GuestBlogger :: Mr. Greg

So far, we have discussed carat weight and diamond certification, and now we will discuss color and what it means.  Many of you have probably heard that “no color is good color,” and from a rarity standpoint this is true--unless we consider fancy colors, which we will cover a bit later. 

Color in a diamond has been described many different ways, but the bottom line is that after you have shown yours off, you want everyone to gasp because of its dazzling beauty. 

Color is rated on an alphabetical scale from D-Z.  Most people wonder why there is no ABC.  Well, let me tell you what happened. Before the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) created their standardized grading system, the system every jeweler in the world used was A, B or C.  It was their own personal way to represent their diamonds.  A jeweler graded their best diamonds as grade “A”, their second best as grade “B”, and their third best as grade “C”.  The challenge was that there was no correlation between each jeweler’s grades.  

One jewelers ”A” grade could have been today’s equivalent of an “F” color “VS1” clarity, where another jeweler would represent his “A” grade as an equivalent of today’s  “H” color “SI1” clarity. You could end up paying a lot more for a diamond based upon one jeweler’s grading system.

Luckily for you, in the 1940s and ‘50s, a standardized grading system was developed through GIA and is recognized as the industry standard today.  Now you can ask your jeweler for this grading system on every diamond you look at, and have a much better chance (it’s still not perfect) of getting what you are paying for.

A diamond is made up almost entirely by the element carbon.  Diamonds formed millions of years ago between 150 and 200 kilometers deep in the earth’s mantle just above the molten core.  Under tremendous pressure and temperature, the carbon crystallized in the cubic system. 

There are trace elements in diamonds that give a diamond color.  NITROGEN, for example will give a diamond the yellowish tinge that  moves the diamond’s color down the scale from D to Z.  

Guest Blogger :: Alejandro

Clothing designers the world over are running around like crazy this month as New York Fashion Week is underway.  Only a couple more days left of some inspiring and some "not-so-much" looks make it down the runways in the tents at Bryant Park.  

As it seems my invite was lost in the mail, I've been stuck to my computer eyeing the Fall 2010 looks. While bridal wear is not the focus of many designers, red carpet and bride favorite Marchesa presented some cocktail dresses and gowns that would be right at home walking down the aisle.  My picks are from the ready-to-wear collection, but Marchesa also has a bridal line. While these dresses are some of the more demure of the pack, they have a whimsical, feminine, almost magical feel that is sure to set any bride apart from the rest and make her the center of attention. And with the blast of color in the cocktail dresses, the bride might be vying for some of that attention back from the bridesmaids!

Marchesa Fall 2010 RTW
Marchesa Fall 2010 RTW

Marchesa Fall 2010 RTWMarchesa Fall 2010 RTW
See the whole Fall 2010 RTW line at style.com