What Is Vintage Jewelry

Vintage jewelry has become more popular recently due to the trend of thrift shopping, with more and more people purchasing vintage pieces. But what makes a piece of jewelry truly vintage, and what are characteristics that shoppers can look for?

How Old Is Vintage Jewelry?

The Jeweler's Manufacturers Association states that jewelry can be considered vintage if it was made between the years of 1935 and 1981. Jewelry from within this time frame can have drastically different appearances in keeping with the trends of the time, and certain decades will present certain qualities.

The 1930s and 1940s promoted a lot of brooches, particularly floral and bow motif, as well as synthetic stones, which combine to give a retro aesthetic.

In contrast, the 1970s and 1980s were defined by bright colours and gaudy accessories. Vintage jewellery originating from this time period will likely have glitter, rhinestones, or feathers. Even though these are cheaper materials than other eras of vintage jewelry, the pieces are still considered to be vintage due to time of their creation.

How to Shop For Vintage Jewelry

Because the characteristics of true vintage jewelry aren't commonly known, sellers will oftentimes attempt to sell a fake piece at a high price, claiming it to be vintage. For those that are interested in purchasing vintage jewelry, here are a few things to look out for:

• Seek out trusted sellers: Look for individuals online or stores with excellent reviews, and potentially certificates of authentication for more expensive pieces.
• Buy individual pieces:Bags containing vintage jewelry in bulk for a lower price may seem like a great deal, but it's unlikely that there will be more than a few true vintage pieces in the bag.
• Know your era:Do research beforehand into the era of jewelry you're interested in, and seek out jewelry with similar qualities when you're shopping.

If you're looking to purchase vintage jewelry, please reach out to Cynthia Findlay Fine Jewellery & Antiques so they can help you find vintage pieces you're sure to love!

What Is The Most Expensive Diamond Cut

The four Cs of diamonds - carat, cut, colour and clarity - are all central factors contributing to the overall value of the diamond. However, one particular aspect that determines the price of your engagement ring is the cut! In this blog we will teach everything you need to know about the most expensive diamond cut and what makes it so valuable.

Why Is the Cut of a Diamond So Important?

The importance of diamond cutting cannot be overstated. Cut correctly, and you will see more sparkle from your diamond than ever before! Before these gems go through their initial faceting process to create that captivating beauty in jewels, the cutting process ensures that the light will bounce off of them and sparkle into the eye.

What Are the Diamond Cut Grades? Each diamond is assigned one of the four cut grades by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The grades affect not only how they look but also how light reflects through them. 

Below are the types of cutting grades:

Excellent

These diamonds are the best of their kind. They shine with flawless brilliance, making this an excellent cut diamond for you or someone special in your life. They are rare (about 3% of all diamonds in the world) and well crafted, allowing little to no leakage of light passing through them. 

Very Good

As an experienced diamond merchant, this grade is almost perfect for the following reasons. 

They have minimal light leakage with brilliant color rendering.

If budget restrictions prevent you from spending more on excellent quality, then this grade will suffice for anyone looking to prioritize something other than brilliance, such as carat weight.

The key takeaway here is you get what you are promised, a brilliant yet more affordable gemstone!

Good What is better than a diamond? A sparkling, light-reflecting diamond! The higher the grade, the more brilliant and sparkly it will be. Good cut stones have some leakage but still shine bright with all their beauty - which is why they make such great gifts for any classy jewellery lover.

Fair and Poor

These diamonds let light leak from their depths, making them less than ideal for jewellery. They have little to no brilliance, meaning that your pieces will not sparkle or shine as much compared to other grades of diamond in the same price range.

Now let us get to the bottom line of the most expensive diamond cut.

The Most Expensive Diamond Cut: The Round Brilliant Cut

From the name, you can already tell it all.

The Round Brilliant stone has a perfect fifty-seven faceted surface, with its brilliance shining through. The key to this cut is total internal reflection; light can travel straight through without being refracted by any of the other angles in between each piece, making for optimum sparkle and scintillation qualities.

The most popular gemstone on Earth right now? You guessed it right!

Benefits of the Round Brilliant cut

Popularity

The brilliant-cut diamond is a versatile and popular shape that will suit the needs of many different people. You can find an engagement ring with this type alongside color options like rose or yellow gold to add more flair depending on your style.

No Sharp Edges

It does not matter what kind of diamond cut you choose because the brilliant round is secure and durable. It will not chip or break from a hard surface.

Setting Options

You don't need to worry about which setting you want for your brilliant round gemstone. You can get a prong, bezel, or tension setting.

Resale Value

If you're ever looking to upgrade your ring, there is no need for concern. The resale value will not decrease because of trends or less demand from potential buyers interested in the type and style of jewellery like yours.

If you wish to learn more about round brilliant diamonds or other cuts, please contact us and utilize our broad knowledge base!

What Makes A Diamond Sparkle

Diamonds are famous for their distinctive glitter and glow, but what really makes a diamond sparkle?

The short answer is the diamond's cut. It is therefore important to understand what a diamond's cut is, and how the sparkle is created.

What Are The 4C's Of A Diamond?

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) came up with a broadly acceptable industry standard for evaluating the quality of diamonds. Consequently, diamonds are evaluated based on these certain set of parameters called the 4C's. The components of the 4C's are:

• Colour
• Clarity
• Cut
• Carat weight

So, as you can see, Cut is a component of the evaluation matrix of diamonds. Yet, according to GIA, Cut is the most important indicator and predictor of a diamond's worth and value.

So, what exactly is a diamond cut?

What Is A Diamond Cut?

Contrary to what you may think, a diamond's cut has almost nothing to do with the shape and form of a diamond. Instead, a diamond's cut is a measure of how the diamond's facets interact with light. The diamond's facet is the flat, even exterior on a gemstone.

You can think of a diamond's facet as a diamond's face. A typical diamond has about 58 facets, or mirror-like faces.

So, how exactly does it work?

How Does A Diamond's Cut Affect It’s Sparkle?

We've seen that a diamond's cut is all about the symmetry and evenness of its facets. It's these facets which—depending on how well polished and symmetrical they are— absorb, reflect, or refract light in a way that will make diamonds sparkle.

The way light will behave after hitting the facet is what will determine how sparkly the diamond will be. And in short, the behavior of light is determined by the quality (and workmanship) of the facet. This quality and workmanship of a facet is what is referred to as a cut.

That's how a diamond's cut influences the degree to which a diamond will sparkle!

If you want the best cut diamond, for the best sparkle and glow, contact us today for a journey towards elegance and glamour.