Wednesday, June 26, 1991 ~ Narth Shore News - 39

Diamond jewelry: a romantic tradition

PLANNING A wedding. by itself,
is a complicated task, with ex-
penses that could skyrocket.

The diamond engagement ring
is one element that takes a good
chunk of the budget, but it is the
only piece that can outlast your
lifetime, be enjoyed every day of
your life, then passed on as an
heirloom to the generations to
come.

Giamonds are the ultimate
symbol of romance. 500 years
ago, in 1477, Archduke Max-
imilian of Austria gave a diamond
ring to Mary of Burgandy, to seal
their marriage vows.

Maximilian placed the ring on
Mary's third finger of the left
hand, according to an ancient
belief that the ring finger was
connected directly to the heart by
the vein of love.

The diamond was set in the ring
ia its natural form, the way it is
originally found, with two
pyramids joined at the base. _

The diamond was set with the
lower pyramid completely hidden
in the ring mount, and the upper
half rising proudly out of it. Light
teflected from all four sides of
this exposed upper point.

Thus the total number of the
facets, or surfaces, totalled eight.
A medern round-cut diamond has
58 facets, which contributes to the
fiery beauty of it.

When buying a diamond
engagement ring, one should be
abie to harmonize all the require-
ments to make the right decision.
If the man is buying it for his
fiance, he should carefully exam-
ine the styles of rings she admires,
the type of clothing she wears,
and ask if she likes a ‘‘flashy’’ or
more classic, elegant look?
Basically, how does she see

If the decision is one to be
taken jointly, then she shouid try
herself the wide selection of styles
available in today's jewelry stores.
The rule of thumb is that two
month's salary should be put
towards the purchase of the dia-
mond engagement ring, but the
price paid and the value received
are two different things.

The value of the diamond is in
the balance of the (a) sie or
weight of the stone, determined in
carats, ic. one carat equals |!
carob seed which is .2 gram, (b)
its color; how colorless it is, (c)
clarity, how pure it is, and free of
natural speckles, (d) the propor-
tioned cut, its ability to handle
light, which gives the stone its
maximum brilliance.

The gold component of the
ting, or the mount, is usually
made of 14 or 18 karat gold in
Canada. Pure gold at 99.9% is 24
karais, 18k eventually is 75% pure
gold and 14k is 58.5%: the rest is
a mixture of copper, silver, nickel,
zinc, which determines the color
of the gold.

The higher the copper content,
the redder the color. The dif-
ference in the price per gram, be-
tween 14 and 18k is $3 at today’s
gold prices. A standard solitaire
design weighs between 3.5 to 8
grams, thus giving you the cost
difference at the gold content.

The labor factor is a combina-
tion of design work and produc-
tion of the ring through different
goldsmithing stages. The more in-
tricate the piece, the higher the
labor cost.

One of the most important fac-
tors in the price of the ring and
jewelry in general is the taxes — it
was a whopping 23.5% of the
cos.

Currently, the 10% excise tax

otal wedding pkgs.

e Riverside garden
weddings
* Theme weddings

* Honeymoon pkgs.

* Anniversaries

* Garden Ceremonies

For complete wedding

information call Christine

at 926-5511

Ba cps” me 1.

Major credit cards accepted

Clyde Ave., West Vancouver 926-5514

still applies, and the GST is added
at the final consumption level.

Being internationally priced
conimodities, gold and diamonds
cost the same everywhere. Loose
diamonds, in Canada, are exempt
of duty, and the only price advan-
tage the U.S. market offers to the
Canadian consumers is the tax
advantage.

The Canadian Jewellers
Association is currently lobbving
to abolish the excise tax, or luxury
tax, on jewelry. This tax does not
apply to numerous luxury items
including cars or exotic collect-
ibles.

The total loose diamond im-
ports, according to statistics
Canada, is approximately $200
million.

Seventy per cent of all new
brides in Canada received a dia-
mond engagement ring, making
our wives the luckiest in the
world. U.S., Britain and Japan
are next down the list.

Historically diamonds have ap-
preciated in value. The prices of
rough have increased by 2.5 times
on average in the past 25 years,
but the investment in diamonds
should be in the symbolism of the
vows that they represent.

Men, through history, have
been the ultimate wearers of dia-
monds. Kings, clergy and
noblemen believed the hardness of
diamonds made them invincible,
powerful, pure and free of evil.
Today, it is fashionable to wear a
gent’s diamond wedding band as a
symbol of betrothal.

Other diamond wedding gifts
might include a necklace, tennis
bracelet or earring studs. No mat-

ter what they are, they will always
be a reminder of an event and a
special moment shared for the
wearer and for the generation to
come.

——_

By Steve Agopian, North Shore
resident’ since 1976, and a dia-
mond importer, manufacturer of
Jewelry, and owner of Lugaro
Jewellers.

Petais and Lace

Pressed Flower
Pictures
by

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The beauty of your
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locked inio a pressed
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Beautifully framed in
silk or velvet

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