Everyone has at least one diamond. In 1477 A.D., Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy as a sign of their engagement. They have since become the number one symbol of love and marriage around the world. But what do we really know about them? Outside of being shiny, hard and expensive, very few people learn much about these stones. To the rescue comes Karen Simmons. Her new book, Perfectly Clear – Buying Diamonds for Pleasure and Profit takes the mystery out of the topic. "For decades", Karen says, "people have been taught that the value of a diamond depends on how it is graded according to the 4Cs - Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight". "But there's really a 5th C and it makes all the difference. The 5th C stands for "character" which establishes and guarantees the integrity. And one of the best way to identify and establish the integrity of a diamond is to ask for proof that ensures the ownership of the diamond can be traced from its birth mine to the present owner or seller."
