 Whether you're considering a gift of jewelry for someone special or you are treating yourself, selecting and buying jewelry can be fun, exciting, but also over-whelming and confusing. That's why at Herzog's, we want to give you all the information you need to make a well-informed choice. Below are a few terms used in the industry to get you started. However, feel free to contact us for additional information. We are always willing to answer your questions without any obligation.
A diamond's value is based on four criteria: color, cut, clarity, and carat.
CARAT WEIGHT
Carat is actually a measurement of weight, not size . However, too many jewelers will advertise "approximate" weights such as "approximately" a 1/2 carat, which can actually be as low as 45 points. There is nothing wrong with buying a "light" 1/2 carat, however the cost is significantly less. You should know exactly what you are buying and pay accordingly.
CUT
The cut more than any other quality aspect, gives the diamond its brilliance. Often times, discount jewlers will advertise diamonds based on weight and color. But, often they have sacrificed some of the diamond's beauty to achieve a stone that is a larger carat weight. A diamond gets its sparkle by cutting and polishing the diamond facets to allow the maximum amount of light that enters through its top to be reflected and dispersed back.
COLOR
The grading scale for color starts with the letter D, being the whitest, or best, and goes down the letter Z, being more yellowish. It is the whiteness in a diamond that allows the light to pass effortlessly through the stone and enhance the brilliance. A white diamond will look clean, crisp, and brilliant. A yellow diamond, on the other hand, will look darker and dirty.
CLAIRTY
Clarity refers to how many inclusions (or flaws) are in the diamond. Clarity has little to do with how the diamond looks under the microscope. Clarity is graded under 10x magnification by a gemologist. Minute flaws are invisible to the naked eye. However, the fewer inclusions, the rarer your diamond will be. If a diamond is rated SI-1 or above, it is flawless to the naked eye If there is even a tiny inclusion visible to the unaided eye, the stone is usually graded an SI-2 or I-1.
The word gold by itself refers to all gold or 24 karat gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it's usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness, strength and durability. The karat quality tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Four example, fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. Solid gold, on the other hand, does not mean it is 24K, but it refers to jewelry made of any karat gold if the inside of the item is not hollow.
You should be aware that often times jewelers will advertise jewelry at a discounted rate such as 50% off... however, they have marked up the value and falsely discounted the piece. We would be happy to help you to determine the true value of a piece of jewelry.
Natural gemstones are found in nature, while Synthetic or Laboratory-created stones are made in a laboratory. Synthetic stones have essentially the same physical and visual properties as natural gemstones, however they do not have the rarity of naturally colored stones and are valued less. Imitation stones should be clearly identified as such. Also note, some gems are treated to improve their appearance or durability, or even change their color. Jewelers should tell you whether the gemstone you're considering has been treated since sometimes the treatment is not permanent, or the stone may require special care or the treatment could significantly affect the value of the gemstone.
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