newobservations : Shopping and Product Reviews

Though not common knowledge to the public, most gemstones are treated in some way to enhance their color and clarity. An untreated gemstone is a rarity. These treatments are common and widely accepted in the industry and normally do not de-value the stone.

Most retail jewelers do not divulge this information to their buying public or they themselves are not aware. If they are a reputable and ethical establishment then they will be honest if queried on the subject. Don’t expect this information to be offered without inquiring first.

Heat treatment is the most common method used to color enhance gems. Tanzanite, which has become a very popular gemstone in jewelry and to collect is heat treated to obtain that gorgeous cornflower blue color with lavender tones and flashes of red. The rough must be heated to 600 degrees; otherwise, Tanzanite as we know it wouldn’t exist.

Colored diamonds (which do occur naturally) are irradiated to obtain those most sought after colors of red and blue. Naturally colored diamonds are very, very costly and rare. The “Hope” diamond is an example of a natural blue diamond. Natural colored diamonds can come in a rainbow of colors such as blue, brown, yellow, orange, red, purple, pink, and green, but the cost is just to prohibitive for most people to obtain. Irradiated diamonds create those beautiful colors at a cost which is more affordable. Natural colored diamonds are radiated in the earth’s crust which takes millions of years. Man has learned how to speed up the process and produce those same colors in the laboratory. Champagne and yellow diamonds are more abundant in nature and are not usually irradiated to obtain their color.

Topaz is another gemstone which requires treatment to obtain the colors it’s known for such as the “London Blue” color which takes about 18 months to process. A recent popular color is called “Mystic Fire” which is a rainbow of colors in the same gem. Another popular color is pink. Pink topaz is much more affordable than pink sapphire. Pink is one of the most popular colors in gemstone jewelry. The “Mystic Fire” color was created by a process called bulk diffusion. Topaz naturally is white (also called silver) or the golden-peach color known as “precious” or “imperial” topaz which is the most rare and expensive of topaz. Due to the demand for the other colors such as Swiss Blue, London Blue, Pink, Mango, Neptune Blue, Mystic Fire, etc. white topaz (which is needed to create colored topaz) has become more and more scarce and risen in cost.

There are a number of gemstones that don’t require nor will they take any kind of enhancement treatment. Their colors occur naturally right out of the earth. They only needed to be cut and polished to show off their beauty. Those gems that come to mind are garnets, chrome diopside, red spinel, and peridot.

Untreated gemstones are more rare and therefore may fetch a higher price than treated gemstones. As a collector or investor I would seek the non-enhanced variety if available and affordable.

Are you jaded of the usual junk or gold or silver? Wish to append that exquisite flicker to your jewelry box? Nothing serves you better than moissanite diamonds. Moissanite diamonds will be the crown of glory on your fabulous jewel collection. For the admirers of splendor, looking to flaunt their luxury, these artificial diamonds are perfect.

Moissanite diamonds are simulated diamonds that are artificially created in the lab. Crafted with unmatchable expertise and almost unattainable proficiency, these gems truly reflect your class. They are intricately shaped and cut to perfection.

In spite of the fact that moissanite stones are simulated diamonds they do not give the feel of being counterfeit unlike most other diamond alternatives that can easily be distinguished. Their conspicuous fire lends moissanite jewels that exclusively fine look.

No Less Than A Real Diamond

Duly known as the substitute to diamonds, though simulated, it is extremely difficult to tell moissanite from a real diamond. Moissanite diamonds appear to be as real as a natural diamond. They come along with a bonus benefit of being cheaper. But however, this piece of cosmic gem is no less in the comparison of the glam element – even more than a diamond!

Originally found in Arizona about more than 50,000 years ago, moissanite was showered upon the earth by a meteorite. Looked upon as an absolute diamond look-alike with an added profit of being shinier, moissanite caught the fancy of all jewel lovers. With its crystal clear form and radiant blaze moissanite stands out among the rest of the semiprecious stones present today.

For that distinct silver lining all over you, that is sure to get you noticed, moissanite diamonds would make a smart decision you can rely on even with your eyes closed.

These simulated diamonds make a pleasing gift irrespective of the occasion. You could present it to a friend, a relative or could simply savor the beauty of this simulated diamond yourself!

Moissanite jewelry is the most contemporary mode of chic styling to enhance your personality. Moissanite jewelry carries an enthralling magic that will surely overwhelm your senses…

Get yourself some moissanite diamonds – pamper yourself today!

Wondering what these are? Here are one of the few brilliant creations of mankind. Introducing an extensive series of the enormously beautiful and the most attractive of the semi precious stones. The man made diamonds – Moissanite. These man made diamonds shine brighter than even diamonds themselves.

Moissanite stones stand out in the faux diamonds’ array due to their brilliance. Not many jewelers are able to differentiate moissanite from a diamond. These artificially made moissanite jewels are the best alternative to diamonds.

Exquisitely designed for the person who loves to be adorned in rich glitters but find it beyond their reach to turn that one endearing dream into reality. Astoundingly affordable prices and availability are a few of the many traits of these faux diamonds.

Looking for a non-sham substitute to the pricey precious stones? Look no further. We give you the best of the best alluring patina within your means. Wear moissanite jewelry on naked skin for that fabulous killer look. Or style it with a mix of junk. Whatever your taste, these man made diamonds never let you down.

Moissanite – The Man Made Diamonds That Win Hearts

Shaped to perfection to compliment your style and guise, moissanite stones are lovingly handcrafted. Be it your friend’s birthday or a token of love or memories for that special someone, moissanite makes a peerless gift for any occasion.

A meteorite showered moissanite stones upon Arizona about 50,000 years ago. These are now being created in the labs to cope with its increasing demand. We are not very far away from the day where the demand for moissanite jewels shall exceed that of diamonds.

Have an evening out? Not sure what jewelry goes well with your new dress? Do not worry, help’s here. When in doubt, do not think twice. Go for moissanite faux diamonds. To make your appearance strikingly different, these charms help you make your point. Be the trendsetter, explore the world of man made diamonds!

The love of diamonds in our jewelry is a modern phenomenon. It has really only been since the 1930s that diamonds have been so desired as a jewelry stone. And with diamonds came synthetic diamonds. Synthetic daimonds will always be worth considering as an alternative to diamonds whilst real diamonds are so expensive, and synthetic diamonds are so good.

Diamonds have a number of natural qualities. They are, for example, the hardest of any natural product. Synthetic daimonds needed to have similar qualities to compete with the natural product. In jewelry a diamond has beautiful sparkle,and is very hard. Any synthetic diamond that is to compete with the real thing has to exhibit similar qualities. And synthetic diamonds do this admirably.

The first synthetic diamonds were produced in the 1950s in Sweden and then not so long after the synthesis of diamonds was reported a second time by researchers at GE. Even De Beers, the worlds larget producer of natural diamonds experimented with synthesising diamonds and succeeded.

Modern synthetic diamonds range hugely in their quality. Some come very close to real diamonds in their physical properties, and some do not.

There are many synthetic diamonds which do not exhibit anywhere near the qualities of diamonds, and some which come very close.

And there are some sythetic diamonds which can readily be distinguished from diamonds by experts, and some which cannot.

Even glass has been used as an alternative to diamonds and to many yields a reasonable result in costume jewelry. But it can be easily distinguished from real diamonds by anyone who knows what they are doing. Cubic Zirconia is a synthetic diamond which does not stand up for long to inspection by experts.

There are, however, many excellent synthetic diamonds which are so close to real diamonds in their physical properties that they are very difficult to distinguish from real diamonds indeed.

Prime amongst them is Moissanite. One of the newer of the synthetic diamonds, moissanite, is in fact a naturally occurring product, and it is therefore arguable whether it is a synthetic diamond or just a jewelry stone which is very close to diamond in it’s qualities. It was first discovered in tiny amounts in a meteor that landed in Arizona in 1893. It was discovered by Dr Henry Moissan, after whom it was named. It has only been recently produced synthetically, because it does not occur in sufficient quantities naturally to be commercially viable, so it was necessary to devise a way to synthesise if it was to be available in jewelry.

Moissanite is extremely close to diamond in it’s natural qualities. Whereas diamond is the hardest of all the jewels, rating at 10 on the hardness scale, moissanite is not far behind at 9.25, and harder than other natural jewelry stones such as ruby (9) and sapphire (9) or emerald (7.5)

There are other comparitive scales used to rate jewelry stones. In brilliance, which is a measure of it’s refractive index, diamond is 2.42. Moissanite at 2.65 is superior to diamonds, and far outperforms ruby and sapphire at 1.77 and emerald at 1.58

In fire diamond rates at .044, moissanite at .104 ruby at .018 sapphire at .018 and emerald at .014. So again moissanite outperforms diamonds on this scale. Similarly on the scale used to assess luster moissanite outperforms diamonds and the other well known jewelry stones.

So it can be seen that there are very viable modern synthetic diamonds on the market. Many cannot be told apart from diamonds except by the most experienced jewellers, and moissanite cannot be told apart from diamonds by most jewellers without the use of specialised equipment.

And of course synthetic diamonds are available at a considerable cost savings to the real thing. That is why they are synthesised.

Any diamond merchant will tell you that synthetic diamonds are just junk. He is trying to protect his product. The reality is that for many, synthetic diamonds are a very viable alternative to real diamonds and it is highly unlikely that anyone could tell the difference between the two in any type of jewelry. And as the synthetic diamonds are much cheaper than the real thing they are extremely attractive to the jewelry buyer.

And the best amongst all the different types of synthetic diamonds? Moissanite.

There are more than three hundred fifty named diamonds famous for their histories.

The Cullinan, is the largest cut diamond in the world. It was found in South Africa and was named for the owner of the mining company. The Cullinan diamond was 3106 carats, and was cut into 105 stunning diamonds. The largest was named the “Star of Africa” and is 530 carats by itself. In 1907 this diamond was given to King Edward VII of England, and set into the Royal Scepter. It is kept, along with the other Crown Jewels, safely in the Tower of London.

The Cullinan II is 317.40 carats. The color is white and is the cushion-shaped diamond in the center-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. It is also in the Tower of London with the British Crown Jewels.

The Dary-i-Nur is 186 carats, is pink and is in the Iranian Treasury. It is the largest uncut diamond in the world. Its name means “Sea of Light”.

The Dresden Green is 41 carats; it is green, and a very rare type ila diamond of extraordinary quality. It gets its name from the city of Saxony where it had been on display for 200 years. The Dresden Green is now on display at the Albertinium Museum in Dresden.

The Hope Diamond is 45.52 carats, is blue, and is in the Smithsonian Institute. According to legend, a curse was placed on the large, blue diamond after it was stolen from an idol in India. Whether you believe in curses or not, the diamond has had a fascinating past - it was owned by King Louis XIV, stolen during the French Revolution, sold to pay gambling debts, owned and worn almost daily by an American heiress, sold and worn to raise money for charity, and finally donated to the Smithsonian Museum.

The Hortensia is 20 carats, is peach colored and is in the Louvre. It is one of the crown Jewels of France, and was owned by Louis XIV. It was named after Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland, who was the daughter of the Empress Josephine, the stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte and the mother of Napoleon III.

The Kohinoor is 108.93 carats, white and is located in the Tower of London. As with many of the most famous diamonds, there is a curse of death and destruction attached to it. Its name means “Mountain of Light” and legend has it that it actually comes from another diamond also rife with legend, called the “Great Mogul” which was said to have weighed 244 carats and mysteriously disappeared in 1665. The Kohinoor was owned by the first sultan of Mogul, and passed down through generations, until it was given to Queen Victoria. It was recut and now rests in the crown of Queen Elizabeth.

The Orloff is 189.62 carats. It is thought to have weighed about 300 carats when it was discovered. For a while, it was confused with the Great Mogul diamond. One of the legends of the Orloff is that it was set in the eye of a god statue in the temple of Sri Rangen, and stolen by a French soldier dressed up like a Hindu. He is said to have escaped by swimming down a raging river during a storm. It was eventually sold to Prince Gregory Orloff. In an attempt to win back her heart, he gave it to Catherine the Great, who collected lovers and precious gems with equal passion. She had the diamond mounted on top of the double eagle in the Imperial scepter. It is in the Russian Diamond Fund, Moscow.

The Spoonmaker Diamond has many legends associated with it. (It supposedly got its name when the owner–who is said to have found it sitting on top of a pile of garbage –bartered it to a spoonmaker for three wooden spoons.) More likely is that it was purchased by a Frenchman named Pikot, who bought it from the Maharajah of Madras in India. He took it to France, but was robbed. The diamond ended up at an auction, and was bid on by the notorious Casanova. It was finally bought by Napoleon’s mother, Letizia Ramolino, who later sold her jewelry to help her son escape from Elba. It was bought again by an officer of Tepedelenli, and put into the treasury. When Tepedelenli was killed during a revolt, the entire treasury went to the Palace of Turkey, and the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, now called the “Kasicki” is there.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a 69 carat pear-shaped white diamond that was originally called the “Cartier Diamond” after the jeweler paid $1,050,000 for it at an auction. Richard Burton purchased it the day after the auction for Elizabeth Taylor. She later renamed it the Taylor-Burton diamond. Ms. Taylor wore the diamond publicly at a party for Princess Grace’s 40th birthday party in Monaco. She sold the diamond in 1978 and used the funds to build a hospital in Botswana. The diamond was later purchased by Robert Mouawad.

Diamond jewelry: diamond rings, diamond earrings, diamond pendants and diamond bracelets are some of the most sought after gemstone creations. Your eyes tell you how beautiful a piece of diamond jewelry is, but how do you know you are getting your money’s worth?

A little knowledge can go a long way to help you purchase a beautiful piece of diamond jewelry at a fair price.

Diamond Jewelry 101

A diamond’s value is based on four criteria: color, cut, clarity, and carat. The clarity and color of a diamond usually are graded. However, scales are not uniform: a clarity grade of “slightly included” may represent a different grade on one grading system versus another, depending on the terms used in the scale. Make sure you know how a particular scale and grade represent the color or clarity of the diamond you’re considering. A diamond can be described as “flawless” only if it has no visible surface or internal imperfections when viewed under 10-power magnification by a skilled diamond grader.

As with other gems, diamond weight usually is stated in carats. Diamond weight may be described in decimal or fractional parts of a carat. If the weight is given in decimal parts of a carat, the figure should be accurate to the last decimal place. For example, “.30 carat” could represent a diamond that weighs between .295 - .304 carat. Some retailers describe diamond weight in fractions and use the fraction to represent a range of weights. For example, a diamond described as 1/2 carat could weigh between .47 - .54 carat. If diamond weight is stated as fractional parts of a carat, the retailer should disclose two things: that the weight is not exact, and the reasonable range of weight for each fraction or the weight tolerance being used.

Some diamonds may be treated to improve their appearance in similar ways as other gemstones. Since these treatments improve the clarity of the diamond, some jewelers refer to them as clarity enhancement. One type of treatment - fracture filling - conceals cracks in diamonds by filling them with a foreign substance. This filling may not be permanent and jewelers should tell you if the diamond you’re considering has been fracture-filled.

Another treatment - lasering - involves the use of a laser beam to improve the appearance of diamonds that have black inclusions or spots. A laser beam is aimed at the inclusion. Acid is then forced through a tiny tunnel made by the laser beam to remove the inclusion. Lasering is permanent and a laser-drilled stone does not require special care.

While a laser-drilled diamond may appear as beautiful as a comparable untreated stone, it may not be as valuable. That’s because an untreated stone of the same quality is rarer and therefore more valuable. Jewelers should tell you whether the diamond you’re considering has been laser-drilled.

Imitation diamonds, such as cubic zirconia, resemble diamonds in appearance but are much less costly. Certain laboratory-created gemstones, such as lab-created moissanite, also resemble diamonds and may not be adequately detected by the instruments originally used to identify cubic zirconia. Ask your jeweler if he has the current testing equipment to distinguish between diamonds and other lab-created stones.

When shopping for diamond jewelry online, apply these tips.

1. Shop with companies you know or do some homework before buying to make sure a company is legitimate before doing business with it.

2. Take advantage of information and referrals from an internet company you have come to trust.

3. Get the details about the product, as well as the merchant’s refund and return policies, before you buy.

4. Look for an address to write to or a phone number to call if you have a question, a problem or need help.

Diamonds may be a woman’s best friend, but modern man made diamonds are so good as to be indistinguishable from real diamonds. And when you look at the huge savings on price, man made diamonds may be a woman’s best decision.

Increasingly, engaged couples are considering the cost of some wedding jewelry. In today’s high pressure high cost lifestyle couples are really wondering whether or not it is appropriate to spend big on, say, a diamond engagement ring.

The more spent on wedding jewelry the less available later for the important things in the marriage, like a house. Or the kids when they arrive. Is it responsible to spend so much to buy a diamond engagement ring when these more important things may need to be compromised later?

Especially when you consider that good quality man made diamonds cannot be distinguished from real diamonds, even by jewellers.

Faux diamonds are big business. The pearl jewelry industry was revolutionised by the advent of cultured pearls. Synthetic diamonds are doing the same thing to the wedding jewelry business.

There are a range of ways to produce synthetic diamonds. Modern technology is very adept at making any product which will sell well and faux diamonds are no exception. And the quality is so good that many of the alternatives to diamonds perform exceedingly well when compared to diamond using the common diamond quality tests.

In such tests as hardness, refractive index, fire, brilliance, luster and others the man made diamonds perform admirably. Sometimes even better.

Brilliance is a test of the amount of light which enters the stone and gets reflected back. It is affected by the quality of the cut of the stone.

Fire is the ability of the stone to break light down into it’s component colors and is also affected by the cut. “Fire” can
be seen as color coming out of the stone.

Luster is the amount of light reflected back from the surface of the stone.

Moissanite, for example, outperforms diamond in brilliance, fire and luster and is only very slightly lower on the hardness scale. In fact a special piece of testing equipment had to be designed so that jewellers could tell moissanite from diamond as so many were unable to.

And, of course, moissanite is much cheaper than diamonds. And if most jewellers cannot tell it apart from diamonds, could you?

There are a range of different processes used to produce a stone which is a good diamond alternative. Most produce fine quality stones which produce stunning quality jewelry which any woman would be proud to wear.

Moissanite is not strictly a man made diamond though, as it is, in fact, naturally occurring. Unfortunately it doesn’t occur in sufficient quantities to be commercially viable for mining. But technology has come to the rescue by devising a method of producing high quality crystals.

Our preference for the best alternative to diamonds? Moissanite. A fine jewelry stone which will make a stunning engagement ring, or other jewelry piece. And you can buy moissanite wedding jewelry at a fraction of the price of diamond wedding jewelry.

And when the kids come along, buy them something extra from us from the money you’ve saved.

If you’re looking for blue opals, then a Peruvian blue opal should be your gemstone of first choice. These gems are becoming more and more rare as time goes on, as they can only be mined n the Andes mountains near San Patricio, Peru. The unfortunate result is that some mines are producing different types of gemstones and dying them blue in order to pass these stones off as Peruvian blue opal. (Luckily, if you’re looking for an opal inlay ring, this is less of a problem, as the fake opals tend to be used for beads). Opal inlay rings made with blue opals would be a beautiful addition to any jewelry collection.

There are a few ways for you to tell if the Peruvian blue opals you’re looking at are not real. The most obvious clue is that fake blue opals will be relatively cheap - around $30-$40 for an entire strand of beads. Since the real opals are growing more and more rare, you would never be able to buy a string of beads for so cheap. After all, an opal inlay ring made with blue opal will be several hundred or even thousands of dollars.

Generally, if a company is making fake Peruvian blue opals, they will take white opals and then work to dye them. If you’re worried that you might be buying fake blue opals, you should take a good look at the stones. In a lot of cases, you can tell that it is just a dyed white opal by looking with the naked eye. The blue coloring will be uneven, especially when you turn the stone so the light hits it from different directions. This is very useful if you’re thinking about buying an opal inlay ring with blue opal, since you won’t be able to tell by the price in some cases, and the weight will be difficult to determine due to the rest of the ring.

Jewellery is a gift that is truly universal - something that can be given for just about any occasion, and something that has real meaning to it. If someone gives you jewellery as a gift, you feel touched, emotional, sometimes even overwhelmed. It’s amazing to think that such small items can stir such powerful emotions, but this is something that happens all the time. You can bet that during every hour of every day, someone somewhere in the world is gazing open-mouthed at a beautiful piece of jewellery that has been given to them by someone special - perhaps an engagement ring, an elegant necklace or the perfect pair of earrings.

Of course, it’s not just men that buy jewellery for women any longer as it was in years long gone by. These days, jewellery makes a popular gift for men as well, and many women choose to give rings, cufflinks, watches and other popular items of jewellery to the beloved men in their lives. Giving jewellery means that you can give a gift that actually speaks without words, and this is probably why jewels have been a hugely popular form of gift since ancient times.

Why buy jewellery online?

Since the explosion of the Internet, most products have become available to customers online, and jewellery is no exception. Modern technological advancements mean that it is no longer necessary for us to go scouring through every jewellery shop on the high street to find the perfect gift. We can now enjoy doing this from the comfort of our own homes, giving us more time to browse and compare the options open to us. Buying jewellery online offers many benefits, such as:

• Choice: There is certainly no shortage of choice on the Internet, and you will find a wide range of jewellery at your disposal. This means that you can browse a wide selection of jewels until you find the perfect gift with which to surprise a loved one.
• Convenience: Gone are the days when the local High Street jewellers was the only viable option if we wanted to get the perfect piece of jewellery in a short space of time. When you buy jewellery online, you can browse, order and pay from the comfort of your own home, and your chosen piece will then be shipped out to you safely and quickly. This means that you still have choice, however short of time you are. And, you don’t even have to leave your home to get the perfect gift.
• Saving time: We all lead busy lifestyles these days, and you simply may not have the time to troop from shop to shop looking for the perfect piece of jewellery. When you buy jewellery online you can benefit from speed and ease, and you aren’t restricted to looking within certain times, as you would be with a bricks-and-mortar shop.
• Affordability: When you buy jewellery online, you will benefit from far more choice, which in turn means that you are far more likely to find something within your budget. There are some really good quality jewellery products available online, and you can get these at a huge reduction compared to High Street prices. Online jewellers don’t have the same overheads and running costs as their bricks-and-mortar counterparts, which means that they can afford to offer a bigger saving to their customers.

What sort of jewellery can you buy online?

These days it is possible to get just about every type of jewellery you can imagine online. You can even request custom-made jewellery, so if you can’t find exactly what you are looking for you can simply get it made. Whether you are looking for engagement rings, wedding bands, necklaces, earrings, brooches, ankle bracelets, or any other type of jewellery, you will find a vast selection at your disposal when you buy jewellery online.

And you don’t need to worry about “buying blind” when you buy jewellery online, because most quality sites provide totally accurate description and excellent photographs of each product, so you can get a real look at it before you commit to a purchase. Plus, of course, online jewellery stores accept returns and exchanges in the same was as High Street jewellery stores do, so you won’t be compromising any of your statutory right when you buy jewellery online.

Whatever the occasion, buying jewellery online will prove effective, convenient, fast, safe and easy. Your chosen piece of jewellery will be delivered right to your door, and you can often request that it is gift-wrapped before it even arrives! It’s never been easier to get the perfect gift of jewellery at an affordable, great value cost.

In summary

Buying all manner of products online is not the future any longer - it is the present. Online purchasing has become one of the most popular methods of shopping, and with the choice available to consumers it makes sense to buy your jewellery online. Whatever time of day or night, you can take your time to browse through the various products on offer from online jewellery stores, and when you are ready you can simply place your order and wait for it to arrive - no pressure, no rush, it’s all done at your own pace and in your own time.

And you don’t have to worry about security issues when you buy jewellery online. The advanced software used by websites these days means that monetary transactions are perfectly safe, so you can pay for your purchase by credit or debit card without having to concern yourself about a breach in security.

Buying jewellery from online jewellery stores can save you time, hassle and money, so why make more work for yourself by driving out and trundling from one shop to the next? You can now give the perfect, beautiful gift of jewellery to a loved one without even leaving the house - and you can benefit from a far wider selection and far better value with online affordable jewellery.

The task of executing successful advertising campaigns for products made
exclusively for women is understatedly tempestuous. Any Average Joe consumer
would relay the message that feminine product commercials put him under a great
deal of stress and discomfort. Any Average Joe Consumer dreads the Vagisils,
Cotex’s, Summer’s Eves, and Monistats of the world. There is just something about
that viscous blue fluid dripping onto a Maxi Pad that gives us all that tingly feeling
right before we want to be sick. However, there is another product that creates the
same feeling in a more subtle, increasingly malignant fashion.

Diamond retailers advertise, advertise, and advertise. Expensive jewelry stores seem
to be in every mall, strip mall, and shopping center, and we wonder how it is that
these stores thrive. The answer is this: Venus and Mars, love and hate, and women
and men. The diamond industry plays on the tensions between men and women like
Beethoven’s fingers on keys.
“Every kiss begins with Kay?” Come on. If the only reason to kiss your husband is
because he bought you something, then the issue of your relationship is even larger
than the rock on your finger. Diamonds are forever saying ‘I’m sorry.’ If the only way
a woman can be shown that you would “marry her all over again” is to give her an
even bigger diamond in some market square in Paris, then your wife needs to be
shown the front door.
Men hate diamonds. Men buy jewelry when they are apologizing or when they have
no other option for a anniversary, birthday, Mother’s Day, Christmas (fill in any
occasion here) gift. Jewelry is when flowers are not enough, and every single
diamond retailer knows it, and thus knows that men will pay.

How does this make the female consumer appear?

The advertising for feminine
hygiene is a necessary evil that reveals a vulnerability in all consumers, women and
men, but advertising for the diamond industry maliciously creates fools of us all.

Men appear to be desperate and women appear to be demonic. What can be done to
improve this dynamic?

What can be done to convey a more honest and meaningful
brand face for diamonds? Well, perhaps it is time to consider more so why men and
women love each other as opposed to why they need to buy each other gifts.