Royal Diadem Jewelers

As Spring approaches, and then Summer, get ready for more time in the sun. That bright yellow ball in the sky might make you think of other shiny, yellow items like yellow gemstones. See below for an article published by GIA.

Yellow Gemstones: Can You Identify Them?

Sunshine, lemons and a variety of flowers share the color yellow and often evoke feelings of happiness, warmth and optimism. A variety of gemstones also come in shades of yellow, from diamonds to citrine to garnets.

Yellow diamonds are enduring in quality and value and popular set in jewelry. Yet a treasure trove of other yellow gemstones exists at reasonable price points. They can be found in light-toned shades to rich, warm hues.

The most plentiful yellow gemstones in the marketplace are citrine, sapphire, topaz, tourmaline, and transparent opal. Other varieties include yellow andradite garnet, spessartine and Mali garnets, beryl, sphene, zircon, spodumene and transparent varieties of labradorite and orthoclase feldspar. Less abundant or collectible yellow gems include chrysoberyl, sphalerite, apatite and prehnite.

YELLOW GEMSTONE CHALLENGE

Many yellow gemstones can resemble one another in color. Can you see the subtle differences in the yellow gemstone pairs? They appear similar, but are different species.

YELLOW DIAMONDS

Yellow is the most abundant color of natural fancy diamonds, yet they still represent a very small percentage of all diamonds. The first major source of yellow diamonds was found in the late 1860s in Cape Province, South Africa, so in the jewelry trade, these yellow diamonds came to be known as “cape” yellow diamonds.

“Cape” diamonds, according to the “GIA Diamond Dictionary,” are a Type Ia diamond with a distinct yellow body color that exhibits absorption that falls in a specific and defined pattern. (There is often a strong band at about 415.5 mm and a fairly strong one at 478.0 nm, with four weaker lines between the two.) Such diamonds may also fluoresce blue, yellow, or orange.

What is the cause of the yellow color in diamonds?

“In general, the presence of nitrogen atoms gives rise to two kinds of absorption in the blue region of the visible spectrum; the remainder of the spectrum is transmitted, leading to an observed yellow color,” according to GIA’s diamond color expert John King.

Canary is a historic term for a Type IIb fancy color intense yellow diamonds that is used to distinguish them from diamonds with a “cape” spectrum. Diamonds referred to in the trade as “canary yellow” are highly valued for their saturated yellow color.

FAMOUS YELLOW DIAMONDS

There’s an inexplicable allure about diamonds that fascinates the gem lover. As early as 1676, accounts by the French traveler and gem dealer, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, mentioned seeing a 137.27 ct yellow diamond that he referred to variously as the Florentine, the Austrian Yellow and the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Since then, many notable color diamonds have been given the elite distinction of famous diamonds, particularly as the appeal of color became widespread.

The Tiffany Yellow Diamond was acquired by Tiffany & Co. in 1878 and has been on display for more than 70 years in its flagship store in New York. Under the direction of Dr. George Frederick Kunz, it was cut from a 297.42 ct rough stone to its present cushion cut of 128.54 ct, one of the largest known fancy yellow diamonds in the world. GIA graded it in 1984.

The Allnatt, a yellow diamond thought to have originated from the De Beers mine in South Africa, is named for its former owner, Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt, a British soldier and noted philanthropist who purchased the diamond in the early 1950s.

The diamond next appeared at Christie’s Geneva auction in May 1996 weighing 102.07 ct with a color grade of Fancy Intense yellow. It was purchased and then recut to 101.29 ct to improve color and clarity, going from Fancy Intense to Fancy Vivid with an improved clarity grade to VS2.

The Allnatt is a classic example of early 20th century cutting styles used to retain maximum weight and enhance the color of a well-formed octahedral rough crystal.

George Stepp, a logger from Carthage, Arkansas, found a yellow diamond crystal in the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas in 1972 and sold it to Kahn Jewelers in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where it was left uncut to showcase its natural triangular pillow shape known as a macle crystal. “The Kahn Canary Diamond” weighs 4.25 carats and is internally flawless.

More than 33,000 diamonds have been found in the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas since it became a state park and opened to the public in 1977. The park has a “finders, keepers” policy that allows the public to dig for diamonds for a fee.

This article is a reprint from AGS, originally published here.

People have been wearing jewelry for over 100,000 years, and even back then, chances are it wasn’t the easiest thing to shop for. There are just so many options when buying jewelry—so many materials, metals, styles and gems to choose from.

You can shop better by taking the time to learn how to buy jewelry. It can seem like a lot, but with a little help from this jewelry buying guide, you’ll be shopping like a professional in no time.

And if you are still stumped buying jewelry, feel free to ask an AGS-certified gemologist for help. They may know a lot about metals and gems, but they also know tons about styles and trends.

Here are a few basics to get your shopping jump-started

What are natural gemstones?

Natural gemstones come from the earth and are mined worldwide. Some natural gemstones can be enhanced, which means sometimes they are treated in some way (such as heat) to improve their color.

What are laboratory-created gemstones?

These stones, which can also be referred to as laboratory-grown, manufacturer-created, or synthetic, have essentially the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as natural gemstones. Laboratory-created gemstones do not have the rarity or value of natural-colored gemstones. Although they are similar in many ways to natural gemstones, a professional gemologist will be able to recognize their difference with proper testing.

What are imitation gemstones?

Imitation stones look like natural gemstones in appearance only. This includes tinted glass, cubic zirconia or other material that resembles natural stones when treated. Laboratory-created and imitation stones should be clearly identified as such.

What to look for in a gemstone?

Gemstones may be measured by weight, size, or both. The basic unit for weighing gemstones is the carat, which is equal to one-fifth (1/5^th) of a gram. Carats are divided into 100 units, called points. For example, a half-carat gemstone would weigh .50 ct. or 50 points.

What is an enhanced or treated gemstone?

Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to the way some gemstones are treated to improve their appearance or durability, or even change their color.

Many gemstones are treated in some way. The effects of some treatments may lessen or change over time and some treated gemstones may require special care.

Some enhancements also affect the value of a gemstone, when measured against a comparable untreated gemstone. Treatments and/or enhancements should always be disclosed by the seller, along with any special care that might be required.

Know enough about buying jewelry? How about selling your jewelry? Learn more here.

A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era. See more.

This blue shows up as one of the favorite choices in all of jewelry, since it is the color most associated with sapphire. Below are a few of our favorite designs containing blue sapphire.

This article is a reprint from AGS, originally published here.

In 1477, Archduke Maximillian of Austria commissioned the very first diamond engagement ring on record for his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy. This sparked a trend for diamond rings among European aristocracy and nobility.

The sentimental Victorians popularized ornate engagement ring designs that mixed diamonds with other gemstones, precious metals and enamels. Often these rings were crafted in the shapes of flowers and were dubbed “posey rings.” Diamond rings crafted during the Edwardian era continued the tradition of pairing diamonds with other jewels, commonly mounted in filigree settings.

A man presents his prospective bride with an engagement ring upon acceptance of his marriage proposal. Anthropologists believe this tradition originated from a Roman custom in which wives wore rings attached to small keys, indicating their husbands’ ownership.

In 1947, De Beers launched its now classic slogan, “A Diamond is Forever.” This campaign spurred even more sales. The implied durability of a diamond conveyed the meaning in the American psyche that marriage is forever. A diamond’s purity and sparkle have now become symbols of the depth of a man’s commitment to the woman he loves in practically all corners of the world.The opening of the DeBeers mines in Africa made diamonds more accessible. In the 1930s, when demand for diamond rings declined in the U.S. during hard economic times, the De Beers Company began an aggressive marketing campaign using photographs of glamorous movie stars swathed in diamonds. Within three years, the sales of diamonds had increased by 50 percent.

The History of Popular Cuts

Diamonds still signify the celebration of a union and cherished memory, though more cuts make more styles an easy option for diamond lovers.

Over the years, the most popular cut for diamond engagement rings has always been the round brilliant, consisting of 58 facets that divide the stone into a top and bottom half. Runners up include the princess cut, the emerald cut and the oval cut, with the cushion cut quickly gaining popularity as a recent trend.

Are you ready to pop the question? Get all the perfect proposal tips you need from AGS and when you’re ready, find a trusted AGS diamond jeweler near you.

the final mechanical methodology for powering a wristwatch is “Kenetic” or “Self Winding”

This technology is relatively simple,. compared to atomic timekeeping,.. 😉 . Think of the traditional Self Winding watch takes advantage of the God given blessing of Gravity.

The affect of gravity on a freely swinging “rotor” encapsulated in (usually) the inside back of a timepiece can power a fully mechanical watch. The rotation is translated by a series of gears to the mainspring. Most every movement along the plane of the rotor is transmitted as power to wind your mechanical watch. This power source can feed both mechanical and electronic timepieces!

This technology has been in use for as long as Jimmy Campbell has been alive. ,…

Who is Jimmy Campbell you may ask? Jimmy is a fine Christian man that we at Diadem Jewelers have known for YEARS… Since his hobby is American History Recreation and Metalsmithing, Jimmy applies his interests in two extremes: Watchmaking and Blacksmithing. (I guess his passion takes quite a bit of motivation to extremes 😉 Anyway,.. when Jimmy was an adult, pocket watches and Fusee chain drives yielded to mainsprings and winding via the crown, the rotor:

From: TheWatchGuy.com :

The earliest credible evidence for a successful design is the watch made by the Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet, who lived in Le Locle. In late 1776 or early 1777, he invented a self-winding mechanism for pocket watches using an oscillating weight inside the watch that moved up and down.^[8]

In 1777 Abraham-Louis Breguet also became interested in the idea, and his first attempts led him to make a self-winding mechanism with a barrel remontoire.^[9] Although a successful design, it was too complex and expensive for it to be manufactured and sold.

Although a few self-winding watches and patents for them were made from 1780 on, for more than one hundred years these watches were rare, until the advent of the wrist watch.

During the years 1776 to 1810 four different types of weight were used: Side-weight:The weight pivots at the edge of the movement and can oscillate up and down. The movement of the weight is limited to about 40°. This is the most common design produced by many makers including Breguet.^[12]These watches were called jerking watches because, even with buffers, when the weight hit the case the whole watch would jerk.
Center-weight: The weight pivots in the center of the movement and rotates clockwise and anti-clockwise. The weight is supported by a bridge that blocks the rotation and it is limited to about 180°.^[13]
Rotor-weight : Again the weight pivots in the center of the movement and rotates clockwise and anti-clockwise. However, there is no bridge and it can rotate 360°.[14] Very few of these movements were made.
Movement-weight: Here the whole movement is pivoted in the case and acts as the weight. Only one example is known, made in 1806.[15]

These watches need regular care and the watchmaker has a complicated task to complete: Disassemble, Clean, Lubricate, Reassemble, Caibrate. Here is a brief narrative of just one part of the process:

“Place the “Pillar Plate” in a small plastic cup with some parts cleaner. Let it soak for a few minutes. Then take your brush and thoroughly brush both sides of the plate paying special attention to the jewel holes. If the watch is very dirty, you may want to replace
the solution and clean twice. Once you are satisfied that it is clean, remove it from the solution and place it on a piece of “watch paper”. Use your blower to dry it off. Later on you will be able to clean all of your parts at once, because even jumbled you will know where they go. For now however, go one section of the parts tray at a time cleaning and drying in this manner. Make sure to clean between the gears and in the jewel holes of all of the moving parts. Once they are dry, replace them to the tray. Clean the balance VERY VERY carefully. Also, Do NOT submerge the MAINSPRING as it will take on solution and it will rust. If there is a Jewel hole on the Mainspring Bridge, you should remove the screw that holds the Mainspring barrel in place and set it (the mainspring barrel) aside and then clean the plate. Or you can simply brush the hole with a wet brush a few times until you are satisfied that it is clean and then let it dry.“

Then the real fun begins; put together a watch that works! This is where training, determination, tools, materials and TIME all work together to make your self winding watch work! We have an excellent watchmaker that has well over thirty five years of training and experience in all facets (pun) of watchmaking. While this process takes time (pun-again) in most cases we can put your wristwatch and pocket watch back to working order. Estimates are available, as we check in your watch and move it to the watchmaker we communicate regularly and encourage patience while the watchmaker works magic.

Unfortunately… the process is long, laborious and and frustrating (see our prior post for the content of an up-front apology for the state of watch repair we find ourselves in 🙁

Nevertheless we work hard to care for your timepieces! We promise to earn your trust and provide an excellent value for your investment in our service.

Thank you for your trust! Sterling VanDerwerker CGA(AGS) GG(GIA)