Diamonds :
Diamonds, long considered the most prized of gemstones, were first
mined in India. Pliny may have mentioned them, although there
is some debate as to the exact nature of the stone he referred
to as Adamas Currently, Africa and Canada rank among the primary
sources.
The British crown jewels contain the Cullinan Diamond, part of
the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found (1905), at 3,106.75
carats.
Now popular in engagement rings, this usage dates back to the
marriage of Maximilian I to Mary of Burgundy in 1477.
Diamonds – The 4 C's:
1. Colour
Colourless diamonds are the most prized because they allow more
light to pass through the stone. They are also the rarest and
the most expensive. Most diamonds have subtle differences in the
shade of colour. These differences range from nearly colourless
to tinted white to light yellow. Most appear colourless to the
untrained eye and when set in gold.
The diamond industry adopts the Gemmological Institute of America's
grading system. This is a letter system to grade colour ranging
from 'D' (colourless) to 'Z' (light yellow) as shown in the table
below.
Colourless D, E, F
Near Colourless G, H, I, J
Faint Yellow K, L, M
Very Light Yellow N, O, P, Q, R
Light Yellow S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
2. Clarity
Clarity refers to how clear a diamond is. Most diamonds have natural
imperfections called inclusions. These inclusions are the diamonds
fingerprints and make each diamond unique.
Most are invisible to the untrained eye and most jewellers need
magnifiers to view them.
The number and location of the inclusions within the stone determine
the clarity grade. Diamonds with no inclusions reflect more light
and are very rare and very expensive. Jewellers use the GIA (Gemmological
Institute of America) grading system for clarity grading.
IF VVS1 VVS2 VS1 VS2 SI1 SI2 I1 I2 I3
Internally Flawless Very, very slight Inclusions Very slight Inclusions
Slight Inclusions Visible Inclusions