The diamond is more than just aesthetically beautiful – it’s an enduring symbol of love, romance and commitment. The stone’s name is derived from the Greek word Adamas which translates to “unconquerable.” This symbolic meaning lends itself well to the diamond’s historic commemoration of eternal love.
However, the story of the modern diamond market really begins on the African continent in 1866 with the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley, South Africa. As years passed diamond mining expanded dramatically with the discovery of higher-quality white and yellow diamonds in Russia. In the years to follow, Australia rose to prominence with the offering of beautiful pink and red colored diamonds followed by new important deposits found in northern Canada.
Typically, more than 250 tons of ore must be mined in order to produce a one-carat, gem-quality stone. Much has changed too regarding the regulation and control of the flow of rough diamonds into today’s market. In November of 2002, the United Nations adopted a landmark resolution known today as the Kimberley Process. This certification process was enacted to mitigate the trade in “conflict diamonds.” We at Sky Diamonds strictly support ethical diamond practices and offer only diamonds that have adhered to the Kimberley Process.
The diamond’s rarity, beauty and strength make it a natural symbol of resilience and longevity. Just as each diamond possesses its own unique and beautiful journey, so too does Love.
The Cut is a diamond’s most important characteristic and has the greatest influence on a diamond’s beauty. Cut is often misunderstood as the shape of a diamond but it actually refers to the pattern, proportions and finish. Cut is graded on a scale from excellent to poor and considers the diamond’s brightness, fire, scintillation, weight ratio, polish and symmetry. A diamond should not be cut too shallow or too deep in order to ensure the maximum light return or sparkle inherent in each stone. Generally, the quality of the cut can mask other diamond characteristics. Color, clarity, even carat weight are mostly determined by mother nature. Cut is designed by man to maximize brilliance and sparkle.
A certification is an independent quality report on a specific diamond. It is issued by a diamond grading laboratory with no affiliation to any retail outlet.
This gives the customer a completely objective opinion on the diamond’s quality.
The certification includes the exact measurements, proportions, color grade, clarity grade, cut grade and carat weight of the diamond. It also includes specifics that most jewelers do not have the equipment or the knowledge to determine, such as the diamond’s fluorescence, polish and symmetry. Each certificate is numbered, dated and illustrates the internal and external characteristics of a diamond.
The primary difference between the above laboratories is their grading standards; in general, the GIA is stricter than the EGL and the IGI. There are also other labs that certify diamonds and their grading standards may vary.
At first, a certificate and an appraisal may seem like a similar document – however, they are vastly different.
An appraisal is a document created for the customer by a jewelry store. There are no industry established guidelines when creating an appraisal, and for that reason the appraisal is based solely on the professional opinion of the jeweler.
A certification, however, is regarded as the undisputed, independent quality report of the diamond that has been determined by a laboratory that does not benefit financially from the sale of the diamond.
At Sky Diamonds we offer both certified and non-certified diamonds – all provided to you with a complimentary appraisal for your records and insurance purposes.
