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The
4Cs to a dazzling buy 'Win a Diamond' Entries close
on July 10 and the winners will be announced on July 14. Employees
of Wijeya Newspapers Ltd and Diamond Cutters Ltd and their families
are not eligible to take part in this promotion. Readers can send
in any number of coupons but all entries must be on the original
coupon published in The Sunday Times. There are two beautiful stones on offer, so rush those coupons in. The Diamond Quiz Q: What are the 4Cs used to describe and classify diamonds? A: -------------- ----------- Name: ------------- ---------- Address: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Selling, a salesman
will tell you, takes skill. But does that make buying any less challenging?
Any buyer needs knowledge, if not skill, to ensure a successful
transaction. Diamond buying
more than most other commodities, requires at least a basic knowledge
of the "value factors" to enable the buyer to make an
educated purchase. Some of these factors like beauty - which is
in the eye of the beholder - are obviously subjective. An objective
assessment will therefore, always be useful. The best known and most widely used objective guide is what the trade calls "the 4Cs": Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight. Diamond professionals use these four factors to describe and classify diamonds. Taken together, they help evaluate the finished diamonds you buy. Since these are the factors a jeweller uses to assign prices to the diamonds he sells, it is wise to spend a little time learning about them. Colour The Gemmological
Institute of America (GIA), one of the world's foremost authorities
on diamonds, grades diamonds according to their colours on a scale
from D - Z. In this colour range, a "D" colour diamond
will always be more valuable than other diamonds, when all other
factors - clarity, carat weight, and cut - are equal. It is also
important to understand why the colour scale starts at D. Before
GIA introduced the D-Z Colour Grading Scale, a variety of other
symbols were loosely applied throughout the industry. Not only were
A, B, and C used without clear definition, but some dealers, taking
a cue from the poultry business perhaps, started grading their diamonds
double A (AA). Other systems used numbers - both Arabic (0, 1, 2,
3) and Roman (I, II, III). Most dubious of all were systems that
relied on descriptive terms like "gem blue" or "blue
white." There still may be some dealers who use these grading
systems, but no other system has the clarity and universal acceptance
of the GIA scale. Clarity Some clarity
characteristics may have a negative influence on a diamond's value,
but they can also have positive effects. Inclusions help gemmologists
separate diamonds from laboratory created simulants. Inclusions
can also help identify an individual stone because no two diamonds
have exactly the same inclusions. The GIA clarity
scale comprises of eleven grades FL (flawless), IF (Internally flawless),
VVS1 and VVS2 (Very Very Small Inclusions), VS1 and VS2 (Very Small
Inclusions), SI1 and SI2 (Small Inclusions) and I1, I2 and I3 (Inclusions
or Pique). Clarity's influence
on the value of a diamond is directly related to the concept of
rarity. Flawless diamonds are very rare, so rare in fact, that it's
possible to spend a long period of time in the jewellery industry
without ever seeing one. A flawless diamond will therefore, command
a top price. Cut The aspect
of carat weight that surprises people is the relationship between
rarity, weight, and value, but it is a simple concept: Large diamonds
are rarer than small diamonds. So a larger stone doesn't simply
cost more. It also costs more per carat, which explains why a diamond
of double the weight costs much more than double. Consumer research
by De Beers, the world's best known diamond company, clearly demonstrates
that buyers aware of the 4Cs buy better quality, more expensive
diamonds. But the subjective factors, especially beauty must also
not be ignored. Obviously, an average buyer in a country like Sri
Lanka would need more to justify the price of a diamond than a series
of letters and numbers. Rarity is key to the attraction of a diamond,
but beauty - the visual impact of a stone - will always carry a
lot of weight. The choice
of metal used for diamond jewellery should also be carefully considered.
The most popular metals are white gold and platinum. In Sri Lanka,
the use of gold is quite common. Platinum is an extremely hard metal,
and is rarer than gold. It is also hypoallergenic and will not irritate
the skin. (Courtesy Diamond Cutters Limited, 20-24 Moderawila Industrial Estate, Panadura) Where
special children learn life and lessons This could
be a scene at any school. Chanaka however is 30-years-old. He and
a dozen other children look forward to going to Aunty Kanthi's learning
centre each morning where they are greeted warmly by their teachers.
Interacting with other students, learning basic math and language
skills and working with their hands to create pictures and objects
that receive appreciation from both parents and teachers lends new
meaning to their lives. Children with
learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorders invariably
drop out of school. For it is only when they are grouped with other
children that their deficiencies are noticed. "Unable to cope
with regular school activities, such children are sometimes neglected
or confined to their homes, away from the public eye," says
Ms. Kanthi Perera, a trained special educator who runs the Association
for Individual Development Education in Nugegoda. In addition,
parents of such special children may be unaware of facilities available
or perhaps are unable to make time in their busy schedule to take
them to special education centres that are few and far between. Ideally, all
schools should have a unit for special children that would ensure
that slow learners and the differently-abled acquire social skills
and learn how to interact in a community. Until this is possible
in Sri Lanka, children with the Down's Syndrome, mental retardation
and autism need the care and learning that special education centres
can offer. "They
need to learn how to do things for themselves, and be independent,
Ms. Perera asserts, explaining that if they could learn to do simple
things like buttoning their own clothes, tying their shoe laces,
etc., and how to behave in public, they would be accepted socially
and not be a burden on their families. Having started
in 1994, primarily as a Montessori pre school, Ms. Kanthi Perera
noticed among her students those that needed extra attention, who
were often bullied, that resulted in their growing up with low self
esteem. This led her to start this special education centre that
caters to children with mild to moderate learning difficulties,
lack of concentration and attention. While some of the students
in the centre have never been to school, there are others who have
dropped out from the mainstream schools. Sponsored by
'Parents for Children' Switzerland, the Centre is fully equipped
with teaching aids, material required for the Montessori methods
of teaching and four trained teachers. Coming to the Centre each
morning provides the children with the much needed opportunity to
interact with others in their peer groups. Among those who have
trained at the Centre, two are now working in a bakery, one with
his father in a company and another is employed in a packing firm.
"What we strive to do at the Centre is to motivate them, make
them feel wanted and useful, so that their parents feel proud of
them, Ms. Perera explains. |
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