FAQ

1. On the average about what portion of the world's annual production of diamonds end up in jewellery?

About ¼ 

2. What do diamonds and graphite in lead have in common?

Their chemical composition

3. When did the slogan "a diamond is forever" come out?

In the 1930's

4. How much of the world's production of diamond does De Beers market?

Even though De Beers' market influence has dropped the past few years it still owns about 30-40% annual production

5. Which culture probably originated the wedding ring?

Roman

6. How old is the first identified jewellery?

Three necklaces were found near Monaco are between 25.000 and 18.000 years old

7. Where does the word diamond come from? 

It comes from the Greek word "adamas" which means unconquerable, which suggests victory and love eternally!

8. Which year is the diamond wedding anniversary?

10th and 60th wedding anniversary

History of diamonds & 4 C's

  • A diamond is a mineral made of pure carbon, and is formed between 120-200 km below the earth's surface in very high temperatures and pressures. 
  • They were founded before 500 B.C. in India. Today, India has only a small production compared to the rest of the diamond market.
  • Major deposits have been found in Australia, Russia, Botswana and China. 
  • The biggest mine is in South Africa founded in 1871, called the Kimberly Mine. 
  • Cullinan (picture) is the largest diamond founded in 1908. It weighed 3,106cts.
  • Diamond is a birthstone for April and is symbolized as a symbol of eternal love. 
  • It began in the 15th Century when an Austrian prince gave his fiance the first recorded engagement ring.

Carat weight, clarity, color and cut are essential in appraising a diamond.

The most accepted and renowned grading system is developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

  • Carat weight is the most objective of the 4 C's since loose diamonds can be measured on a balance.
  • Clarity refers to the impurities a stone might have. Inclusions are impurities within the stone and blemishes are the impurities exterior to the stone. Clarity starts on the GIA scale with Flawless (inclusions and blemishes unable to be seen under 10x magnification) to I3 (inclusions seen with the naked eye). Blemishes and inclusions lower the clarity grade and value but rarely lower the beauty and durability of a stone.
  • Color has two meanings in the diamond industry. Firstly, the more colorless diamonds, the rarer and thus the price of the stone is higher. The color scale is from D (colorless)-Z (Light yellow). Secondly, there are the "fancy colored" diamonds. "Fancy colored" are much rarer than the colorless diamonds and in this case it works oppositely. The more vivid the color is, the better, and the value is much higher. Some fancy colored are yellow, blue, green and even more rarely red.
  • Cut is very important in the final appearance of the stone, because it refers to the relations between the size, shape, symmetry and proportions which brings out the brightness and scintillation and thus beauty and shine. Some famous cuts are the round, pear, oval, emerald, princess cut, etc