red and blue which were sold for approximately a million dollars per carat. Famous large, unique, colored diamonds are all rich in history and legend, and are on display at famous museums throughout the world. Perhaps the most famous of these is the priceless 45.52 carat Deep Blue cushion cut “HOPE DIAMOND”. Harry Winston jewelers donated the HOPE to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC where it can be seen today.

Scientists have successfully grown colored diamonds in labs and have even changed diamond’s existing colors to mimic the most beautiful diamonds in nature. To ensure that you are purchasing a naturally occurring, rare colored diamond, you should only purchase from a reputable, knowledgable jeweler and only if the diamond is accompanied by a Diamond Grading Report from a reputable lab – in my opinion the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is the top diamond lab in the world. Once you purchase a colored diamond, the design and construction of the mounting is crucially important to showcase the beauty of the rare color. If you currently own rare colored diamonds, you should get them reappraised because of the upward price movement over recent years.

Let us answer your questions about Colored Diamonds. Feel free to post questions and we will be happy to assist you in finding the answers. You can also visit us at www.vividdiamonds.com for more information and products lists or contact us directly by calling (888) 970-GEMS (4367).