Diamonds are Forever?
Would you believe that diamonds are forms of crystallized carbon, which predate the oldest known life here on earth? Maybe that’s why they say that these gems are forever. Minus some traces of impurities, these known precious stones are almost solely composed of carbon. They have tightly-assembled crystalline configurations which made them the hardest element known to man. Imagine, it can only be scratched by another diamond!
The deposits of diamonds are found in the “cratons” or the oldest parts of the continents where basement rocks are at least 1.5 billion years old. These cratons are divided into two terranes (rock formations): the Archean—age (2,500 million years and older) and the Proterozoic-age (between 1,600 and 2,500 million years old).
Diamonds are recovered in different ways of mining like hard-rock mining, fissure, and alluvial mining. Once mined, rough diamonds are brought to sorting experts who would classify and assign their values. No two diamonds are the same and this is why it is very important to have them closely checked by experts.
Transforming rough diamonds into smooth gemstones is an art and science at the same time. They will be cut and polished and then classified again. In classification, the four C’s are taken into consideration: cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. After which, it will be sold to registered diamond bourses around the world to turn them into jewelry and other precious accessories.
Diamond Carat - Know How to Tell the Weight. It is common for us to hear the term carat. This is used to measure the weight of a stone such as a diamond. This should also not be confused with “karat” that is used to measure the pureness of gold. When speaking of diamonds, it is also common to hear and see the term CTW. This refers to the carat total weight. This is best applicable to a number of stones set in a piece of jewelry such as a pendant, ring or earrings. When you see a description for a ring studded with five diamonds, the CTW refers to the total weight of all five stones combined.
Diamond Shapes - It is normal for diamonds to have particular shapes to which they are known for. These are more formally referred to in the jewelry business as the cut of the stone. When stones are mined, these come in irregular diamond shapes and sizes. These are then handed over to skilled diamond cutters where they cut it into specific designs or shapes while still being able to bring out the best of the stone with as little external imperfections as possible. There are ten basic diamond cuts or shapes that jewelers are most familiar with. These would include the round brilliant, oval, Marquise (a shape that has two pointed ends while the other two are rounded), pear (combination of oval and marquise), heart (pear shape with a cleft), emerald (rectangular), princess (square), trilliant, radiant and cushion cuts or shapes
Diamond Colors - Diamonds can come in a variety of colors. Some of these are absolutely rare and are very expensive. The same rule applies to colorless diamonds. Those that are clear like glass are what are most demanded for. However, these may be rare and have higher values than those that are a bit more tinted. The colorless diamonds are categorized to be “D” diamonds. As it progresses to a different hue of faint to light yellow, it follows a corresponding letter of the alphabet where “G” is the beginning mark of near colorless stones. This is how jewelers professionally grade the color of the diamond.
Diamond Clarity - The second C to buying and inspecting diamonds is Clarity. This refers to the quality of the diamond in terms of inclusions, blemishes or other obvious physical characteristics. Some of these imperfections can be visible to the naked eye while others would require magnification for it to be seen. There are two kinds of flawless diamonds. One that is extremely rare would be the one that has neither an external nor internal flaw. These are absolutely clear from any imperfection. The other is also rare where it is flawless on the inside yet has a few notable imperfections on the outside. Other diamonds use these inclusions as a way to determine its origin as part of certification. In a sense, these signs of imperfections can also be treated as an advantage to secure authenticity.
Diamond Setting - The presentation of a diamond ring is more formally referred to as the diamond setting. This is when an individual would decide on the design and appearance of the actual ring that will highlight the diamonds. Having loose stones is an easier way to think of a particular design. For a bigger diamond cut, you can opt to have it in a solitaire setting where there is only a single stone nestled at the center of the band. They can also decide to have these surrounded with other stones. There are some that would rather have these diamonds set in a band in a uniform fashion. Deciding on the metal to put it with such as yellow gold, white gold and platinum is also part of the setting.
