I. Introduction
Diamond is the birthstone of April & 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 crystallized lightening.
A diamond - the hardest substance known to man is a crystallized
carbon which has unique powers of light reflection. Because it is
composed of a single element - a diamond is the purest of all gemstones.
Diamond is a colorless stone. Some other occasional colors are,
blue, yellow, amber, red, green, pink.
II. The
value of a diamond, 4 C's: Cut - Clarity -
Color - Carat Weight
Cut
| Cut is the factor that determines the brilliance
of a diamond. A classic round brilliant cut diamond has 58
facets - 33 on the top, 24 on the bottom and the culet ( 1
point at the bottom - another tiny facet ). Each of the stone's
facets must be placed by the diamond cutter in exact geometric
relation to one another. Quality diamonds must be properly
cut and not "spread", which means that the proper
proportions are compromised to make the stone weigh more. |
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Clarity
The fewer the inclusions, the clearer, more brilliant and more expensive
the diamond. "Flawless" diamond means that no inclusions
can be seen under a 10x jeweler's loupe. Flawless diamonds are extremely
rare.
Color
The more colorless the diamond, the more valuable it is .Though
most diamonds may appear colorless to the eye, the majority contain
slight traces of yellow or light brown. Depending on the stone's
size, a single increase in color grade can boost a value of a diamond
by thousands per carat. A traditional engagement diamond is colorless
or near colorless.
In nature diamonds can also occur in shades of red, pink, blue,
green and deep yellow. They are called "Fancy diamonds".
In the United States and around the world colorless diamonds are
graded on an alphabetical scale, introduced by the Gemological Institute
of America (GIA). D, E and F color grade diamonds may be referred
to as "colorless" or "rare white", D color is
the most expensive and very rare.
Weight:
Standard measure of a diamond's size is carat(ct)
weight.
Size alone is almost meaningless unless you consider cut, clarity
and color. A large stone is not very valuable if it lacks brilliance,
purity and high-grade color . For the reason that large stones are
harder to find than small ones, size does increase the value of
a good diamond.
No two diamonds are exactly alike, and a reputable jeweler can help
you weigh all of the factors - color, cut, clarity and carat weight.
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