WHAT makes diamonds so sought after?
Is it the rarity? The color shape or size?
Is it the simple beauty of a clear polished stone or stones in a lovely setting? Imagine how the light is reflected in a clear stone-it can break up into the colors of the rainbow if held in the brightness of either the noonday sun or romantic candle light. The prism-like affect of a flawless diamond is like no other as it catches the light and sparkles and seems to dance with reflected brilliance.
The truth is diamonds are not that rare. Yes, they are produced by eons of pressure on a lump of carbon until the unique crystal lattice of a natural diamond is formed. They can be mined in deep pits of the earth or found near the surface due to a long ago volcanic magma explosion. Somewhere on the earth today are precious diamonds along a remote river bank waiting to be found.
Colorless diamonds have a sparkle all their own but if the crystal lattice is contaminated with boron or nitrogen, the clear stone can take on a varied hue as yellow or green.
The old saying ”beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” certainly applies here as the range of colors appeal to different personal choices depending on their preference and of course the cost.
The 4 C’s of diamond grading
CUT- perhaps the most important for the diamond cutter’s expertise will effect the final sparkle of the stone. If there are inclusions or defects, his ability to cut and polish the stone can mask these flaws if they are minor.
COLOR The letter D refers to a pure, white colorless stone. From there down to the letter Z can be found various contaminates that give color to the diamond.
CLARITY-this refers to the lack of cloudiness or imperfections that can detract from the beauty and sparkle. Tiny cracks can appear white or cloudy and of course affect the desirability of the stone. The stone that appears flawless or absolutely clear under 10X magnification is the most rare and therefore the most costly.
CARAT or weight. The carat does not always reflect or represent the diamond’s size. The carat is the weight of the diamond and price is determined by the carat. It is expressed in points or fractions. For instance-100 points represents one carat and are priced accordingly.
This is an overview of diamonds and their appeal. Imagine a young man presenting his sweetheart with a velvet ring box and when she opens it, she finds a beautiful clear stone in a lovely setting. Is she measuring the weight and clarity-probably not but is overcome with the sparkle and beauty of the stone. To know where and how this diamonds was formed, cut and weighed is for a different day in her life because nothing can compare to the first moment she sees the effort to win her hand in marriage with this product of the deep caverns of the earth.