ROMANCING THE STONE

Diamonds are forever, they say. True love is forever too. Gift the love of your life a diamond to commemorate the sacred bond. Diamonds have mesmerized mankind for centuries. It is a belief that diamonds reflect the innate flawlessness of the human soul and that it brings good luck and prosperity.

According to both Roman and Greek mythology, a person shot with Cupid's arrow supposedly fell in love, so the link between hearts and arrows and love is obvious. To put it correctly, an ideal diamond is one which shows eight arrows or eight hearts when viewed, looking down through the pavilion and in the table-up position through a magnifying viewer.

In the early 90's, in Japan, ideal cut diamonds were all the rage. In India, the second biggest diamond market, where quality, status and brand names are in vogue, consumers become big buyers of the ideal cut. These diamonds are known in the trade as 'hearts and arrows'.

India imports diamonds from Belgium, which are distributed to the site or mine holders. These are polished and given proper shape at Bombay, to be supplied later to merchants all over the country. The most important difference between diamonds cut to ideal proportions and hearts and arrows is symmetry. The eight rows visible from the crown side are the 8 pavilion main facets, while the eight hearts visible through the pavilion side are created by reflections of 16 lower girdle facets in the table of the stone. Diamonds that show just partial and not well formed hearts are not uncommon. Some diamonds may show partial arrows, but no heart pattern. A true hearts and arrows ideal cut is a very rare and beautiful thing to behold!

Here are some things one should always remember while buying diamond:

§ Always look for the Cut, Colour, Clarity and the Caratage. Make sure the diamond is cut proportionately and symmetrically. The reflection should be 100 percent and there should be no loss of light as the lesser the shine the lower the value.

§ The colour of diamonds range from D, E, F, G…..and so on. The whiter the diamond, the higher the price. Always make sure you buy from a person who gives you value for your money.

§ Clarity in the diamond is important. A diamond gets more price only if it is internally flawless. Small inclusion matters a lot since the price is determined by this and it varies.
§ Caratage means the weight of the diamond. 1K has 100 cents which is the measuring tool of the diamond

. In Bangalore, 3 diamond rings and 14 diamond earrings are in vogue. These precious stones are available in all colours, shapes and sizes. The price range of these precious stones ranges from 1,400 to several lakhs of rupees! One more important thing to be kept in mind always is, never take a seller's word when buying your piece. Always ask for proof. If the diamond has a certificate, ask for a print out from a Sarin Dia-mension machine using AGS or AGL software. Only AGL (Associated Gemmological Laboratories of Japan) -Excellent or AGS-O are acceptable.

Just like the finest wines or a luxury car, ideal diamonds are not for everybody. But those who can afford to buy it have the most beautiful and precious of gems to preserve for a lifetime!

Here are the names of some of the reliable diamond merchants of Bangalore: