Tips on buying large diamond studs

When purchasing large diamond studs, 3ctw and over, there are a few things to keep in mind:

- Earrings are naturally less visible than other prominent jewelry, mostly due to one's hair. Solitaire rings, pendants, and other pieces are much more visible.

- Again, because diamond earrings are less visible than more prominent pieces of jewelry, clarity is not as vital. BUT, with that said, the larger the stone size, the more likely you are to see visible inclusions. In other words an I1 clarity .50ct stone is going to look cleaner then an I1 clarity 1.50ct stone. We at PDE, suggest going for the higher quality of clarity (SI2 or better) if you are looking for a large pair of studs. Of course the downside of this is the price tag.

-Color and cut is extremely important regardless of the size. Any tinge of yellow will still be visible in the ears and if the stone isn't a good cut it won't give your ears that sparkle you're looking for.

If you have questions, please call us at 1-866-342-2378.

For most of us when we think of June we think of warm weather, cooling off and playing at the beach or back yard barbeques. For those of us born in June we think of what presents we want from family and friends. The first thing I always think of is pearls, June’s birthstone. The pearl through out history has been prized for it’s unique luster and texture. In ancient mythology the pearl was associated with the moon and was believed to be born from the tears that the moon cried into the ocean. Also for it’s clean and simple look has been associated with purity, wisdom and loyalty. The Chinese believed that pearls could grant eternal youth and still use them in cosmetics to add that extra boost for more youthful looking skin. The most fascinating aspect of a pearl is that it is organic. While it starts from a grain of sand, a clam or oyster adds coat after coat of organic shell material to turn it into the shinny round gem that is now sought after by almost every culture in the world.

The rare blue diamond that we previously blogged about has been sold. It was put up for sale by London-listed Petra Diamonds, which extracted it last year from the historic Cullinan mine in South Africa, the world's most regular supplier of blue diamonds of size and quality. Blue are the rarest of the diamond family after reds.

The final price includes a commission paid by the buyer to the auction house. The stone sets a record price per carat for any gemstone sold at auction of $1,349,752 per carat, (890, 275 pounds) Sotheby's said.

The owner will have bragging rights, as well as the right to name the stone, which is mounted in a platinum ring.

The Most Valuable Coin In The World

In 1933 the United States Mint struck 445,000 Double Eagle $20.00 gold coins. The design was the Augustus Saint Gaudens liberty front with the soaring eagle back, which he had created in 1907. What makes this coin truly interesting is that to solve the bank crisis President Roosevelt signed the Gold Reserve Act in 1934 outlawing the circulation or private possession of US gold coins, with the exception of collector coins. Being the year after the coins were minted it did not fall into this category and would stay off that list until a lawsuit in July of 2001. Until 1944 these Double Eagles were traded amongst collectors and the US Government and Secret Service stepped in to seize these now rare coins. One of these coins was acquired for a private collection held by King Farouk of Egypt in the 1940’s. 40 years later the Double Eagle surfaced in New York and seized from a coin dealer. A lawsuit continued until 2001 and the coin was set up for auction in July 2002. The Double Eagle $20.00 gold coin sold for an amazing $7,590,020 and became the most expensive coin in the world. So just remember that pocket change you have might be worth a little more then you bargained for.

After the world’s most expensive blue diamond, The Wittelsbach, was sold to diamond dealer - Laurence Graff - last year for $24.3 million, Sotheby’s has another impressive blue diamond for the next auction.

Although overall diamond prices are down, the sales for the big and rare stones are still pretty strong. Petra Diamonds, a miner of stones in Africa, is hoping for a high number for their first sale of a cut and polished stone through Sotheby's. They will be selling a 7.03-carat blue diamond from the Cullinan mine in South Africa. The Cullinan mine has yielded most of the best blue diamonds in the world. The stone has a fancy vivid blue color and is rated internally flawless. Petra decided to sell the stone as cut and polished versus selling the rough as they usually do because they are hoping to get maximum exposure for the gem.

The blue beauty will be shown in Hong Kong, Paris, New York and London before winding up in Geneva for the Sotheby’s auction on May 12th, where it is estimated to sell for as much as $8.5 million.

Phillies Championship Bling

The Championship Ring is ring was designed to tell a story and be an outstanding keepsake. The attention to detail is the proud work of seven committee members appointed by the Phillies clubhouse, and manufactured by a Massachusetts-based jewelry company.

Each ring is made of 14 karat white gold and contains 103 diamonds, totaling 3.84 carats. The 103 diamonds represent the 92 regular season wins and 11 postseason wins. On the left side of each ring, you'll find the player's name and number along with the Liberty Bell. The right side of the ring shows the World Series trophy rising out of Citizens Bank signifying the remarkable support of the fans, as well as the initials of the two World Series teams and the number of games won by each team. The top of the ring is crowned with a field of rubies, topped with the Phillies' signature "P" set in diamonds. The title "World Champions" is written along the top of and bottom of the ring's rim.

Spring is in the air...and so is love

The temps are warming up as the spring season approaches. With the rising temps usually comes a rise in the amount of engagements. Spring time is typically the more popular time of year to get engaged. This year seems to be no different. We've seen a definite spike in the amount of engagement rings we've been selling lately. Some of the most popular styles have been the three stone diamond ring and the 'ol favorite...the solitaire ring. The newer style rings with micropave on them continue to be popular as well.

If you are thinking of getting engaged soon PennDiamondExchange has a few words of advice and encouragement.
1. Congrats!
2. Browse our site to look at some of the handmade rings we have already made and our
huge selection of loose diamonds.
3. Give us a call. We'll walk you through the process from picking the right shape, size, and
cut stone to picking the right kind of mounting.

We hope to hear from you and here's to Spring and saying "Yes!"