RING SIZING CHART How to measure your finger 1. Wrap a piece of string or paper strip around the base of your finger. 2. Mark the string or paper where it overlaps to form a complete circle. 3. Measure the length of the section of string or paper where it overlaps around the finger. 4. Compare your measurement with this chart to determine your ring size.
Please note that the best and most accurate way to determine a ring-size is to have it done by a jeweler using a special tool specifically designed for this task. |
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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Ring Sizing Chart
About Diamonds
Diamond Quality And Grading Information
COLOR While most diamonds appear to be white, almost all have slight hints of color. Diamond's color evaluation done by measuring the degree to which a diamond approaches colorlessness. Gemologists and jewelers describe the color of diamonds on a letter scale beginning with D (colorless) and moving through the alphabet to Z. The degree of colorlessness is not easily noticeable to the untrained eye. D, E, and F color grades are more expensive because they are rare. However, well cut diamonds with good clarity of almost all color grades can be equally sparkling as it is the interplay of the 4C's which determines each individual stone's unique beauty. Deeply colored diamonds such as pink, blue, and yellow are known as "fancies" and are especially rare and valuable.
CLARITY Practically all diamonds contain naturally occurring internal blemishes called inclusions (these can look like tiny crystals, feathers, or clouds). However, many are microscopic in nature and can only be seen under powerful magnification through a standard 10-power jeweler's loupe. Diamonds with the fewest inclusions are graded as VVS1 or VVS2; those on the other end of the scale are graded I1 or I3. The fewer inclusions the more valuable the stone.
| Clarity: | Inclusions | Expert & 10x loupe | Naked Eye | Influence on Brilliance |
| IF | no inclusions-internally flawless | nothing | nothing | none |
| VVS1 | very very small inclusions | very difficult | nothing | none |
| VVS2 | very very small inclusions | very difficult | nothing | none |
| VS1 | very small, still minute | difficult to see | nothing | none |
| VS2 | very small, still minute | difficult to see | nothing | none |
| SI1 | tiny | easily seen | nothing | none |
| SI2 | tiny | easily seen | nothing from top | none |
| I1 | small | recognisable immediately | difficult to recognise | slight |
| I2 | large and/or numerous inclusions | obvious | recognisable immediately | slight |
| I3 | large and/or numerous | very obvious | very easily recognised | heavy influence |
CARAT indicates the weight and therefore the size of the diamond. One carat weighs 0.2 grams, or 1/142 of an ounce. Jewelers, however, refer to precious stones using points: 100 points = 1 carat; 50 points = half-carat; 25 points = quarter-carat and so on.
CUT is perhaps the most important of the 4C's because a quality cut is what helps to unleash a diamond's fiery sparkle. A well cut diamond, regardless of shape, releases the fire and brilliance of a diamond through its 57 or 58 facets (tiny planes that create angles), allowing the maximum amount of light to be reflected through the diamond. In order to maximize this brilliance, a diamond cutter must place each of the stone's facets and angles, which act as light-dispersing mirrors, in exact geometric relation to one another. Diamonds that are not cut to proper proportions (too deep or too shallow) will lose light that spills through the side or bottom.
Cut is also quite different than shape. While cut is a technical quality, determined by the skill of the diamond cutter, the matter of shape is a personal choice. The round (brilliant) is often the most popular of all shapes, with the majority of brides-to-be receiving a round stone. Other popular and traditional shapes include the marquise, princess, pear shape, emerald, oval, and heart shape.