The Diamond Blog

Cognac diamonds actually are just a form of brown diamonds. Because brown diamonds are less appealing to diamond buyers as a whole, marketing of brown diamonds as “cognac” or “champagne” colored have been widespread. Naming brown diamonds as “cognac” is an idea that is pushed by the Argyle diamond mine, which is located in Australia. They are one of the largest producers of brown diamonds in the world. By enhancing the image of the brown diamond, they are able to charge more for it because the demand for these diamonds has increased.

Most diamond sellers place cognac colored diamonds under the heading of champagne colored diamonds. This is also how the Argyle Diamond Mine has rated the diamonds coming from their mine. In this case, diamonds falling under the champagne heading are rated from C1 to C7 based on their color. C1 through C6 are variations of the champagne colored diamond, while C7 is reserved for the richer cognac color. If you look at champagne colors on a scale, diamonds on the C1 side are a light straw color and diamonds on the the C7 side are the “cognac” color. The cognac colored diamond is typically a dark orange-brown color. Because of its rich color, diamonds ranked as cognac colored are worth more.

Brown diamonds, of all shades, are found quite frequently throughout the world. Combined with the lack of appeal to the general consumer, they tend to be one of the least expensive diamond choices. The cognac diamond, however, is certainly a beautiful diamond and it might be an excellent choice for someone who enjoys the rich brown shade and does not wish to spend a fortune on a quality diamond.

High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) is a way in which synthetic diamonds are manufactured. HPHT uses what are called “presses” in order to recreate the environment inside of the Earth. The two main presses used are belt presses and cubic presses.

The original HPHT design was invented by H. Tracy Hall. It uses a belt press. A cylindrical volume is used. Anvils are placed on the top and bottom which provide both heat and pressure. In order to keep the pressure where it is needed, a belt made out of pre-stressed steel is used. Sometimes a belt press uses hydraulic pressure as opposed to a steel belt. However, both operate under the same principals. Belt presses were the original way HPHT devices were used. They operate in the same fashion that they did when first invented, except on a much larger scale.

Cubic presses use a cube-shaped volume. It uses multiple anvils to put pressure on the volume. Originally only four anvils were used, however, cubic presses now use six anvils because it maximizes the pressure available. Cubic presses are smaller than belt presses, but they are not able to be made into large scale versions like belt presses are. On the other hand, belt presses are able to create higher temperatures and greater pressure which allow synthetic diamonds to be produced quicker than a cubic press.

HPHT is the most commonly used system for producing synthetic diamonds, mainly because of its low cost.

A synthetic diamond is a diamond that was not produced in nature. Synthetic diamonds are produced through a physical or chemical process. Synthetic diamonds are produced in two main ways.

The first is referred to as High Pressure High Temperature. This method uses very heavy presses to recreate the environment inside the Earth in which naturally produced diamonds are formed. Because of the low cost of this method, it is the most widely used today.

The second method for creating synthetic diamonds is a process called chemical vapor deposition. In this method a base substrate has a carbon plasma placed on top of it. Carbon atoms deposit here and form a diamond. Synthetic diamonds are not just used in jewelry but have many other applications such as in tools and in electronics. Synthetic diamonds are often used in the automobile industry in machining aluminum. Synthetic diamonds are often used in jewelry. The advantage of a synthetic diamond is that it often appears to the everyday consumer as just as brilliant and beautiful as a naturally created diamond but for a lot less money.

Synthetic diamonds are often created as colored diamonds. They are typically more profitable than non-colored diamonds because they are in demand from consumers, they are less expensive to make and they can be made rather quickly. Colors range from the popular pink diamond, to vivid blue, and even black diamonds are created. A recent increase in celebrities wearing colored diamonds has increased the popularity of synthetic colored diamonds as they are more affordable to the everyday consumer.

Beautiful fancy colored diamonds are steadily growing in popularity. Natural fancy colored diamonds are very rare, extremely attractive, and tremendously expensive. Very few people have the pleasure of owning one of these brilliantly intense stones. But with modern advancements in the diamond industry, it is now possible to enhance the color of a dim or pale diamond into a radiating colored stone.

The most common color enhancing process is known as irradiation. Brown and yellow diamonds are transformed into fancy colored diamonds by controlled exposure to periods of radiation. The color change is permanent unless the diamond is subjected to extreme heat.

High Pressure High Temperature treatment (HPHT) is another common color changing process in the diamond industry. Through exposure to extreme pressure and heat, similar to a diamond’s natural environment, yellowish diamonds can become more desirable fancy colored diamonds. Today, this process is also used to turn brownish diamonds into more costly colorless diamonds. HPHT is also a permanent color enhancing process.

Not all diamonds can undergo color enhancement. Even if the diamond can be transformed, the process could produce the wrong color, possibly a less desirable color. In some cases, the process may damage or even destroy the diamond. Any diamond color enhancement process carries a great deal of risk.

Color enhanced diamonds are inspected and labeled by the GIA. Colored diamonds enhanced by radiation or high pressure and temperature are just as beautiful as a natural fancy colored diamond and much more affordable. The color enhancement of a stone should be disclosed by the seller prior to the purchase.

The clarity of a diamond is an important factor in determining a diamond’s worth. Clarity is a measure of a the purity of a diamond or the number of flaws in the diamond. The most common inclusions in diamonds are fractures that appear to be a feather like, whitish spot inside the diamond.

A diamond with poor clarity does not reflect light in the same way as a more perfect stone. Light can not pass through an imperfection in a diamond. Instead, the flaw will reflect the light in several directions, making the impurity more noticeable. These less than perfect diamonds can be improved through clarity enhancement processes.

One common clarity treatment is laser drilling. An infrared laser is used to drill tiny holes into the diamond near the flaw. Once the laser reaches the impurity, the bad crystal is immersed in a sulfuric acid solution and dissolved away.

Another process often used to enhance the clarity of diamonds is fracture filling. Fracture filling usually follows the drilling process. A microscopic amount of a special reflective glass like material is inserted into the flawed area of the diamond. This material allows light to pass right through the imperfections, making them appear almost invisible.

Clarity enhancement does not necessarily improve the value of a diamond. A clarity enhanced diamond is less expensive than a similar naturally purer stone, but appears just as beautiful. The effects of the treatment processes can only be seen if closely examined under a microscope. Clarity enhanced diamonds are beautiful stones at a more affordable price.

Blood Diamond, a new film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly, is set to open in December. Blood Diamond is set in the 1990’s in the midst of the civil war in Sierra Leone. During this war, diamonds were sold by rebels in an unethical manner to raise money to fund war efforts. The movie centers around a South African mercenary named Danny Archer, played by DiCaprio. He meets a Mende farmer named Solomon Vandy (played by Djimon Hounsou). He learns that Vandy, who was forced to work in the diamond fields, has found and hidden a valuable rare rough pink diamond. Along with an American journalist, played by Connelly, the trio must go through rebel territory in attempt to save Vandy’s family.

The film, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, is already being considered as one of the top contenders to receive an Oscar for Best Picture. In addition, DiCaprio is said to give the performance of his career in Blood Diamond and is being talked about for a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

In addition to the Oscar Buzz, Blood Diamond has been the source of much discussion and controversy, particularly among those in the diamond industry. Diamond sellers are worried that the images of DiCaprio as a diamond smuggler and the trade of conflict diamonds will make Christmas shoppers wary of purchasing a diamond during what is typically a busy time for jewelers. Many in the diamond industry are worried that the general public will come away with a negative impression of the diamond market, without realizing that many things have changed since the time in which the movie is set. In a large part due to the conflicts which are portrayed in the film, the Kimberley process was created to insure that the use of conflict diamonds was virtually eliminated.

Blood Diamond opens December 8th in the United States. It is directed by Edward Zwick and is rated R.

When looking at diamonds, usually you look for a distinct lack of color, as any coloration of the diamond makes it worth less. This is not the case in rare vibrant color diamonds, such as the red colored diamond, which is called a fancy colored diamond. Considered some of the rarest diamonds ever found, they are known to come from Australia. It is not known how many red diamonds there are in the world, but some think there are about 50 left in the world.

Red diamonds are made when nitrogen and pressure creates the brilliant color underneath the earths surface. They are considered impure because of the nitrogen, yet they are so rare that the impurities make extremely expensive. The first red diamond found was the 1-carat Halphen diamond. Today, there are two red diamonds that have been seen, both with a value of over 1 million dollars. They are the .95-carat Hancock diamond, and the 5.1 carat Moussaieff Red. Recently another 5.11 carat fetched an astounding 8 million dollars because of the intensity of the color and the beauty of the ring itself.

The concentration of the color is considered the most important factor, graded with a 9-tiered scale developed by the GIA, Gemological Institute of America. Grades range from faint to fancy vivid. The Argyle mine in Australia produces a very small number of red diamonds and the best ones are auctioned off each year.

For every 10,000 diamonds mined in the world, only one will come out being a colored diamond. This is what makes them so rare, and so hard to obtain. The orange colored diamond is considered to be a fancy diamond, made naturally through the presence of nitrogen and carbon lattice. It has the best of the rare red colored diamond and the brilliance of the yellow colored diamond, so when you see it through the naked eye it looks orange. When you see the diamond, the secondary hues, such as red, orange, pink, purple, and yellow combine to make different variations of color depending on how vivid the secondary hue it is.

Orange diamonds are sometimes synthetically enhanced to make them even more vivid then they are, which actually can make the value more than it already is. In grading the diamond it can be either faint, very light, light, fancy, fancy intense, fancy vivid, and fancy deep. Of course the collectors desire the fancy vivid and fancy deep, which are incredibly hard to find. The most sought after orange diamond is on exhibition in museums around the world. It is called the Pumpkin and was worn by Halle Berry at the 2002 Oscar awards. It is an intense vivid orange color, and weighs 5.54 carats, an amazing buy for any collector lucky enough to be able to purchase this rare and beautiful diamond. It is still to this day the largest fancy orange diamond ever recorded.

First and foremost, as a purchaser of diamonds, it is important that you are aware of the source of the diamonds you purchase. Asking your jeweler, or rather demanding to know this information, can help assure that diamonds are no longer used to fund death and destruction. The certification used in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme will allow the jeweler who deals in diamonds to show their prospective clientele that they sell only legitimate diamonds.

The Kimberley Process is a voluntary system that places stringent guidelines on its participants, who account for 99.8% of the world’s diamond producers. There are 45 countries that are participants in the Kimberley Process, assuring the world’s diamond trade stays out of the conflict business, and that the proceeds from the sale of diamonds are not used to fund conflict and war.

Another group that is dedicating its time and efforts to stopping the illicit trafficking in conflict diamonds is Amnesty International. The Clean Diamond Trade Act which passed the United States Congress in 2003 followed the precepts of the Kimberley Process.

The conflict diamond issue is not an issue belonging to the other side of the world. It is one that touches the life of Americans. It is the consumer that ultimately will put a stop to this problem, and in order to do so, they must be aware of the laws and the Certification process, and insist that the jewelers that they deal with are in compliance. They must be careful to make sure that all transactions relating to diamonds are done with reputable jewelers. If your jeweler can not certify that a diamond you are considering is not a conflict diamond, it is time to take your business elsewhere.

Brown colored diamonds vary greatly in their shade and hue. They are typically less expensive than other colored diamonds because there is not as great of an appeal to the average consumer. However, there has been an increase in sales recently when the diamonds were marketed as “cognac” or “champagne” colored. The Argyle diamond mine is Australia is the leading producer of brown diamonds.

Brown colored diamonds are considered to be a Type 1 diamond. When they are created, they absorb a noticeable amount of nitrogen atoms which actually absorb blue light. The nitrogen atoms cluster with the carbon lattice and can start off as a pale yellow color. As the nitrogen atoms spread out they absorb green light to appear to be a darker hue of yellow, making them seem brown, light orange, or greenish in appearance.

One of the most famous golden brown diamonds is The Great Chrysanthemum diamond. If was found in the South African diamond minds at a weight of 198.28 carats. Julius Cohen bought the diamond and had it cut into a pear shape. Now The Great Chrysanthemum diamond weights 104.15 carats, and has 189 facets. It is mounted as a central stone of a stunning yellow gold necklace which is made of 410 oval and marquise shaped diamonds. As a rough stone it was thought to be a light brown but after cutting the stone it became golden brown with hues or burnt orange and sienna. It was exhibited in many diamond stores around the world, and has been featured in many diamond museum exhibits. Julius Cohen later sold it to a foreign buyer for an undisclosed amount.