Diamonds

What is a diamond?

A diamond is the hardest substance known to man. It rates a 10 (10 being the hardest) on the Mohs scale of hardness. Its hardness means that it’s incredibly durable and resistant to scratches.

Diamonds are pure carbon, earth's most common element, formed into perfect crystal patterns. Diamonds crystallize at enormous pressures and high temperatures over the course of millions of years. The process has been imitated under laboratory conditions and then applied industrially to create "artificial diamonds". These have proven to be industrial quality or very small in size. The diamond's exceptional properties arise from its crystal structure, in which the bonding between the carbon atoms is immensely strong and uniform.

Three Unique Qualities of a Diamond

• A diamond possesses unique powers of light reflection. When properly cut, it gathers light within itself, reflecting it back in a shower of fire and brilliance.
  
  
• It is the only gem mineral composed of a single, unadulterated element, making it the purest of earth's gemstones.
  
  
• It is the hardest transparent substance known to man. Steel, for example, of which most machine tools are made, cannot cut a diamond. The only material that can cut diamond is another diamond!

It is fitting that the purest and most brilliant of all the world's stones should also be the most enduring one. These qualities make a diamond the perfect symbol of engagement and love.

The first river-bed (alluvial) diamonds were probably discovered in India, in around 800 B.C. Until 1725 India was the major source of diamonds, with much smaller amounts mined in Kalimantan (Borneo). When diamonds were discovered in Brazil they became important diamond source. Beginning in l866, South Africa's massive diamond deposits were discovered, and a world-wide diamond rush was on. The South African diamond ouput was unrivaled until major deposits were found in Siberian permafrost in l954. And currently Western Canada is the site of the world's newest diamond rush.

Throughout much of history, diamonds were mined from the sand and gravel surrounding rivers. But in South Africa in 1870 diamond was found in the earth far from a river source, and the pratice of dry-digging for diamonds was born. More sophisticated mining techniques allowed deeper subterranean digging, as well as more efficient river (and, most recently, marine) mining, than ever before. The most famous diamond is the Hope Diamond.

Only about one-fifth of all mined diamonds could be considered of gem quality. From 40 to 250 tons of gravel and sand must be processed today to recover one rough diamond from the world's thinning diamond deposits. Less than 2% are of such high quality that they may be considered investment quality. Experts estimate that all known supplies of diamonds will be depleted within 30 to 40 years.

Diamond Cutting
The earliest record of diamond-polishing (with diamond powder) is Indian, and probably dates from the fourteenth century. There are also contemporary references to the practice of diamond polishing in Venice. The earliest reference to diamond cutting is in l550 in Antwerp, the most important diamond center of the period, where a diamond-cutters' guild was soon to be established.

The three leading centers today are Antwerp (where over 40% of the roughs are traded as well as much of the cut diamonds) New-York (specializing in large diamonds), Tel-Aviv (specializing in middle range diamonds) and India (specializing in small size and lower end diamonds). There are signs of development and growing of new centers in the far east in places such as Thailand and Japan. De-Beers is the world's leading diamond explorer and marketer.

Cut
Cut refers to the shape of the diamond and the proportions of the faceted stone. Diamonds may be cut in round, oval, marquise, pear shape, emerald or other exotic shapes. Historically, the round brilliant cut has been most in demand and has shown the greatest appreciation. The quality diamond is proportioned with mathematical precision. Any noticeable deviation from proper proportions will affect the diamond's brilliance, and hence its price.

The cut of a diamond will determine how light is refracted back out and this will determine the fire and brilliance of the stone. A well cut diamond refracts nearly all the light entering it out of the top (crown) and sides. This results in the form of greater fire and more brilliance.

Carat Weight
This measure of weight calls for each carat to be subdivided into 100 "points". Diamonds are weighed with exact precision, using the metric carat system. While there is no guarantee that current trends will remain consistent, history dictates a faster appreciation for larger stones, and the greatest appreciation for those of the finest quality.

Color
Diamonds are graded for color on a scale of "D" or colorless, to "Z" (dark yellow). While diamonds may be virtually any color, those with "white" or colorless features are most in demand and greater in value. The significance of a diamond's color on the stone's price is an important factor to consider. Just as history shows a higher appreciation for larger stones, it also shows the greatest appreciation for those in the higher color categories. Several grading systems exist, but the most accurate involves use of a reflectance spectrophotometer. This instrument eliminates opinion and is able to measure color with plus-or-minus 3 accuracy on a scale of 10.000 units.

Clarity
Diamonds are graded according to their degree of clarity, with the finest referred to as "flawless": free of inclusions and imperfections when viewed through 10x magnification. Diamonds which show very, very slight imperfections, detected through 10x magnification, are designated as "VVS." Diamonds with minor inclusions are assigned "VS" or "SI" ratings. Finally, those diamonds with visible inclusions are assigned "I" (imperfect) ratings

Grading Stones
There are 4 major laboratories that are known around the world who issue detailed grading reports, they are; Gemological Institute of America (GIA), European Gemological Institute of America (EGL), International Gemological Institute (IGI) and American Gem Society (AGS). These independent labs provide detailed grading reports that help you determine if the diamond you are buying is what the sales person says it is. You should still have a trained gemologist review the diamond and the report to make sure everything is in order.

Round
Also called Brilliant, this is the diamond that is a favorite in engagement rings.

Emerald Cut
So-called because emeralds are often cut this way, rectangular or square, with facets polished diagonally across the corners.

Marquise
A pointed boat shape, usually long and narrow. In a ring, it tends to make the fingers look slim.

Pear Shape
Popular in rings and often used in pendants. The world's largest cut diamond, Cullinan I, mounted in the British Royal Sceptre, is a pear shape.

Oval
An adaptation of the brilliant shape. The marquise, pear shape and oval all appear to be larger than a brilliant of the same carat weight.