August 2019 – High Desert Logistics

Diamonds may be one of the hardest substances on earth but they’re fairly brittle and have planes of weakness (grain) along which they can split. So rounding off a diamond’s corners and points helps protect them from damage and makes them easier to mount.

The most famous and popular of the diamond shapes is the round brilliant which offers the best optical properties for any diamond. See below for the cuts most widely available today.

Round Cut
Heart Cut
Emerald Cut

These are not all of the possible diamond shapes and cuts available but are the most popular un-patented designs.

Sometimes diamond accents/baguettes are tapered at one or both ends to be able to be set along the band of a ring setting. Sometimes triangular diamonds (trilliant cut) adorn the center stone or in some cases can be set solitaire style, it’s all a matter of personal taste.

Choosing good cut grades in fancy diamond shapes is very difficult to do and extensive 鑽石知識 is required – unlike round brilliants which can be calculated mathematically.

Even so, there are a few rules of thumb you can follow to make sure you get a quality stone. These are all things you can find on the diamond grading report that accompanies any reputable certified diamonds.

Check that the polish is very good to excellent.
Choose clarity grades that are no worse than VS2.
Make sure that the symmetry is very good to excellent.
Go for stones graded with low or no fluorescence.
Check that the girdle isn’t too thin or very thick.
Check the length to width ratio: Long short-width stones fair worse than stones close to round or square. If looking at a rectangle, oval or marquise make sure that the width is adequate in relation to the length. Plump is o.k. – long and skinny generally isn’t so good.

There is a fair amount of controversy surrounding cut grades in fancy diamond shapes so at the end of the day it’s “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” time.

Even the experts can’t agree on quality issues surrounding cut grades in fancy diamond shapes, so if you’re in any doubt stick to the trusted round brilliant or appraise your chosen fancy diamond shape on how much it pleases you.

When A Cat Urinates All Over The House, Is That The Same As Spraying?

The answer to that question is “no”. They are not the same. Cat spraying is quite different than urinating indiscriminately. As a cat owner, it is vital that you know the difference. Cats that are simply going pee everywhere they are not supposed to (usually on horizontal surfaces) is one that just has a behavioral problem that may be linked to litter-box rejection or may actually have a urinary tract infection. It may be the result of a social problem, especially if you have other cats in the household and your pee-happy cat is afraid to approach the litter-box.

Cat spraying is not just limited to vertical objects and areas. They may also spray vertical areas as well, such as couches, area rugs, beds, etc. To find out of this is a marking problem, your job is to detect if the urine is in a streamlined spray or puddle. If it is a puddle then you know your cat has a urination problem. However, if there appears to be a line of urine then you definitely have a feline trying to make his mark, for whatever reason that may be.