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TIPS ON DIAMOND CARE
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 Diamonds
may be the hardest substance on earth, but they are not indestructible. While they
can be cut or polished only by another diamond, a hard blow can cause them to chip.
Never wear your diamond jewelry when doing rough work.
Don't wear it when you're doing rough work. Even though a diamond is durable, it
can be chipped by a hard blow.
Don't let your diamond come in contact with a chlorine bleach when you're doing
household chores. It can damage and discolor the mounting.
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THE MYTH, MYSTERY AND MAGIC OF DIAMONDS |
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If you appreciate the tradition of diamonds and what they signify in people's hearts
and minds, you will better understand what it is about diamonds that makes people
want to buy them, to own them and to wear them.
For some 3000 years diamonds have held a special place in people's heart s. They
have been thought to possess magical powers, have been sought after, fought over
and even worshipped. Some believed that diamonds were splinters of stars fallen
to earth, others that they were the tears of the gods.
Every diamond is unique, with a mystery and beauty which is all its own. Just take
a look at one. The word diamond comes from the Greek word “adamas”, meaning unconquerable.
Their indestructibility and sparkling life have made diamonds the true symbol of
enduring love. Diamonds are forever.
The gems became a traditional symbol of love in Ancient Greece, and have been a
mark of status for kings throughout the ages. Kings wore diamonds as a symbol of
strength, courage and invincibility, but since the very beginning diamonds have
also been associated with romance and legend.
Then 1477, the Archduke of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, and
so began the tradition of the diamond engagement ring.
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 How
diamonds were created?
Where
diamonds are found?
How
Diamonds are cut?
How
a diamond handles light?
How
diamonds are valued?
What
is the importance of CUT?
What
is the different type of CUT?
What
is the specialty of color?
How
the color grade of a diamond is determined?
What
are the international scales of colors?
What
is term CLARITY?
What
is carat weight?
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How diamonds were created?
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Diamond is the hardest natural material to be found on earth, and the simplest of
all the gemstones in composition. The conditions that created diamonds have not
existed on this planet for millions of years.
Very early in the history of earth as solid matter became condensed into a sphere,
the material at the heart of the planet became subjected to unbelievable extremes
of temperature and pressure. it was the conditions in those deep layers that caused
deposits of pure carbon to begin to crystallize into diamonds. A diamond consists
of pure carbon, and although there is no chemical difference between carbon powder
and diamond, the physical difference between carbon powder and the diamond crystal
is both enormous and miraculous.
As the outer layer of the earth cooled, stress developed, and the plates of solid
rock shifted and split. Streams of liquid rock (magma) were forced to the surface
in volcanic eruptions, and some of that material carried with it the diamond crystals
that had begun to form deep within the earth.
As the surface cooled, the diamond bearing rock turned solid, and it is within this
rock that diamond are now to be found.
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Where diamonds are found?
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Today, most diamonds are found in South Africa, Botswana, Russia, Zaire, Australia
and parts of South America. Altogether diamonds are mined in 20 countries spread
across 4 continents. Many diamonds are found where they were first brought to the
earth's surface, and some of the major mines have been developed on those sites.
At a typical mine, material has to be dug out over a vast area. On average, 250
tons of ore have to be dug out to produce a one carat's weight gem quality polished
diamond.
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How Diamonds are cut?
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Having found a rough stone, the way it is the “cut” is vital to the value of the
diamond, each stone has to be individually cut and polished to transform it into
the gem with which we are familiar. To maximize the yield fro a rough crystal, it
may well be divided first by a process called cleaving. Diamond has a natural grain,
so when a blade is placed against the diamond and struck with right amount of force,
at the right angle, and in the right spot, it will naturally split into two. Many
stones however may need to be sawn, and others are cut by lasers.
But cutting isn't simply a matter of cleaving or sawing. Each gemstone then needs
polishing using other diamonds and powdered –diamond abrasives. Polishing produces
a number of facets on each diamond to create the sparkle from the gem diamond with
which we are all familiar.
A good cut produces facets whose placing and angles are mathematically accurate
to maximize the diamond's brilliance. It is the cut that unlocks the hidden beauty
of the diamond.
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How a diamond handles light?
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The way the diamond sparkles in the light is called its BRILLIANCE and FIRE. These
are not subjective terms, but can be scientifically defined. Suppose the same amount
of light should fall on a pile of black carbon powder as on a cut diamond. Both
are formed from the same chemical, but clearly they will handle that light in quite
different ways.
Most of the light falls on the powder is absorbed, which is why it appears black.
But when light strikes a diamond, part of the ray is reflected from the surface.
This is called EXTERNAL REFLECTION. The other part of the ray enters the diamond,
and as it does so it bends due to the greater optical density of a diamond. This
is called REFRACTION. The light is then reflected from the internal surfaces of
the diamond – which is INTERNAL REFLECTION.
The ray then emerges from the top of the diamond where once again it is bent or
refracted, and is separated into the colors of the spectrum. It is this DISPERSION
that gives the diamond its fire.
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How diamonds are valued?
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"The 4 C's determine the quality and value of a diamond, and explain why some are
rarer- and so more valuable-than others. The 4 C's relate to a diamond's:
CUT
COLOR
CLARITY
CARAT WEIGHT
The better any diamond is on each of these four characteristics, the more valuable
it will be.
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What is the importance of CUT?
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We have already considered most of the essential facts about cutting. However customers
may confuse the quality and precision of the cut with its shape-oval, marquise,
pear etc- appoint to bear in mind.
There are many shapes and sizes of diamonds. But whatever the shape or size, the
CUT is technical feature which can vary in quality, and which is unique to each
stone. The better the quality of the cut, the better the stone will create BRILLIANCE
and FIRE-and that determine the value of each stone
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What is the different type of CUT?
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The most important type of CUT is ROUND BRILLIANT which gives maximum light. The
other types are OVAL, MARQUISE, HEART, EMERALD, PEAR and SQUARE.
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What is the specialty of color?
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Most of the diamonds look colorless, but there are many subtle shade differences
and the closer a diamond is to having no color the more valuable it becomes. Why
does the color vary? Well, in the chaos of extreme temperature and pressure that
first created diamonds, traces of other elements became mixed with the pure carbon-which
is hardly surprising. It is these traces that give a diamond its color-or lack of
it. Diamonds with no trace of color at all are very rare. But also rare are diamonds
with a strong pure color. These are called Fancies and are extremely rare. Pink
and blue are the most prized, but virtually any color is possible.
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How the color grade of a diamond is determined?
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International standards have been established for grading diamonds according to
extremely subtle differences in color. The main scales are those of the G.I.A (Gemological
Institute of America), of I.D.C. (International Diamond Committee), and of C.I.B.J.O.
(International confederation of Jewellery, Silverware, Diamonds, Pearls and stones).
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What are the international scales of colors?
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I.D.C.-C.I.B.J.O. G.I.A.
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Exceptional white
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+ D |
Exceptional white
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E |
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Rare white
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+ F |
Rare white
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G |
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White
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H |
Slightly tinted white
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I-J |
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Tinted white
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K-L |
Tinted color M-R and
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S-Z |
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What is term CLARITY?
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Nature being what it is, diamonds may show peculiarities of crystallization, which
could be minute traces of other minerals trapped during the crystallization process.
These may show up as tiny black or white marks. These natural characteristics are
called “inclusions- nature's fingerprints. The number, size and position of any
inclusions determine the CLARITY of a diamond. The fewer the inclusions the rarer
it will be, so making it more valuable. Since it is very rare to find a diamond
that's flawless the greater the value.
As with COLOR, there are internationally agreed and accepted standards of CLARITY.
The major categories from the G.I.A and C.I.B.J.O systems of clarity are shown below.
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C. I. B. J. O |
G. I. A
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Loupe Clean
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FL- Flawless |
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IF-Internally Flawless |
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VVS1 –VVS2
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VVS1-VVS2- Very, very small inclusions, Very, very slightly included |
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VS1-VS2
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VS1- VS2- Very small inclusions, Very slightly included. |
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SI1- SI2
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SI1-SI2- Small inclusions, slightly incuded |
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P1
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I1- Pique1, Imperfect 1 |
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P2
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I2- Pique2, Imperfect2 |
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P3
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I3-Pique3, Imperfect3 |
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What is carat weight?
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The last of the 4C's is the carat weight. A diamond's weight is the simplest of
its characteristic to measure, and from the earliest times it was used to calculate
the value of a diamond. The carat is a unit of weight which derives from the carob
seed. The pods of the carob or locust tree contain tiny seeds which are remarkably
consistent in weight. These seeds were used by early gem traders to weigh their
diamonds.
A 1 carat diamond used to equal the weight of a carob seed, but in today's terms
the carat is a standard metric weight of 0.2grams, and each carat is divided into
100 cents. So for example, a quarter of a carat is 25 cents, written as 0.25; a
half a carat is 50 cents, written as 0.50, and so on.
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