|
FIRE IN THE EARTH
|
||
|
|
||
|
various
but distinct tints of yellow! They have but themselves to blame for
this condition set forth by the American Gem Society:
"Many
customers incorrectly believe blue-white perfect to be an established
standard, and that diamonds so described by different merchants are
exactly the same quality. This is not true. Nevertheless, thousands of
customers in their search for this quality, continue to shop for them
at a lower price, until they find a merchant who, through ignorance or
dishonesty, sells them an inferior stone."
There
are a number of means by which even the layman, if he gives serious
attention to the matter, may learn to judge a diamond. First he must
understand color classifications as known to the trade. For many years
jewelers have classified the colors, in quality importance, as: Rivers,
Jagers, Top Wesseltons, Wesseltons, Top Crystals, Crystals, Top Capes,
Capes, Yellows. These gradually are being replaced by other terms and,
it is reasonable to believe, the best guide of diamond values can be
found in this table:
Collection Blue Perfect (meaning a white stone with
an underlying bluish glow)
Fine Blue Perfect (meaning fine white stones)
Blue Perfect (meaning solid white stones which really
are in the same class as fine blue perfect with slight
variations)
Clean (meaning stones which may have only a single
feather or flaw hardly discernible even under a
loupe)
Very Very Slight (meaning a larger feather or flaw of
some kind, usually on the outer rim)
1st Pique (meaning one spot in the center or other
prominent part of the stone)
(228)
|
||
|
|
||