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Lore says the world’s first diamond was discovered 6,000 years ago. They have dazzled both commoner and royalty alike, and in myth are associated with the gods. They passed on into the mythos surrounding thrones and crowns studded with fabulous stones, to be looted by invaders who lusted after treasure. Known as the hardest substance in the world, although they are not indestructible. Diamonds can be cut or polished only by another diamond, but a strong blow is enough to make a chip on them. Here are some tips on keeping your diamond jewelry sparkling and lustrous as ever.

After an evening of black cocktail gowns, champagne and attracting envious stares, when you are putting that diamond tiara away in your safe, make sure they aren’t kept next to other jewelry pieces since this can cause scratches. A velvet- or satin-lined jewellery case with separate compartments is recommended, separate jewelry boxes will work perfectly as well. If you love your diamonds take the time to individually wrap each piece in soft tissue paper or use jewelry pouches for each piece.

It is important to regularly inspect your diamond jewelry to ensure that the mounting of the stones is secure. Immediately consult a professional jeweler if any signs of damage or loosening of the prongs are detected. Always remove the item and store it in a bag or pouch until you bring it to your jeweler if a loose stone is detected.  Remember, diamonds don’t fall off rings on their own, and precious metals don’t get scratched and dented by themselves. Those who really care for their stones get their diamond jewelry examined at least once a year by a professional jeweler. This is not only to get any necessary repair work done, but also your jeweler will clean the diamonds in their settings in an expert manner.

Never take your diamonds to bed. Take off that ring because while you’re asleep, and a prong in the mounting gets caught in the bed linen, the 1mm claw is subjected to the pressure of your body weight if you turn over. Bedtime pastimes of more intimate nature are best done with the stones off. Similarly, remove diamond jewelery before you take a shower; soap will deposit a film on the stones which has a dulling effect. Neither should you wash your ring in the sink—there is the risk of it going down the drain. Instead, put it down in a secure place (for those who insist on holding it between your teeth, do this gently). Here’s a simple way to ensure the stones are safe: every week, look sideways at the prongs of the ring as you rotate it. They all should have contact with the diamond. You can also inspect the center diamond in your engagement ring by tapping it gently with a tweezer, if any movement is detected remove it immediately. Remove fluff caught in the prongs gently.

Always wear diamonds after you have put on your creams, skin oils, perfumes and hairspray. Lotions, powders and soaps, apart from the natural oils from your skin, will create a film on diamonds, which will reduce their brilliance. Plus, chemicals in the air will oxidize or discolor the settings. Keeping your jewellery clean will maximize its brilliance. Along with these, household chemicals can also cause deposits that will dull your diamond’s brilliance and sparkle. When you discover that your diamond jewelry is not sparkling enough, soak or boil them in a solution of water mixed with a few drop of ammonia. Or do some gentle scrubbing with an old, soft-bristled toothbrush for more extensive cleaning. Then rinse the piece and dry it with a clean soft cloth.

It is important for the genuine diamond-lover to keep diamonds looking their very best. Touch the pieces as little as possible because the oil in your skin will be transferred from the fingers and change the luster of the stones.

It is important to clean your jewels regularly. Once or twice a week, as mentioned before, soak the diamonds in an ammonia-based household cleaner overnight. In the morning, take out the diamond from the solution and use a soft, clean toothbrush to brush it in order to remove leftover dirt accumulated over the week. One should be careful while scrubbing the fragile settings of the stones with a toothbrush; diamonds always love the soft touch. Afterwards, wash the stones with water (or let them sit in a cup of cool water for 20 minutes) and wipe with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Harsh cleaning solutions can damage your diamonds. Strictly avoid contact with chlorine or abrasives when cleaning diamonds, especially those that are set. The metals often used in diamond settings will be eroded by these harmful cleaning agents, and the prongs may come loose. Some of them are strong enough to even  dissolve the metal completely, and your jewelry is ruined.

Many scientifically advanced jewelers use ultrasonic cleaners to remove dirt and grime that have collected on diamonds. The machine sends high-frequency sonic waves through a detergent solution which causes the fluid to vibrate to remove the encrustations. Amateurs can buy these machines too, but its best used by a professional jeweler since the sound  waves can also shake the diamonds loose from their setting, especially if the work is delicate and fragile.

A new index by The Fancy Color Research Foundation (The FCRF) shows that fancy color diamonds have delivered strong and consistent price increases, outperforming key global asset indices  since 2005.

Fancy color diamonds, predominantly  yellow, pink and blue diamonds, have always been highly prized and rare assets. They are found randomly and unpredictably in diamond mines throughout the world and are enjoyed by sophisticated jewelry buyers and gem collectors alike. Consistent recent growth in values has reflected the changing dynamics of global wealth notably the fast paced growth of emerging markets and the appeal of fancy color diamonds as an investment product.

The Fancy Color Diamond Index (The Index) has been developed by The FCRF from proprietary access to tens of thousands of fancy color diamond transactions since 2005 and will be updated on a quarterly basis. The Index provides greater knowledge and understanding of fancy color diamond pricing trends to jewelry retail, wholesale and mining industries.

Fancy color diamonds, across pinks, yellows and blues, have increased in value by 167 percent on average since January 2005, outperforming other leading assets in a similar period, for example, the Dow Jones industrial average has increased 58 percent,  Standard & Poor’s 500 has increased 63 percent and London house prices have increased 82.1 percent.

Looking in more detail the Index shows that pink diamonds have shown the greatest growth in value, up by 360 percent in the last nine years, with blues showing less dramatic but equally consistent growth of a 161 percent by value. Crucially, both pink and blue diamonds were unaffected by the global financial crisis with blues keeping their value and pinks still increasing through 2008 to 2010.

The publication of the Index marks the launch of The FCRF, which is an independent, non-profit organization formed to promote fair-trade, ethics and transparency in the fancy color diamond retail, wholesale and mining industry.

The FCRF activity will encompass:

• Developing innovative research and digital tools that will support the fancy color diamond retail selling process for consumers, retailers and collectors;

• Promoting fair trade in fancy color diamonds throughout the value chain underpinned by reliable data analysis to create a uniform knowledge base across all industry layers;

• Authoring publications to clarify the complex methodology for evaluating fancy color diamonds;

• Correcting common misconceptions about evaluating fancy color diamonds.

The FCRF expects that together these activities will enhance consumer demand and retail understanding of fancy color diamonds.

The FCRF was initiated by Eden Rachminov, author of “The Fancy Color Diamond Book” and winner of the NCDIA education award. Ambitions and activities of The FCRF will be guided and evaluated by an experienced board of advisors that work throughout the diamond pipeline.

Rachminov, a member of the board of advisors for The FCRF, commented, “The launch of The Fancy Color Research Foundation is in response to the growth in fancy color diamonds transactions and the resulting need for greater education, understanding and clarity in the industry.

“The process and skills for evaluating fancy color diamonds are unique to this exceptional product. As a result there is a need to clarify misconceptions and to highlight the differences to evaluating colorless diamonds.

“In addition to publishing the Index, The FCRF is developing and publishing a series of practical tools, targeted at retailers. We are confident that The Fancy Color Research Foundation will be a significant influence on increasing demand within the fancy color diamond industry.”

About the Fancy Color Diamond Index:
The Index is a first of its kind tracker of changes in the market prices of yellow, pink and blue fancy color diamonds, the three most commonly traded fancy color diamond categories (a market price is a wholesale transaction taking place in one or more of the global diamond trading centers).

The Index is a composite representation of changes in price points gathered since 2005, based on a statistically significant sample size. It offers insight into variations in the appreciation of diamonds of different colors and sizes.

The Fancy Color Research Foundation oversees proprietary prevalence and pricing data aggregation and production of the index. A third party New York-based audit firm reviews the development of The Index from the various data points gathered.

The Index can be used to understand and track the historical price behavior of different rare fancy color diamonds.

NYC Wholesale Diamonds carries a complete and exciting collection of GIA Certified Fancy Color Natural Diamonds.

Keith Saxe is GIA and FIT trained and has been a trusted high end diamond jewelry specialist for 26 years. He is the founder and president ​ of NYC Wholesale Diamonds located at 47 West 47th Street Suite 3A in the New York City Diamond District. His website is www.NYCWholesaleDiamonds.com and he authors a blog www.NYCDiamondBlog.com. ​Keith has a full service store located across the street from his private office,​ and ​a San Diego factory showroom. He offers GIA Certified Ideal Cut Diamonds,​ and state of the art fine jewelry designs at low wholesale prices. Keith has been named the N.Y. Diamond District’s Favorite Jeweler by the N.Y. Post’s Savvy Shopper column, had his diamond education articles published, been recommended in the New York Times, CNN reporter Robyn Spizman’s ‘Perfect Present Guide’ and ‘The GIFTionary’, as well as having his Diamond Halo Engagement Ring design featured on ‘The Knot’ http://www.theknot.com/weddings/album/a-preppy-upstate-wedding-in-aurora-ny-144122

Citrine, the November birthstone is rare in nature. In the days before modern gemology, its tawny color caused it to be confused with topaz. Today, its attractive color, plus the durability and affordability it shares with most other quartz, makes it the top-selling yellow-to-orange gem. In the contemporary market, citrine’s most popular shade is an earthy, deep, brownish or reddish orange.

People have used quartz in jewelry for thousands of years. Egyptians gathered ornately striped agates from the shore and used them as talismans, the ancient Greeks carved rock crystal ornaments that glistened like permafrost, and the hands of Roman pontiffs bore rings set with huge purple amethysts.

NYC Wholesale Diamonds features a complete line of Citrine and Diamond Halo Rings, Earrings, Necklaces and Bracelets

A unique, personal jeweler who works nationwide, Keith Saxe is GIA and FIT trained and has been a trusted high end diamond jewelry specialist for 26 years. He is the founder and president ​ of NYC Wholesale Diamonds located at 47 West 47th Street Suite 3A in the New York City Diamond District. His website is www.NYCWholesaleDiamonds.com and he authors a blog www.NYCDiamondBlog.com. ​Keith has a full service store located across the street from his private office,​ and ​a San Diego factory showroom. He offers GIA Certified Ideal Cut Diamonds,​ and state of the art fine jewelry designs at low wholesale prices. Keith has been named the N.Y. Diamond District’s Favorite Jeweler by the N.Y. Post’s Savvy Shopper column, had his diamond education articles published, been recommended in the New York Times, CNN reporter Robyn Spizman’s ‘Perfect Present Guide’ and ‘The GIFTionary’, as well as having his Diamond Halo Engagement Ring design featured on ‘The Knot’ http://www.theknot.com/weddings/album/a-preppy-upstate-wedding-in-aurora-ny-144122