Washing and Caring tips for Pure Silk Products

Washing and Caring tips for Pure Silk Products:

Silk, the Queen of textiles: Silks are lustrous & colourful, soft & strong, light & comfortable with fantastic drape unsurpassed by any other fiber either natural or synthetic. Caring of your silks is very important to get long cherishing of your gorgeous silks.

Silks should be socked for 2 or 3 minutes in cold water(with few drops of Citric Acid or Vinegar) before and after washing. Each piece should be washed separately.

Soap should be mild & little, water should be warm & soft (pinch of Borax; Sodium Borate or Ammonia can be added if water is hard) for better results. Soap should be uniformly & completely dissolved.

Hand washing with soft brushing is highly recommended to machine washing, process should be quick to avoid long contact with soap water. Extra soap should be removed by rinsing 2 to 3 times in fresh warm water and soaked for 2 to 3 minutes in cold water as above.

Silks should never be squeezed or twisted either to remove soap or extra water should be rolled in Turkish towels and pressed to remove extra water. Drying should be a plain surface and not on hangers or wires.

Ironing results will be better if little moisture is left and on back side of the surface with medium heat to avoid damage & iron marks.

Store in cool dry place in brown craft paper cover, in case of saris avoid stacking more than three, frequently reverse and change the folds. A small sandal wood piece instead of naphthalene balls would provide dry, cool and fresh condition for silks. Once in a while the saris should be subjected to fresh air. Sweat should never be allowed to settle & should be removed by rinsing in cold water as above to avoid damage.


Courtesy: Silk Mark Organisation of India.

Diamond Cut

Arguably the most complex and contested of the 4Cs, Diamond CUT, is not be mistaken for diamond shapes. We covered Shape in the first of the 4Cs mailer.

Diamond Cut has the greatest influence in the overall beauty of the diamond. It determines what we generally refer as the diamonds sparkle! It determines how well a diamond will reflect and refract light.

When gemologists say "cut," they are talking about a gemstone's proportions, such as its depth and width and the uniformity of its facets--all characteristics that control brilliance, durability and other features we look for in a diamond. The more precisely a diamond is proportioned and polished, the bigger it will look and the more brilliantly it will perform.

Diamond Anatomy :

When talking about the cut of a stone it is important to be familiar with the anatomy of a diamond. The illustration below is for a round brilliant cut diamond. Different diamond shapes have the same components; however special cuts, radiant cut, princess cut, and all custom cuts have additional facets for added brilliance.

Each shape has different ranges of cutting proportions. For purposes of our discussion, we will concentrate on the round brilliant cut diamond. The modern round brilliant cut diamond has 58 facets and accounts for about 75% of all diamonds.



As shown in the images below, when a diamond is well-cut, light enters through the table and travels to the pavilion where it reflects from one side to the other before reflecting back out of the diamond through the table and to the observer's eye. This light is the brilliance we mentioned, and it's this flashing, fiery effect that makes diamonds so mesmerizing.

In a poorly cut diamond, the light that enters through the table reaches the facets and then 'leaks' out from the sides or bottom of the diamond rather than reflecting back to the eye. Less light reflected back to the eye means less brilliance.

The result of the complex relationship with light is a magnificent display of three attributes.

Brightness is the combination of all white light reflecting from the surface and interior of a diamond.

Fire describes the "flares" or color emitted from a diamond. Its the prismatic effect.

Scintillation describes the flashes of light you see, when the diamond, the light source or when the observer move.

Common Problems with Diamond Cuts

• A broken or chipped culet.

• A culet that's missing or one that's off center.

• Misaligned or extra facets.

• A girdle that is too thick, creating poor proportions, or too thin, making it easier to damage.

• A fringed girdle, with tiny cracks going into the diamond.

• A table that slopes to one side.

Always buy diamonds from a reputable jeweler and ask questions about diamond characteristics. Inspect as many diamonds as possible so that you can make good comparisons.


Courtesy: Surat Diamond