Diamond - the gem of eternal love
Diamond is the birthstone of April and anniversary gemstone for the 10th and 60th years of marriage.
Diamond was discovered in 500 B.C. in India. The name "diamond" comes from the Greek word "adamas" which means unconquerable-suggesting the eternity of love. Since ancient Greece diamonds have been the traditional symbol of love. The ancients believed they were hardened dew drops, splinters from the stars or crystallised lightening.
The diamond is the hardest substance known to man and is a crystallised carbon which has unique powers of light reflection. Because it is composed of a single element - a diamond is the purest of all gemstones. Some other occasional colours are blue, yellow, amber, red, green, pink, but generally diamond is a colourless stone.
More about Diamonds
Diamonds are the hardest of all gemstones and the hardest transparent substance. Natural diamonds are found in kimberlite or lamproite pipes produced by volcanic magma millions of years ago. Diamonds are a simple crystalline structure of carbon produced by extremely high pressure and temperature. The melting point of a diamond is 4,000 degree C or about 2.5 times higher than the melting point of steel. Gem quality diamonds are rare; this helps to account for their value.
A rough diamond resembles a common pebble; but when properly cut and polished by a skilled diamond cutter, its "fire" or brilliance comes to life. Fire can be seen as a flash, spark, sparkle, or animation of light and color caused by the proportioning, angles and positioning of facets that reflect and refract light inside the diamond. Facets must be precisely cut so that light bounces freely inside the diamond, and then exits through the crown or top, directly to the eye of the viewer. The table, top or crown facet is the largest and most important facet on a diamond.
It takes from several hours to several months to cut and polish a diamond, depending on the size, shape and style of the final product. During cutting and polishing, a rough diamond will lose approximately 50% of its original weight.
The most popular shape for cut diamonds is the round or round brilliant. Other popular shapes are the oval, square, marquise, pear, emerald, heart and princess.
People attribute a variety of qualities to diamonds: strength, character, wealth, success, beauty, purity, eternity ("a diamond is forever"), endurance, milestones, romance, engagement and love.
How Quality is Determined
Four factors are used to evaluate diamonds:
Carat weight - one carat equals 0.2 grams. One carat equals 100 points. A 50 point diamond is described as .50 carats.
Cut - The arrangement of a diamond's facets. This is the only one of the four factors under the direct control of man. Facets are planned and proportioned so that ambient light is reflected from one facet to another until the light exits from the top or crown of the diamond. "Symmetry" refers to how well the facets line up with each other. Grading standards used by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for "cut" are: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.
Clarity - The degree to which a diamond is free from natural phenomena known as inclusions: impurities, non-crystallized carbon, cracks or scratches. Most inclusions can only be seen under magnification. GIA grading standards for clarity are:
- Flawless (F) - no inclusions or blemishes seen under 10X magnification
- Internally Flawless (IF) - no inclusions, with some minor surface blemishes
- Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) - Containing minute inclusions that are difficult to see under 10X magnification
- Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) - Inclusions are clearly seen although minor and small
- Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) - Inclusions are noticeable and fairly easy to see under 10X magnification but not noticeable by the unaided eye
- Imperfect (I1, I2 and I3) - Inclusions that are obvious under 10X magnification or can be seen with the unaided eye
Color - GIA's grading standards begin with D (colorless) and go to Z (light yellow). The value of a diamond decreases as the scale moves from D to Z. Grades of D to H are preferred for fine jewelry.
Summary
The market value of a diamond is linked to a combination of these four factors. Hundreds of combinations are possible. The current trend of consumers is to give high priority to color , then to clarity, next to cut and finally to carat weight. Some demand is also being created for naturally occurring "fancy" color diamonds.
Diamond Cutting
The cut gives each diamond its unique sparkle and brilliance by allowing the maximum amount of light to enter and reflect back out of the diamond. A well-cut diamond will be considerably more beautiful and valuable than a poorly cut stone of the same size, clarity, and color.
There are six diamond shapes: round brilliant-cut, marquise, emerald-cut, pear-shaped, oval and heart-shaped. More than 75% of all diamonds sold are round stones. The solitaire, a single round diamond prong-set in platinum or gold, epitomizes the American engagement ring.