If the thought of buying Valentine's Day jewelry for your loved one this year leaves you feeling
daunted, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) says that these five easy
tips can help relieve your worries.
Tip 1: Capture a heart with diamonds and gems. Just about everyone, girl
and guy, loves jewelry, and it's a romantic sentiment that will strike the
right chord on virtually any day of the year. But it's important to know what
your special interest likes and will happily wear. On Valentine's Day, girls
especially love carefully thought-out symbolism. Think outside the "jewelry"
box, such as having a custom-made heart pendant with a red ruby to prove your
passion.
Tip 2: Take two important web tutorials at http://www.gia.edu. GIA helps educate
the public on how to purchase gems and jewelry and has created two online
tutorials that teach the basics of diamonds and gemstones.
Each site features an interactive guide -- Lucy in the "How to Buy a
Diamond" tutorial, and Ruby Tuesday in "How to Buy a Gemstone in 7 Simplified
Steps." Lucy and Ruby reveal some of the most important information needed to
make the right buying decision, including the famous Four Cs of diamond
value -- color, clarity, cut, and carat weight -- which GIA created in 1953.
Tip 3: Don't wing it. Go to a trusted source. You'll be an angel when
you deliver a delicious box of chocolates, flowers, or football tickets, along
with personally engraved jewelry this Valentine's Day. "But the important
thing is to ask a jeweler or store if its associates have been professionally
trained," says Brook Ellis, GIA's Education vice president.
"Find a jeweler with Graduate Gemologist or Accredited Jewelry
Professional credentials -- two of the jewelry industry's most well-known and
respected titles. Choose your jeweler carefully -- he or she will be of
immense help to you throughout your jewelry buying career."
Tip 4: Don't buy a diamond without a GIA report. It's the most trusted
authentification in the worldwide jewelry industry, and you should always ask
for one when you purchase a diamond. You can request a GIA report from your
jeweler or send the diamond to the GIA Laboratory on your own. Visit
http://www.gia.edu/gemtradelab/31505/services.cfm for more information about
all of GIA's Laboratory services.
Tip 5: Laser inscribe the diamond with a romantic message and get extra
security. The GIA Laboratory will laser-inscribe any message on the gem's
girdle (outside edge) for a romantic touch. The diamond's unique report
number can even be inscribed and permanently recorded, which can later provide
verification if the diamond is ever lost or stolen.
With laboratories in New York and California, research facilities in
Geneva, Antwerp, and Bangkok, and 14 campuses worldwide, GIA is regarded as
the world's foremost authority in gemology. For more information about
the GIA Laboratory, Research, or Education, visit http://www.gia.edu, or call
800-421-7250.
An independent nonprofit organization, GIA is recognized as the world's
foremost authority in gemology. Through research, education, gemological
laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to
ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest
standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism.
SOURCE Gemological Institute of America
