Diamond Chains: How to Choose, Where to Buy
The crystal clear beauty of diamonds around her neck is what every girl dreams about. Not that the guys would refuse to wear them as well. Everybody knows the value of these stones and realize that the purchase of the jewelry with diamonds is a process that requires time, knowledge and money. If you’re expecting the result to match the efforts, you should know what it takes to get the diamond jewelry of your dreams.
Diamond necklaces are probably among the most popular jewelry items. The iced-out chains make the majority of the customers’ choices. Chains are very trendy now and can be seen in the collections of a great number of prominent fashion designers. By the way, they often use multiple necklaces, layering several chains at once and generously decorating them with diamonds. Choosing a diamond chain you need to know that there are chain styles that combine exceptionally well with those gems. It seems that some designs were created specifically for the purpose to be iced-out, and one of them is the notorious Cuban link chain.
This year you won’t find a necklace that is at least near as popular as the Cuban chain. The trend for it has flooded fashion shows, magazines, social media and streets. It’s simply impossible to look stylish this season without a rather massive Cuban chain around one’s neck. The twisted flat oval links covered with diamonds make the iconic pattern that is able to boost every image.
We should be grateful to the rap culture for this concept of a chain necklace, as the rappers of the 1970s were the ones who brought the massive iced-out Cuban link chain to the mainstream fashion. Recently it has become the favorite statement jewelry for quite a number of celebs, and in 2022 the fashion statement the necklace makes is louder than ever before: “The shiny and glamorous Cuban chain laid with diamonds is here to stay!” 
Another style of the necklace that makes a perfect pair with diamonds is the Gucci chain. Its pattern provides a lot of space that can be covered with gems as it consists of wide oval links with a vertical bar inside. The chain also possesses a somewhat massive look making it another piece of statement jewelry. Gucci chain is exceptionally stylish necklace that, when set with diamonds, becomes an embodiment of luxury and chic.
Not only colorless diamonds work with this design of a chain. It makes stunning combinations with fancy colored diamonds, adding creativity and freshness to the look. Both, the Cuban link chain and the Gucci chain are very strong and durable. The Gucci chain is also known under the name of Mariner chain, as its design was inspired by the heavy-duty chains that are used for holding anchors.
Rappers often choose both of these iced-out necklaces as the perfect match for their bulky heavy pendants covered in diamonds, as those chains are reliable enough to handle the weight.
The jewelry that stands out and is flashy and noticeable is now in demand, but not everyone likes it. For those who value real diamond chains that are delicate and elegant there is a perfect alternative. A single strand of diamonds is enough to demonstrate exceptional taste. This simple jewelry has a name that is not very relatable – a Tennis necklace. Initially, it came from a Tennis bracelet, the name given to the jewelry due to the incident that took its place during the sport event. The famous tennis player Chris Evert lost her diamond strand bracelet during the match at the US Open 1987 and refused to continue the game until the jewelry was found.
The name stuck to the simple but catchy design of the bracelet, and soon it was made into a necklace as well. The variation of this chain can also be called the Eternity necklace, symbolizing never ending love. This diamond chain is a concentrated grace, charm and elegance set in metal and diamonds. The choice of style is undeniably significant, but there are features less visible that have just the same level of importance. The materials selected for the diamond necklace determine its strength, appearance and value. The most frequent options of metal are gold and platinum. Good diamonds deserve only the best frame.
It’s better to consider the 14k or 18k purity of gold when choosing the diamond chain, it provides the best value for money spent. Yellow gold chain set with diamonds tells about status and wealth of the wearer, rose gold makes the jewelry unique and sophisticated, the diamond chain in white gold or platinum is a perfect combination, as silvery colored metals enhance the shine and beauty of colorless gems.
It gets harder to memorize the information when we come to the diamonds themselves. They have the specific range of criteria called the 4C standard. It goes for clarity, color, cut and carat weight. The rules of defining a diamond are very strict and have precise scales for each category. Let’s start with the clarity of the diamonds. You won’t be able to tell what category is the diamond just by looking at it, unless you’re a skillful jewelry expert with specific equipment. But at least you will get the understanding of approximate cost of the gem knowing to what category it is referred. Almost all diamonds except rare ones have a certain amount of inclusions that directly influence their quality.
They may be the following: FL, IF – Flawless and internally flawless diamonds with no visible inclusions under 10x magnification. VVS1, VVS2 – Very, very slightly included stones. They have inclusions slightly visible under 10x magnification. VS1, VS2 – Very slightly included are the gems with inclusions that can be seen under 10x magnification. SI1, SI2 – Slightly included stones contain well visible under 10x magnification inclusions, but they’re unseen by the unaided eye. I1, I2, I3 – Included diamonds have the inclusions that can directly affect its quality. The category of color won’t be much easier to determine on your own. It’s really hard to notice the difference between the shades of colorless diamonds with the untrained eye.
But you should know that the marking goes from D to Z, where D is the colorless diamond and thus the most expensive. Every following letter of this scale marks a diamond that differs in color from the colorless one. They get slightly darker, gaining almost invisible tint until they get to Z marker that has a noticeable light yellow or brown hue. Remember, that the price of the stone drops a little with each letter. But there are colors that don’t belong to this scale. They are called fancy colors of diamonds and are typically blue, red, green or black. Those are rather rare stones, that’s why their value and price is higher. The cut of the diamond depends on the skills of the jeweler. They reveal the true beauty of the gem providing it with the right amount and location of facets to get the best interaction with light and preserve as much of the raw stone as possible.
The most popular cuts are the princess cut, cushion cut, pear-shaped and Asscher. The most expensive and valued is the round brilliant diamond cut. It takes years of training and a great deal of talent to perform a good cut of a diamond. We finally got to the most famous category – the carat weight. It’s rather simple as one carat equals 200 milligrams. But if your chain has more than one diamond you’ll most likely get two ways of weighing it. Individual carat weight defines the weight of one diamond in your chain, and the total carat weight shows the weight of all the stone that are set in it. Try not to confuse them. The best way to safely buy a diamond chain is to find a reliable shop or online store.
Check all the information you can get about the place, read the customer’s reviews and be sure to look over all the certificates and quality assurances they will provide. Observe the way they treat their customers. A respectable jewelry store will have qualified assistants ready to help with all your questions, able to give useful advice on how to choose the diamond jewelry, what item suits you, how to clean chain, what diamond necklace fits your budget. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, it’ll help you pick the right piece of jewelry for the reasonable price.
Diamond chain has a lot of benefits: it never fails to elevate the looks and draw attention; it’ll make a clear and loud statement concerning the status of the owner; the iced-out chain is equally loved by men and women; diamond jewelry makes a great investment; the chain set with diamonds can become a perfect present. But the most important is that the diamond chain should bring joy and pleasure, and only the jewelry chosen right can do that. We really hope our tips will be useful when you decide to get a diamond chain.
