Wedding Engagement Rings - Diamonds

What is a diamond?

A diamond can only be formed at least 120 miles below the Earth’s surface and at extreme temperatures exceeding 690 degrees F and at pressures of 70,000kg per square centimeter. Diamonds can only be brought to the surface via volcanic activity which originally began occurring between 75 and 120 million years ago.

Diamonds are considered the ultimate symbol of love and have been sought after for over 3000 years. The word diamond originates from the Greek word ‘adamas’ which means invincible due to the hardness of a diamond’s surface. During the Middle Ages, man discovered that he could shape a diamond to his liking, so that it would sparkle magnificently. Up until the 18th Century, India was known for being the main source of the diamond industry with many diamonds being discovered there. One diamond in particular, the Koh- i- Noor was a legendary stone that remained in India until being given to Queen Victoria whereby it was put into the Crown Jewels and worn by Monarchs throughout history. This magnificent gem now lives in the Tower Of London to this day.

Once the diamond was discovered in Brazil during the 18th Century, it overtook India and became the world’s largest supplier of diamonds, closely followed by South Africa in the late 19th Century. In 1905, the largest diamond ever recorded was discovered in South Africa. It was named the Cullinan and weighed 1.5 pounds (equivalent of 3000 carats) before being presented to Edward VII who cut the diamond into multiple parts, the largest one being 530 Carats and named the Cullinan I and valued at over $400 million. Australia is now known as the largest producer of diamonds with Russia, Botswana and South Africa also being large producers of this precious stone.

Diamond cuts

The 4 C's - Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat

Cut:
This is seen as the most important of the four C’s as it will usually determine how well the diamond sparkles. The cut is also the only one of the 4 C’s that is not naturally created below the Earth’s surface. After a diamond is mined, it is cut into a shape that reflects its brilliance as the angles and facets of the stone reflect the light which gives it its shine.

Clarity:
The clarity of a diamond is determined by how few inclusions or imperfections are contained within it. Light is reflected around the diamond and inclusions inside of the diamond can affect this flow of light, therefore affecting how well it shines. Inclusions are only visible through using a jeweler’s tool called the loupe which magnifies the diamond to asses its clarity.

Colour:
Although diamonds may appear colourless, they actually contain gentle shades of yellow or brown. The clearer a diamond is, the more it will be able to reflect the light. A diamond that contains no colour is very rare and extremely valuable.

Carat:
The carat of a diamond is determined by its weight, one carat weighs roughly 200mg. Larger diamonds are often valued higher than smaller diamonds as their weight is, obviously, bigger.

*The 4C's tips are reproduced from non-copywrited publications