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Romance of the Stone ; A 'Diamond's Beauty is Unaffected By Time'

Posted on: Tuesday, 3 January 2006, 15:00 CST

By Jane Mahoney Photos by Pat Vasquez-Cunningham

Only the bride herself can outshine the sparkle of a diamond on her ring finger.

In little more than a century, the diamond -- once the stone of nobility -- has become the standard for engagement and wedding rings in many cultures.

"It's still the most popular gem in the world," said Bernie Butterfield, patriarch of Butterfield Jewelers.

"The diamond's beauty and durability signify the permanency of marriage," added Butterfield, a certified gemologist appraiser. "There's just a fun feeling that comes from putting a diamond on a woman's finger, something about that sparkle in the sunlight."

In the rough

Despite the prevalence of diamonds in jewelry stores, diamonds actually are a rare commodity.

Only about 20 percent of mined diamonds are considered gem quality rather than industrial quality, according to John Mead, general manager and diamond buyer with J. Edwards Diamonds. Of that 20 percent, a 1-carat diamond shows up once every 1 million stones, he added. A 2-carat gem is one in 5 million.

"The rarity and durability of diamonds are the appeal," Mead said. "Diamonds are 140 times harder than the next hardest substance known to man. It's one of the few things whose beauty is unaffected by time."

A cut above

What most couples like about diamonds, however, is the sparkle, the experts agree.

While diamonds can be fashioned into shapes ranging from traditional round or the trendy princess style, the sparkle is largely determined by the stone's cut, which is the proportion of depth and width. A cut too thick or too narrow can diminish a stone's brilliance.

A diamond's cut is one of the "4Cs" that affect the gem's value, the others being carat weight, clarity and color. A diamond's symmetry and polish are all part of the cut.

"Educate yourself and go out and compare," is the advice Mead offers to couples in search of the perfect stone to fit both taste and budget. Information and rating scales should be readily available from organizations such as the American Gem Society or the Gemological Institute of America.

Individual diamond certificates or grading reports should accompany a diamond.

Both Butterfield and Mead urge couples choosing a diamond wedding ring to begin their search with a reputable dealer, someone with good credentials and a willingness to educate buyers.

Mead encourages buyers to select a loose diamond in an unmounted state to better judge cut, clarity, color and carat weight.

Discriminating

When Mini Cooper salesman Michael Barraza selected a diamond engagement ring for his wife-to-be Annette (the pair was married last October), the selection of the diamond was paramount. Barraza knew the eventual mounting and ring design could come after the proposal -- and include his fiance's input.

After a four-month search, he selected a princess -- or square cut -- gem at J. Edwards Diamonds, which he presented to Annette in a simple solitaire setting when he popped the question.

Before the wedding, the Barrazas came back to the store to have Annette's diamond remounted from its solitaire setting into a band selected by both partners. Michael chose his own wedding band as well, incorporating a small squareshaped diamond mounted flush in the band. His is a band that shares many elements of his wife's ring but is not a duplicate.

"When I first started in the business about 20 years ago, about 85 percent of our men's and women's rings were matching sets," said Mead. "Now, it's about 15 percent at the most."

An old favorite

At Butterfield Jewelers, the traditional round-shaped diamond is still the best-seller, particularly among older couples, according to Butterfield, whose 78-year-old family-owned business put down its Albuquerque roots in 1944.

More recent trends, however, include shapes ranging from the boat- shaped marquis-cut to old-fashioned emerald. A few have traces of color. More often than not, the diamonds are mounted in a band of one of the white metals -- white gold, platinum or palladium.

Butterfield has also seen a trend of already-married couples coming in to "trade up" to a larger diamond or to buy a new diamond ring to mark a significant anniversary.

"A larger, nice quality diamond can be a status symbol," he conceded. "But women are very sentimental. Lots of times, they'll still keep the original diamond. Sometimes it's transferred to the right hand, or she may choose to have it reset in a pendant or other piece of fine jewelry. Also very popular is the "three diamond" ring, which represents past, present and future."

They're gorgeous

And then, there are the women who simply love diamonds regardless of their marital status or plans.

"The woman self-purchaser is one of the fastest growing segments of the market," said Mead. "We take women buyers very seriously. It's a big part of our business."

Not only are women buying diamonds in bracelets and pendants, many are buying diamond rings they plan to wear on their right hand as a fashion statement rather than a symbol of marriage, he said.

Source: Albuquerque Journal

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