Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles. Hallmarks are thus official marks used in many countries as a guarantee of purity or fineness of precious metal articles. The principle objectives of the Hallmarking Scheme are to protect the public against adulteration and to obligate manufacturers to maintain legal standards of fineness. In India, at present two precious metals namely gold and silver have been brought under the purview of Hallmarking.
The BIS Hallmarking Scheme has been aligned with International criteria on hallmarking. As per this scheme, licence is granted to the jewellers by BIS under Hallmarking Scheme. The BIS certified jewellers can get their jewellery hallmarked from any of the BIS recognized Assaying and Hallmarking Centres. The recognition of an Assaying and Hallmarking Centre is done against IS 15820:2009.
The annual consumption of gold which was estimated at 65 tonnes in 1982, has increased to over 800 tonnes presently. About 80% is for jewellery fabrication (mainly 22 carat purity) for domestic demand, 15% for investor demand and barely 5% for industrial use. According to a FICCI study, the gold processing industry has around 15000 players, with around 80 units having revenues over US $ 5 million. India is also home to around 4,50,000 gold smiths, over 100,000 gold jewellers, along with about 6000 diamonds- processing players and 8000 diamond jewellers.
Look for these marking on hallmarked jewellery/ artifact.
If you would ever come across a diamond in the rough, you would probably not even look at it twice. But if the same piece of brilliance was presented to you in all its shine, you would find it hard to put it down. This charm manifests only due to its characteristic beauty; beauty that can be handcrafted to perfection.
Diamonds have always been considered as a mark of purity, durability and luxury. From the ancients Greeks to the modern day, many are enamoured by its scintillating beauty and sparkle. Greeks believed that diamonds were tears of God and shards of Stars. Experts suggest that diamonds were first found in India in 800 BC and Alexander the Great brought the first diamonds to Europe in 327 BC from India.
The significance of diamonds as an epitome of love dates back to 1447 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring as ‘promise of marriage‘. This tradition can be traced back to the middle ages and roman times. In fact, Italians believed diamonds could sustain harmony between couples and from there came the tradition of setting a diamond in wedding rings.
Now that the rough diamonds have been released from the ore, they go through sorting and classification according to their shape, size, quality and colour. Before they're passed on to diamond cutters, expert sorters scan these rough pieces under X-rays which enables them to detect and sort them for their natural characteristics.
Once the diamonds are found, the process to obtain them can be long and cumbersome. It is said that it takes more than 250 tonnes of ore to produce just 1 carat of rough diamond. The ore goes through different stages of blasting, crushing and processing to procure the diamonds.
Diamonds are known to make a long arduous journey before they reach your jewellery box. The story of a diamond begins 100-200 miles below the Earth's surface. Diamonds were formed billions of years ago due to extensive heat and pressure on carbon crystals. Subsequently, volcanic activity forced diamonds up Earth's surface through pipes or openings in the Earth. Some of them made their way to river beds, streams and seas but the majority of diamonds settled back into the Kimberlite pipes. It is said that the first diamonds were found as glittering pebbles near the course of an ancient river.
Diamond mining is a feat which requires precision, care, heavy duty extraction tools, and a substantial amount of monetary investment in machinery, to extract gems from the depths of the planet's crust. Once the diamonds are found, the process to obtain them can be long and cumbersome. It is said that it takes more than 250 tonnes of ore to produce just 1 carat of rough diamond. The ore goes through different stages of blasting, crushing and processing to procure the diamonds.
Any diamond is mainly characterized by 4 C’s namely Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat. Though they are the most prominent, the 4C's don’t give the complete picture and thus way to assess a diamond’s value. Lets look at what the 4C's mean and go beyond them.
The Cut of a diamond is the only factor which is influenced by humans and also the one which largely affects its value,fire and life. They are usually graded as Excellent ( Ideal) , Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor. Cut accompanied with Symmetry and Polish should be ideally all EX, EX, EX or Triple EX in the industry language. In our advanced search we have a check box which helps you identify just those diamonds which are triple EXs.
In a diamond, the color greatly enhances its visual beauty. A diamond comes in a VIBGYOR of color ranges but it’s the color-less which is most desirable. Diamonds with D grade are perfect colorless and E,F, G, H,I,J and so on move towards increasing tinge of color shades of Yellow , Brown , Green etc. Of these Yellow shade is most desirable as it enhances the brilliance. While we are talking about color its worth mentioning Fancy Color diamonds. Fancy colors are more rarer and desirable. They have a very prominent color shade.
A lot of diamonds come with inclusions or tiny particles. This affects the beauty of it depending on the number and sizes. Some of these impurities are not even visible with naked eye which are often referred to as eye-clean. Clarity is graded as FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, I3.
Carat Or the weight /size of a diamond. A carat is made of 100 cents so a 50 cent diamond is also a 0.5 carat diamond. The larger the size of the diamond the more desirable it is. But even a 1 carat diamond would be lifeless without the right cut and color. So the caratage of a diamond shouldn’t be given undue importance. Note the caratage of a diamond signifies size/weight whereas the caratage in precious metals like gold and silver signifies their purity.
Diamonds come in various shapes like Round ( Round Brilliant Cut), Hearts, Princess, Marquise, Oval, Cushion, Radiant, Emerald, Asscher, and Pear. The shape of diamond is often mistaken for the Cut. Every shape other than round is considered as fancy shape. GIA and other leading labs do not grade the Cut of fancy shapes.
Diamonds are forever! Before buying your forever Diamond Ring, you must know important aspects of diamond jewellery, the most important feature being its setting. The craftsmanship of a setting gives the ring the overall style. You may like a ring for its only setting. Thus, given below are some types of settings that will help you know settings better, before you buy your diamond ring..
Prong setting is the most standard setting used in diamond rings. It basically protects and holds the diamond. Prongs are mainly four cornered but can go up to five to six if the design demands. There are many types of Prongs that are customized according to the customer’s need. These types include single, double, triple and personalised decorative prongs. There is also a V-prong setting which is used for pear shaped and marquise stones, it helps in protecting the pointed tips of the stone from breaking.
The prong setting permits the centre stone to be raised above which makes the stone look larger with the only glimpse of beautiful metal. Prongs can be moulded outwards and upwards, clutching the diamond with its top view. This setting plays a vital role in making the ring strong and durable. It is also instrumental in giving an elegant look to the ring and hence, it is mainly used for wedding and engagement rings.
In a bezel setting the solitaire is bordered with metal giving it a well finished and clean look. Bezel setting comes in two types-complete and half. In Complete Bezel setting the stone is covered fully giving it a sophisticated touch. However, a Half Bezel setting diamond is partly surrounded by the metal which gives the ring a modern aspect. Diamond when teamed with white gold for a bezel setting, makes the diamond appear bigger.
Channel setting, as the name suggests, is a channel; this channel is a two sided metal channel between which gemstones are lined up in a uniform pattern. Channel setting is the most secure setting which protects the gemstones with a sleek finish. It also makes the ring free from getting caught up in the hair or clothing. This setting is a popular one used mainly for engagement rings.
In flush setting, gems are implanted in the metal ring band leaving the crown of the gem visible. The whole of the metal ring safeguards the gemstones. Flush setting indeed makes the ring appear alluring!
Similar to the channel setting, the Bar setting has parallel bars holding the solitaire firmly between them. While other parts of the solitaire remain unhidden, the ring appears to be delicate but is indeed strong and stout.
The word comes from the French word ‘pave’ (pronounced as ‘pa vay'). In a pave setting the surface of a jewellery item appears to be covered with tiny diamonds. The use of multiple stones in pave setting forms an illusion of bigger jewellery.
Invisible setting allows the diamonds to hover over the ring without any disturbance of the prongs. The placing of diamonds is done in such a manner that even the metal beneath is not visible. Invisible setting is a flawless structure of the ring which shows more of the diamond than the metal.
As the name goes, this setting creates an illusion of a bigger stone. In this setting, generally, the prongs are more decorative which enhances the overall illusion.
Here, the diamond is held between the ring with pressure and not by prongs or invisible strings. The diamond appears to be floating and is open on the sides. This diamond setting is a strong and secured one.
Above are a few noteworthy settings which will help you to select your forever diamond with a setting that goes best with it. Now you are all set to know what really suits your personality and occasion. In case of any doubts, feel free to call us on our toll free number 1800 2700 610 or email us at info@mehtajewellers.net.in.