Travers Jewellery is dedicated to providing exceptional craftsmanship and service in the design, repair, and creation of fine jewellery.- Jim Travers
Designer Model-maker Golds mithSetter
Buying a Diamond
When you purchase a diamond there are simple factors that combine to determine the quality and value of the individual stones you choose. The important things to consider are “The Four C’s.” These comprise :
Carat
Color
Clarity
Cut
When you know what these terms mean you will feel more comfortable about making your choice, and we will be there to offer help and advice. Certificated diamonds are a commodity whose characteristics are precisely defined to agreed international standards, and if you are looking at certificated stones the above qualities will be itemised. Certificates are issued by testing laboratories and the internationally recognised establishments that you are likely to encounter are the G I A (the Gemmological Institute of America) and the H R D. (Hoge Raad voor Diamant, or The Diamond High Council of Antwerp.) In England the AnchorCert Gemmological Office is an increasingly accepted certificating laboratory, attached to the Birmingham Assay Office.
Going back to the Four C’s : although clarity, colour and cut are equally important the first thing you will probably discuss about your diamond will be its weight. This will be expressed in carats or fractions of a carat.So what is a carat ? From ancient times the word has been used as a term of weight for gold and precious stones and it is thought to originate from the practice of balancing the object to be weighed against a number of seeds from the Carob tree, the weight of which is remarkably consistent. Today a carat is accepted as 200mg or 1/5 of a gram. A carat is divided into 100 points; thus a 1/4 carat = 0.25 points. You will frequently see carat abbreviated as ct and point as pt.
ColourThe colour tone of a diamond is denoted by a letter of the alphabet starting at D, regarded as colourless, to Z, denoting a strong yellow. Although the absence of colour is regarded as a good thing a very strong colour will make a diamond highly desirable. A blue, green or canary yellow diamond for instance would be sought after. In practice you will have no trouble distinguishing between a D (colourless) and say a P (very faint yellow), but to tell the difference between H and I, both near colourless, takes a great deal of expertise.
Clarity When your diamond was formed carbon was subjected to incredibly high temperatures and pressures deep inside the earth. Ideally the process would result in a crystal clear diamond, but more often than not the result was a crystal with small marks inside it. When the rough crystal is polished these marks become apparent; they show up as black dots and are known as inclusions. Again there is an international grading system to establish the degree of clarity awarded to a stone : the greater the degree of clarity, the more desirable the stone.There are eleven grades of clarity, from FL (flawless no inclusions) to I/3 (inclusions visible to the naked eye.)
CutThe cut of a stone describes its shape and there are eight basic shapes.
Whatever the shape of your diamond you will find the surface covered with small flats, which are called facets. The proportions of the basic shape and the way the facets have been cut on its surface are extremely important to the amount of “life and fire” that the stone exhibits.Why are these so important ? We will use the round / brilliant cut diamond as an example. On the top of the diamond (the crown) there are 33 facets and on the underside (the pavilion) there are 25 facets If the proportions of the stone are correct then you have the ideal “make”. As light passes through the crown of the diamond its path is bent and it is reflected from one facet to another inside the diamond, then reflected back through the crown to the viewer, giving it its “sparkle”. At the same time the optical properties of the stone break up the light into the colours of the spectrum, creating the “fire”. To make the most of the diamond's natural properties the angles have to be exactly right; too steep or too shallow and light will escape through the pavilion. The same principles apply to all the cuts, but some are more successful at exploiting the diamond's natural properties than others. There is one other property worthy of mention that you will see on a diamond certificate, which is fluorescence . This is caused by trace elements of boron found in the diamond and is activated by ultra violet light. You will find it on the certificate rated as :
None, Faint, Medium, Medium blue, Strong blue, or Intense blue. Other colours do occur but the most commonly seen is blue.
Carat
Color
Clarity
Cut
When you know what these terms mean you will feel more comfortable about making your choice, and we will be there to offer help and advice. Certificated diamonds are a commodity whose characteristics are precisely defined to agreed international standards, and if you are looking at certificated stones the above qualities will be itemised. Certificates are issued by testing laboratories and the internationally recognised establishments that you are likely to encounter are the G I A (the Gemmological Institute of America) and the H R D. (Hoge Raad voor Diamant, or The Diamond High Council of Antwerp.) In England the AnchorCert Gemmological Office is an increasingly accepted certificating laboratory, attached to the Birmingham Assay Office.
Going back to the Four C’s : although clarity, colour and cut are equally important the first thing you will probably discuss about your diamond will be its weight. This will be expressed in carats or fractions of a carat.So what is a carat ? From ancient times the word has been used as a term of weight for gold and precious stones and it is thought to originate from the practice of balancing the object to be weighed against a number of seeds from the Carob tree, the weight of which is remarkably consistent. Today a carat is accepted as 200mg or 1/5 of a gram. A carat is divided into 100 points; thus a 1/4 carat = 0.25 points. You will frequently see carat abbreviated as ct and point as pt.
ColourThe colour tone of a diamond is denoted by a letter of the alphabet starting at D, regarded as colourless, to Z, denoting a strong yellow. Although the absence of colour is regarded as a good thing a very strong colour will make a diamond highly desirable. A blue, green or canary yellow diamond for instance would be sought after. In practice you will have no trouble distinguishing between a D (colourless) and say a P (very faint yellow), but to tell the difference between H and I, both near colourless, takes a great deal of expertise.
Clarity When your diamond was formed carbon was subjected to incredibly high temperatures and pressures deep inside the earth. Ideally the process would result in a crystal clear diamond, but more often than not the result was a crystal with small marks inside it. When the rough crystal is polished these marks become apparent; they show up as black dots and are known as inclusions. Again there is an international grading system to establish the degree of clarity awarded to a stone : the greater the degree of clarity, the more desirable the stone.There are eleven grades of clarity, from FL (flawless no inclusions) to I/3 (inclusions visible to the naked eye.)
CutThe cut of a stone describes its shape and there are eight basic shapes.
Whatever the shape of your diamond you will find the surface covered with small flats, which are called facets. The proportions of the basic shape and the way the facets have been cut on its surface are extremely important to the amount of “life and fire” that the stone exhibits.Why are these so important ? We will use the round / brilliant cut diamond as an example. On the top of the diamond (the crown) there are 33 facets and on the underside (the pavilion) there are 25 facets If the proportions of the stone are correct then you have the ideal “make”. As light passes through the crown of the diamond its path is bent and it is reflected from one facet to another inside the diamond, then reflected back through the crown to the viewer, giving it its “sparkle”. At the same time the optical properties of the stone break up the light into the colours of the spectrum, creating the “fire”. To make the most of the diamond's natural properties the angles have to be exactly right; too steep or too shallow and light will escape through the pavilion. The same principles apply to all the cuts, but some are more successful at exploiting the diamond's natural properties than others. There is one other property worthy of mention that you will see on a diamond certificate, which is fluorescence . This is caused by trace elements of boron found in the diamond and is activated by ultra violet light. You will find it on the certificate rated as :
None, Faint, Medium, Medium blue, Strong blue, or Intense blue. Other colours do occur but the most commonly seen is blue.
Conflict Diamonds
- Did Someone Die for That Diamond?
Some diamonds have helped fund devastating civil wars in Africa, destroying the lives of millions. Conflict diamonds are those sold in order to fund armed conflict and civil war. Profits from the trade in conflict diamonds, worth billions of dollars, were used by warlords and rebels to buy arms during the devastating wars in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone. Wars that have cost an estimated 3.7 million lives.
While the wars in Angola and Sierra Leone are now over, and fighting in the DRC has decreased, the problem of conflict diamonds hasn't gone away. Diamonds mined in rebel-held areas in Côte d'Ivoire, a West African country in the midst of a volatile conflict, are reaching the international diamond market. Conflict diamonds from Liberia are also being smuggled into neighboring countries and exported as part of the legitimate diamond trade.
What's being done to stop conflict diamonds?
A major milestone occurred in 2003, when a government-run initiative known as the Kimberley Process was introduced to stem the flow of conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) imposes requirements on participants to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are conflict-free.
Read more »
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Blood DiamondAmnesty International USA is proud to announce its support of the film Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Edward Zwick. Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, it tells the story of two African men whose fates become intertwined in a quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives.Blood Diamond Curriculum Guide (PDF) »Get mobile phone wallpaper »
Help us survey diamond retailers
Despite its pledge to support the Kimberley Process and Clean Diamond Trade Act, the Diamond Industry has fallen short of implementing the necessary policies for self-regulation. The retail sector in particular fails to provide sufficient assurance to consumers that the diamonds they sell are conflict-free. That is why we need your help to find out how policies are being communicated at the shop level, and what actions, if any, are being taken to ensure that policies are more than just rhetoric. At the same time, you’ll be sending a strong message to your local jewelers that their role in diamond-fueled conflict must end. » Download our action guide to find out how (PDF)
Spheres and other stones available for sale separately. Prices ranging from Rs. 50/= upwards. Stones are carefully chosen for healing purpose. They are fully activated and cleansed of negativity.They can be used for energy grids or as proxy in distant healing.
Mail us your birthdate to know which stones are suitable for you. If you have any particular problem,we can suggest the use of a proper stone to aid your treatment.
Also available
prosperity/Business kits,
love and relationship kits,
astrological kits
Protection kit
Psychic Awareness Kit
Stress Kit
Family/Happiness Kit
for Rs. 700/=+shipping/courier charges as applicable.
Mail us your birthdate to know which stones are suitable for you. If you have any particular problem,we can suggest the use of a proper stone to aid your treatment.
Also available
prosperity/Business kits,
love and relationship kits,
astrological kits
Protection kit
Psychic Awareness Kit
Stress Kit
Family/Happiness Kit
for Rs. 700/=+shipping/courier charges as applicable.
USB Flash Drive Swarovski Crystal Engagement Ring – dare to propose her with this?
If you are too geeky for your girl and want to gift her a ring then you’ll have trouble choosing something that goes with your persona and also that should bring a smile to her face. But USB Flash Drive Swarovski Crystal Engagement Ring is the best bet for you. Though diamonds are touted to be girl’s best friends, this ring too flaunts a big Swarovski crystal. Though still in conceptual stage, this principle of this USB Flash Drive Swarovski Crystal Engagement Ring is that each of you can carry around pictures of each other or poems, credit card receipts. So once the rings are joined, data can be transferred between both rings in an act of union.
And, if you happen to want to transfer the contents of your ring to a PC you can do so with the supplied necklace that sports a standard USB port, a mini USB port as well as two ‘sharing ports’
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