DIAMOND

One purpose is to control the supply of industrial diamonds. Women may be able to do without their diamond engagement rings, but industry needs diamonds for many purposes. n effect, then, DeBeers also sets the prices of diamonds. At one time, ,-.e United States considered a suit against the monopoly, but it was supped because of the need for industrial diamonds.

The Russians gave gone along with DeBeers in marketing their rough (uncut) diamonds. The reason is profit. In an uncontrolled market, the prices of diamonds would be affected: flooding the market might ruin the economies of countries like the Union of South Africa, but it would ,o reflect on the Soviet income from their diamonds. As a result, e price paid is a worldwide one.

For this reason, you should be wary of diamonds advertised at great reductions in prices. While prices can vary because of markup : overhead, diamonds of top clarity and good color are too value to be sold at cut-rate prices. One further note on prices: at times, 3eers has been suspected of holding back diamonds to make -n scarcer and demand a higher price. Whether or not this is true, the prices of diamonds have increased in recent years-but so have prices of all other jewelry, and especially of gold jewelry.

In the United States, the terminology that can be used with diamonds is controlled by the Federal Trade Commission. A diamond can be called flawless but not perfect. "Perfect" is meaning what flawless means is that the diamond shows no flaws when magnified to 10 times the size you see it with the naked eye, although greater magnification may show flaws. In addition, a diamond can white but not blue-white.

A white diamond is a transparent, -less diamond, and all such diamonds will show blue flashes due to dispersion of light, called "fire," depending on the inclusions. Blue- white, therefore, is not a descriptive term. In other countries, terms may be used, some of which are misleading. One term Is “eye perfect," meaning only that no flaws can be seen with the neked eye-although flaws might be seen under 10-power magnification short, be wary when you hear any terms with which you familiar and be sure to ask what they mean.