A billion years in the making
It’s hard to believe that most of the world’s diamonds were formed more than a billion years ago. Deep in the earth's core (hundreds of kilometres beneath the surface) the extreme pressure and high temperatures provide the right conditions for carbon atoms to bond and crystal structures to grow. Composed of a single element- Carbon- diamond is the hardest material on earth. In fact, the only the way to scratch a diamond is with another diamond.
The 4 C’s. What are they?
The 4 C’s are a universal method used to assess diamond quality
CLARITY
‘Clarity’ is a grading that assesses the number, size and position of inclusions and imperfections.
COLOUR
The less obvious the colour, the higher the grade (for colourless diamonds only).
CUT
‘Cut’ refers to a diamonds proportion, symmetry and polish. The cut determines how the facets of a diamond interact with the light.
CARAT WEIGHT
Due to rarity, larger diamonds are worth more per carat than smaller ones (even when quality is otherwise the same).
Coloured Diamonds
Incredibly rare, only 1 in every 10,000 is a fancy coloured diamond. Unlike colourless diamonds (where the value usually decreases as the colour becomes more obvious) the higher the saturation and purity of a fancy coloured diamond, the higher the value. Large, vivid fancy coloured diamonds are incredibly rare and extremely valuable.
The 4 C's applied to Coloured Diamonds
COLOUR
Pure, strong colours are prized for fancy coloured diamonds. Pink, blue and green considered the most valuable.
CLARITY
If the colour is good, even a diamond with low clarity can be very valuable.
CUT
A fancy colour diamond will be cut to optimize colour intensity.
CARAT WEIGHT
Even diamonds with a low carat weight are valuable if the colour is strong and pure.
Did you know?
THE HOPE DIAMOND
The Hope Diamond is the world’s most famous gem. It is a 45.52-carat fancy coloured diamond in deep grayish-blue.
THE PINK STAR DIAMOND
In April 2017, the Pink Star diamond, 59.60 carats, became the most expensive gem ever auctioned.
"Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me about it"
Marilyn Munroe famously sang about world-famous jeweller Harry Winston in Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.
(Gentlemen Prefer Blondes-1953)
Source: https://www.gia.edu/diamond
