Downtown L.A. Fine Diamond Engagement Ring Jeweler

Monday, January 30, 2012

How Diamond-Studded Magma Rises From Earth's Depths | by Google Search Expert

Carbonate-rich material likely helps DIAMOND gems race to the surface, study says.

A diamond sits embedded in kimberlite rock at a diamond-trading firm in London.

Source/Photograph by Patrick Landmann, Getty Images

Richard A. Lovett

for National Geographic News

Published January 19, 2012

The recipe for making diamonds is no secret: Take carbon and squeeze it under the extremely high temperatures and pressures found deep inside the Earth.

The mystery lies in how the prized gemstones then get delivered from the depths to parts of Earth's crust that are accessible to miners.

According to a new study, diamonds can be carried up through the lithosphere—the crust and uppermost layer of the mantle—by dense magmas rich in carbonate.

"These melts are really quite special, because they can hold a huge amount of dissolved carbon dioxide, up to 40 to 45 percent by weight," said study leaderJames "Kelly" Russell, a petrologist from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Previous models had suggested that gases in the magma would increase its buoyancy, helping to push the diamond-laden melt closer to the surface without destroying the precious gems.

The new lab experiments now show how molten carbonate reacts with other chemicals in Earth's lithosphere to release the gas, offering a likely mechanism for speeding up the dense magma.

"Let There Be a Gas Phase"

Natural diamond production begins deep beneath the planet's oldest continents, where Earth's lithosphere can extend to depths of 75 miles (120 kilometers), Russell said.

There, a type of material called kimberlite magma forces its way up from deeper in Earth's mantle, cracking the solid rock.

As it rises, the magma collects fragments of rocks, like floodwaters picking up silt and gravel. Some of these fragments contain diamonds.

But the diamond-containing rocks are heavy, and the magma picks up enough of them that its progress should be substantially slowed, Russell said.

Diamonds, however, have to rise quickly, or they will be destroyed as they pass through zones of intermediate pressure, where the gems can be rapidly consumed by high-temperature oxidation.

The best estimates are that, in order for the diamonds to make it, the magma must travel all the way to the surface in about 10 to 45 hours—moving at about 3 to 13 feet (1 to 4 meters) a second.

The only way for magma to rise so quickly, Russell and others have long believed, is if the melt is supercharged with gas—but nobody knew where such gas might come from.

"Prior models have been [rather] deus ex machina—let there be a gas phase," he said.

Diamonds Caught in Volcano Plumbing

In the new paper, Russell and colleagues found that as carbonate-rich magma passes through overlying rocks on its way toward the surface, it quickly dissolves those rocks' silica-rich minerals.

In high-temperature and high-pressure lab experiments, this process can start happening within tens of minutes.

The resulting mixture of molten silica and carbonate can't carry as much dissolved carbon dioxide as the original magma.

Large quantities of gas therefore bubble out, causing the magma to rise even quicker, until it reaches the surface in an explosive eruption.

More importantly for miners, long after the resulting volcano has been eroded into invisibility on the surface, its interior plumbing remains, leaving behind kimberlite "pipes" that may be rich in diamonds.

(Also see "Volcano Pictures: First Descent Into a Magma Chamber.")

A First Step in Better Diamond Hunting?

Whether the findings will help prospectors find new diamond deposits is unclear, Russell said.

"These people are pretty smart," he said of diamond miners, noting that years of experience have taught them many rules of thumb regarding the most likely places to look.

Still, he noted, the new study might point the way to future research into mineralogical signals that could help differentiate fast-rising kimberlite deposits, which might contain diamonds, from slower-rising ones that are unlikely to bear any gems.

The study might also help increase prospectors' confidence by explaining why their current strategies work, Russell added.

The new diamond-transport study appears this week in the journal Nature.

source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/01/120119-diamonds-gems-earth-ma...

___________________________________________________________________

Metropolitan Fine Diamond Jewelers, located in the prestigious 550 S. Hill Street building in the heart of the Downtown Los Angeles Jewelry District.

Visit our downtown showroom for professional 1-on-1 advice from Owen.

“I make buying diamonds easy and affordable.
Furthermore, I take the time to explain the process and show you options you never knew were possible!”

We continue to adhere to our founders inspiration... "simplicity in form forge beauty."
Our design team continues to innovate and design fine diamond engagement rings of the Highest Standard, driven toward perfection.
Using the latest Cad-cam technology, our jewelry is designed on computers but, still handcrafted.
Every ring is a hand-worked piece of art. Made of 14K, 18K, and PLATINUM our design goals continue to adhere to perfection.

TAG: Downtown Los Angeles Jewelers, Jewel/Jewelry District, Brides/Bridal, Designer, Engagement Rings, Fine Diamonds, Gold Bands, Platinum, Gemological Institute of America (GIA) standard diamond grading laboratory, Weddings, 213 489 4857, Owen Fogel, ADowntownLosAngelesJeweler.com

MetroRings.com
ADowntownLosAngelesJeweler.com

________________________________________________________________

CLICK image below for results your business can experience too! (no matter what business that is)... Guaranteed.

Vincent Medina
Google Online Search Domination / Visibility Expert Santa Monica Los Angeles
http://ArtfulMind.Biz
310 251 9728

Monday, January 23, 2012

DIAMOND NEWS — DIAMOND REVENUE TO FUND GRANTS FOR ZIMBABWE’S STUDENTS



CIA World Factbook	Enlarge

$25 million of diamond money has been allotted for student loans and grants

Zimbabwe’s government plans to use some of the revenue from the sale of its rough diamonds to reinstitute grants for students, the University World News reports.

According to the UWN, none of Zimbabwe’s government-run universities have been able to supply student grants or loans for over a decade.

In his budget statement for 2012, Finance Minister Tendai Biti stated that he was allocating $25 million for student grants and loans, a sum he expected to see matched by banks, including Barclays.

The decision to use diamond money to benefit the country’s students is reportedly a tactic to win support in the international community for the sale of Zimbabwe’s diamonds. Although the Kimberley Process lifted its embargo against Marange diamonds in November, the subject remains controversial.

Monday, January 16, 2012

GIA VERSUS EGL DIAMOND GRADING...

Whenever we have a client say they found a diamond priced much less somewhere else, the first question we ask is if they are comparing similar quality and GIA graded diamonds. We try to point out to clients that EGL, IGI, HRD and other grading reports tend to be off 1 to 3 color grades and often a clarity grade compared to GIA grading.

However, some clients just do not want to believe the truth and hope they will somehow find a diamond priced for 25% to 50% less than its actual value. We have even had clients argue with us saying that they have found online opinions that the EGL and GIA grading is the same. We can only say that our experience has been that every diamond we have seen that was graded by both laboratories has come back with the EGL grading significantly higher ratings.

Recently had a client who requested a search for a round diamond about 1.4-carat weight with at least G color and VVS2 clarity. After providing him several lists of recommendations for GIA graded diamonds meeting his requirements, he asked if we had any non-certified diamonds that we would recommend. We explained that we usually only recommend GIA graded diamonds and explained about the inaccurate grading that is common with other laboratories and referenced the blog article mentioned above. A month later, he emailed saying he had purchased a diamond from another retailer and was sending it to the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad, CA. He said he was able to find a higher quality stone at a lower price than we had recommended to him.

Here are the specifications for the diamond he purchased:

Round, 1.50 carat, EGL-Intl cert, H color, VS2 clarity, depth 60.4%, table 57%, measurements 7.38 x 7.33 x 4.44 mm, Excellent polish, Excellent symmetry, Premium EGL cut grade, Slightly Thick girdle, Slight Blue fluorescence

I never did understand why he thought H VS2 was higher quality than the G VVS2 he required for our recommendations.

Here are the specifications for the same diamond when graded by the GIA:

Round, 1.50 carat, GIA cert, K color, SI1 clarity, depth 60.3%, table 58%, measurements 7.39 x 7.34 x 4.44 mm, Very Good polish, Fair symmetry, Good GIA cut grade, Very Thin to Thick girdle, Strong Blue fluorescence

In other words, the same diamond graded by both laboratories came with very different grading even though the laboratories claim to use the same grading standards.

	EGL-International	GIA	Difference
Color	H	K	3 grades
Clarity	VS2	SI1	1 grade
Polish	Excellent	Very Good	1 grade
Symmetry	Excellent	Fair	3 grades
Girdle	Slightly Thick	Very Thin to Thick	3 grades
Cut Grade	Premium	Good	3 grades
Fluorescence	Slight Blue	Strong Blue	2 grades

The BOTTOM LINE is...
When you are making a significant investment, you should want to know what you are purchasing. The GIA is the most accurate and consistent of the diamond grading laboratories so is the best way to ensure the quality of your diamond purchase. With other grading laboratories, you do not know what you are getting as evidenced in the example above.

Thank you,

OWEN FOGEL,
Metropolitan Jewelers, Ideal Cut/ Loose Diamond Expert
Downtown Los Angeles Jewelry District
213 489 4857

source: d. reinke

Monday, September 19, 2011

Super rich swayed by social media, study shows + MetroRings.com Downtown Los Angeles Engagement Ring Jeweler

Stevens, Pa.--A new survey from Unity Marketing shows that it was the wealthiest consumers who were most influenced by social media when making luxury purchases over the past year.

According to the survey, more than half of high net-worth individuals (those with $1 million or more in investible assets) said comments or information gathered from social media influenced what websites they visited (59 percent), what retail stores they shopped in (56 percent) and what designer brand they bought (57 percent).

The survey showed similar results for those classified as ultra affluent (annual income of $250,000 a year or more), with 54 percent stating that social media influenced their website visits, 49 percent stating it influenced where they shopped and 47 percent stating it influenced their brand choice.

“Fashion marketers need to make strategic use of social media to build powerful relationships between their brand and these high-value customers,” Unity Marketing President Pam Danziger said. “That will translate to a shopper’s ‘like’ of a brand or becoming the ‘mayor’ of a retail location into added revenues and profits.”

Unity Marketing conducted the study, titled “The Fashionable Affluent,” between July 6 and 13, surveying affluent consumers (annual income of $100,000 a year or more) who bought luxury goods in the second quarter. For the study, Unity asked the consumers about what influenced their buying decisions, including the role of social media in swaying their purchasing decisions between July 2010 and July 2011.

Overall, 41 percent of those surveyed said social media impacted what websites they chose to visit while 34 percent and 31 percen