10 things you need to know about Diamonds

1 | Why are Diamonds so popular in Jewelry?

Diamonds are the hardest naturally formed gemstones used in jewelry with a hardness of 10 on Mohs Scale of Hardness. Their durability is one of the main reasons to why many engagement rings or daily wear jewelry utilizes this gemstone.

2 | What colors are Diamonds found in?

Natural Diamonds are found in many colors including blue, pink, cognac, brown, yellow, green, orange, red, purple, grey, and black in addition to colorless or clear.

Natural Diamonds may also be treated to improve color intensity with heat, pressure, irradiation, or are sometimes simply coated with another material to achieve the desired color.

Synthetic yellow, pink, and blue Diamonds are now readily available and becoming more affordable every decade but are said to be less likely to maintain their value over time.

3 | How do you value Diamonds?

Gemologists assign values to individual Diamonds based on their clarity, cut, color, and carat weight, these four factors are known as the “4 C’s” of Diamonds.

4 | What are the 4 C’s?

Clarity, Cut, Color, & Carat Weight.

Learn more about the 4C’s here: https://4cs.gia.edu/en-us/4cs-diamond-quality/

(please note that this link will lead you away from our website and that we are not responsible for their content)

5 | What was the largest Diamond ever discovered?

The largest natural Diamond ever unearthed was the Cullinan Diamond which weighed an impressive 3,106 carats or a little over 1.3 pounds.

This Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and cut into 9 large stones in the following years. It reportedly took over 8 months of planning before the cutter who was tasked with dividing the Diamond felt comfortable cleaving it apart. Do not worry—they meticulously used all of this massive gemstone and also produced hundreds of smaller gemstones from the rough. Many of these Diamonds now belong to the the British Royal Family and are notably incorporated into their coronation jewels.

6 | Are blood Diamonds still a thing?

The simple answer to this question is yes. Gemstones that fund war, violence, and terrorism are considered to be blood Diamonds and are still present in our global markets today.

There has been signifiant steps made towards closing these sources off from the global markets with the introduction of The Kimberly Process in 2003 which aims to certify Diamonds as being “clean”. All Diamonds imported to the USA are certified to not be blood Diamonds by the Kimberly Process. This has helped greatly but the system is still flawed and more work needs to be done. This process has done a great job at getting smaller operations off the market but has done little to address corruption at the governmental levels of many participating countries including Angola and Russia who have both been accused of serious violations of human rights.

Learn more about the Kimberly Process with the following links:

https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/en/what-kp

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/07/05/2019-14358/list-of-participating-countries-and-entities-in-the-kimberley-process-certification-scheme-known-as

(please note that these lead you away from our website and that we are not responsible for their content)

7 | Is there any way to know the origin of a Diamond?

Yes! This is completely new technology developed in the last 5 years and is brought to you from the Gemological Institute of America, America’s leading gemological research institution. It is worth noting that only newly mined Diamonds can qualify for this origin program as they are then traced from mine to market to consumer.

Find details of their program here: https://discover.gia.edu/diamond-origin

Canada also exports Diamonds under the trade name “Canadamark” and can often link stones to the specific mines they were sourced from. These gems are considered to be ethically sourced and are excellent options for those with concerns about the politics behind their stones.

Learn about Canadamark Diamonds: https://www.canadamark.com

We expect to see more efforts on this front as the question of sourcing becomes increasingly important to today’s informed consumers.

(please note that these lead you away from our website and that we are not responsible for their content)

8 | Is Diamond a Birthstone?

Yes it is! People born in April get to celebrate with Diamonds.

9 | Are Diamonds indestructible?

No! This is a common misconception with Diamonds. Although they max out the scale when it comes to hardness and scratching, Diamonds are still susceptible to chips and cracking because they have cleavage planes which are planes of physical weakness in their internal structure. The first Diamond cutters were able to identify these planes of weakness and cleave stones along them to produce simple facets.

10 | What do most raw uncut Diamond look like?

The majority of raw uncut Diamonds are dark in coloration with low transparency and look more like rocks than gemstones. We call these low quality Diamonds “Bort” and use them for industrial abrasives and drills. See photos below for examples of Diamond Bort.