Diamonds
The History
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.
The Origin
Your diamond has made quite a remarkable journey – consider the fact that almost all-natural diamonds have ages between one billion and three and a half billion years and were formed at depths beyond 100 miles deep within earth’s mantle.
Diamonds are born when carbon is subjected to the extremely high pressures and temperatures found at the earth’s lithosphere. It is then pushed violently upward until it arrives near the earth’s surface where it is forced from its hiding place by nature or by man. Finally, it is cleaved, cut and polished until its natural beauty shines through. The earliest diamonds were discovered in India in 4th century BC.
In The Early 1700 As India’s Diamond Supplies Began To Decline, Brazil Emerged As An Important Source.
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.
Today, The World’s Diamond Deposits Are Slowly Becoming Depleted; Less Than 20% Of The Diamonds Mined Are Of Gem Quality.
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.
Choosing The Right Diamond Shape
The 4 Cs Of Diamond Quality
The First C: Cut
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.
Total Depth
- Possible grade
- Parameter range
- Excellent
- 57.5% to 63.0%
- Very good
- 56.0% to 64.5%
- Good
- 53.0% to 64.5%
- Fair
- 51.9% to 70.9%
- Poor
- <51.9% to >70.9%
Table size
- Possible grade
- Parameter range
- Excellent
- 52% to 62%
- Very good
- 50% to 66%
- Good
- 47% to 69%
- Fair
- 44% to 72%
- Poor
- <44% to >72%
The Second C: Carat Weight
The size of a diamond as measured by its carat weight has great bearing on its desirability and value.
Larger gemstones, especially diamonds, are relatively rare and are of greater value, though a larger diamond can be worth less than a smaller one depending on other factors, such as cut, clarity and color.
The Third C: Color
Describes the amount of color the diamond contains and ranges from colorless to light yellow. The evaluation of diamond color is based on the absence of color.
The Fourth C: Clarity
Describes the purity of the diamond. Most diamonds contain tiny natural marks called inclusions. The number of inclusions, their size, their color, their nature and location all affect the diamond’s clarity grade.