Information on Loose Diamonds, Diamond Education and more

The Green Diamond

Green diamonds, when they are natural, are not only highly sought but very rare. The green diamonds in light hues are not of exceptional value, but the color grades known as “fancy intense” and “fancy vivid” green are quite valuable. The fancy vivid grade will usually be valued at twice the value of the fancy intense.

The most famous of the green diamond family is the Dresden Diamond which got its name from the German city where it had been on display from 1768 to 1942. It weighed in at 40.70 carats and has a vibrant green apple coloring that it got from coming into contact with some amount of radioactivity. It is cut in an irregular pear shaped, and like another famous diamond, The Hope Diamond, the Dresden Diamond has a colorful past. It is reported that the diamond was purchased in 1743 by Frederick Augustus II of Saxony for what would be today a mere $150,000.

Green diamonds have been discovered in Africa, South America, and Asia. A green diamond can be cut into any shape you desire, but it is important to note that the color will often change and lose intensity, when it is cut or when it is exposed to heat. Since natural green diamonds are so rare, Certificates of Authenticity usually bring their prices up considerably. The green diamond is sometimes called “the chameleon diamond” because it color can change so dramatically. It is the ratio of nitrogen atoms, which the diamond may or may not contain during their creation, that gives them their unusual hue, and accounts for their extreme rarity.

No Comments »

The Diamond War in Sierra Leone

conflict diamond sierra leone

The war in Sierra Leone was fought over control of the diamond mines. It began in March of 1991. More than 50,000 people died in the first six years of fighting. Hospitals were reporting that one hundred people were dying of starvation each day, and there was a mass exodus out of the country with a least 384,000 becoming refugees as they fled the violence to seek safety in neighboring countries. The four million people of Sierra Leone’s population that stayed in the country suffered from hunger, and watched the almost total disintegration of their once proud society. Children younger than eighteen became hardened soldiers. All of this tragedy and death was for shiny rocks.

Conflict or blood diamonds have destroyed thousands of lives. Eventually, the United Nations and the International diamond industry finally stepped up and said, “No More.” They banned the purchase and even the use of “conflict” diamonds which effectively cut off the ability of the rebels to purchase weapons and continue the carnage they were causing in their country. These sanctions on conflict diamonds made all of the combatants open to compromise.

What was called the Kimberly Process was aimed at stopping the use of children as soldiers as well as using civilians as targets. It made it much more difficult for rebels and terrorists to profit from what was causing the destruction of countries such as Sierra Leone and nearby Angola. A United Nations Peace Keeping force was dispatched to Sierra Leone, and despite the fact that some UN soldiers were captured and held by the rebels who demanded a UN withdrawal, eventually the country was largely disarmed. The United Nations Security Council’s ban on the exporting of diamonds had taken the wind out of the conflict. When the sanctions were extended to neighboring Liberia where the rebels were still receiving support and arms, the area began to realize the implications. The so called blood diamond was going to lose any value it might have had, and was not going to be able to finance the conflict and chaos that it had in the past.

President Kabbah of Sierra Leone declared the war in his country officially over on January, 18, 2002. Although the UN troops were not completely withdrawn until 2006, the diamond war had ended.

No Comments »

Conflict Diamonds - Kimberly Process

The funding of conflicts using the proceeds of diamond sales in Africa has brought about regulations to stop this type of abuse to humanity. With the cooperation of the diamond industry and government intervention to address the issues and work together to solve the problem, great steps have been made to stop the use of conflict diamonds in the past six years.

In 2000, a zero tolerance policy was announced by the diamond industry and that policy still drives its policy makers today. In 2002 Kimberley Process Certification Systems was established and with it the elimination of the trade in conflict diamonds became a reality. The good news is that 99% of all diamonds in the world today are from non-conflict sources. The proceeds of non-conflict diamonds are being used for the economic growth of countries around the world.

Just some of the many programs that are now being funded by non-conflict diamond sales are the free education programs in Botswana, which allow its youth the chance to explore the world and have a chance at a better tomorrow. Also, in Botswana, these funds are going toward the building of hospitals and funding health projects. The peace in Sierra Leone allows it to export around $142 million in diamonds a year. Koidu Holdings, a diamond mining company in Sierra Leone has pledged 20% of its profits to national social safety and to the local community in which it operates. All of this goes to help with the reconstruction of its once war torn nation.

With the stamping out of conflict or blood diamonds, society as a whole is taking giant steps into the future without the use of a natural resource and an item of great beauty being turned into a weapon to fund death and destruction.

No Comments »

The Blue Diamond

blue diamond

The blue diamond gets its color from the boron in its composition. They are mined in Australia and South Africa, and along with the “red” diamond are the most rare and valuable of the colored diamonds. A blue diamond can cost as much as $100,000 to $250,000 per carat, depending on clarity, color, and size.

The most well known of all the blue diamonds is the “Hope Diamond”. Its weight is reported to be 45.52 carats and is classified as a type IIb. diamond. Its current home is in the Smithsonian Institute where it is one of the prime attractions. It is cut in the cushion shape, otherwise known as the pillow cut. It is estimated that the Hope Diamond is worth over $215 million, but it is doubtful a buyer could easily be found due to its turbulent history. The diamond is said to be cursed, and many of its previous owners have not fared very well at all after it came into their possession. It is said to glow with an eerie glow when exposed to ultraviolet light; a fact that only adds to its mystical quality.

The name diamond is derived from the Greek word “adamas” meaning invincible. It is interesting to note that the first diamonds were not mined, but found along river beds. These sparkling crystals were the source of many legends and myths. They were thought to be poisonous in some cultures due to their soft fluorescence. Some colors including the blue diamond were thought to hold magical power, and were sometimes swallowed to help cure ailments and heal wounds.

No Comments »

The Yellow Diamond

Yellow is one of the most common colors found in diamonds. Yellow diamonds range from very pale yellow to vivid fancy yellow depending on the quantity of nitrogen atoms absorbed during the crystallization phase.

Most diamonds are faint or light yellow. These stones are the most affordable diamonds and are becoming more and more popular because of their warm coloring and their ability to blend nicely with white diamonds and white gold.

Vivid fancy yellow diamonds, as like any fancy colored diamond, are rare and rather expensive. One of the largest known yellow diamonds is the Tiffany Diamond. Discovered in a South African mine, this famous gem weighed almost 280 carats before being cut into a 128 carat stone.

About 25 percent of the world’s largest and most famous diamonds are yellow, but only a few are fancy vivid yellow. Because of the rarity of vivid yellow stones, color enhancement treatments are often performed to meet the demands for these beautiful gems. Color enhanced yellow diamonds are more affordable than natural fancy stones and much easier to find.

Laboratory grown fancy yellow diamonds are also growing in popularity. Conditions similar to those found beneath the earth’s surface are recreated in a lab, producing gem-quality colored diamonds in just days.

Yellow diamonds are found in mines worldwide but most often come from South America or South Africa. Only one out of every 1000 diamonds is a fancy colored diamond. The occurrence of a natural vivid yellow diamond is even more rare.

No Comments »

The Pink Diamond

The pink diamond is the most precious of natural fancy colored diamonds. Naturally colored pink diamonds are so rare that most jewelers will never have an opportunity to see one. The rarity of the stone makes it one of the most expensive diamonds.

Natural colored pink diamonds vary in hue from purplish pink to orangey pink. The cause of the color variation is questionable, but it is believed to be a result of the stone’s atomic structure.

Pink diamonds were first found in India several hundred years ago. Small quantities were found in Brazil and South Africa, but the color was usually very pale with little saturation. In 1979, the Argyle diamond mine was discovered in Australia. The mine produces most of the world’s diamonds and supplies around 95 percent of all pink diamonds. The natural fancy pinks produced in the Argyle pipe are more saturated than those found in the past and are in greater quantity.

The increase in supply and availability of the pink diamond, coupled with celebrity ownership of the stones, have caused an increase in the demand as well as price of the precious gem. In the past, pink diamonds were only made available to royalty. Today anyone can own the stone but must pay a hefty price.

A growing trend in the jewelry industry has made it easier to own a colored diamond. Through irradiation and high heat treatments, plainer diamonds are transformed into fancy colored diamonds. Irradiated diamonds are much more affordable than natural fancy colors and just as beautiful.

No Comments »

The Asscher Cut Diamond

- In 1902, what is considered to be one of the greatest cuts of diamonds was conceived. That diamond is the Asscher Cut Diamond. The Asscher cut was named for its inventor, Joseph Asscher who founded the Royal Asscher Company in Amsterdam in 1854. This diamond can only be described as looking at an infinite hallway of reflecting mirrors.

Original Asscher cut diamonds are very rare, and each one-of-a-kind diamond can only be found in estate sales and of course, on the body of the rich, famous, or royal. Julia Roberts recently wore 10 carat Royal Asscher Cut Diamonds to an Academy Award presentation. They were set in 18k gold and were enhanced by round brilliant diamonds. It is the diamond choice of celebrities these days, especially in the form of engagement rings such as the one worn by the Reese Witherspoon in the form of an outstanding 4-carat in a platinum setting.

The diamond itself is a square cut with 72 facets in it. The deep clipped corners make the diamond resemble an octagon. The modern patented Asscher cut diamonds have more facets, and smaller clipped corners, but is no less exquisite. The original diamonds are each inscribed with the family insignia and a unique identification number to distinguish its authenticity.

There are few diamonds as breathtaking as the Asscher Cut Diamond.

No Comments »

The Cushion Cut Diamond

- Women love diamonds. There is no denying that, but what kind of diamonds do you want? Are you looking for oval, emerald, round, pear, or heart shaped diamonds? That is the question that all women ask themselves when thinking about a piece of jewelry. An interesting alternative to the oval or the princess cut may be just what you are looking for. It is called the cushion cut diamond. They are relatively rare, so just owning this jewel will put you in the class of having something that few possess.

The cushion cut diamond is a stunning combination of a round and square outline with a softened “pillow” shape. They tend to be cut as a rectangular shape, but proportionally look like a square. The way the diamond is cut on the edges exhibits a high degree of returning light, so the sparkle that it has is dazzling. It comes to life, and has a dreamy quality that you can only get in this kind of cut and sparkle.

Cushion cut diamonds vary in proportion and there is no real standard for what the proportions of a cushion cut diamond should be. Because of this, the quality of the cut can have a big impact on how beautiful the diamond appears.

The cushion cut is an excellent choice for someone who wants to be noticed because of their diamond.

No Comments »

The Radiant Cut Diamond

- The Radiant cut diamond is just that, absolutely radiant. It has the classic elegance of the traditional emerald cut shape combined with the fabulous sparkle of the brilliant cut diamond. This diamond is also called a Brilliantized Step Cut because of the way the developer put them together.

The developer of this cut was Henry Grossbard. He developed and patented the radiant cut in 1977 because he didn’t want people to have to sacrifice on brilliance in order to have the shape of the emerald cut diamond. What came about was an utterly beautiful diamond that has become a mainstay of engagement rings everywhere. Mr. Grossbard realized that all diamonds with straight edges were faceted with long rectangular surfaces. The step cut, as it is called, gave the diamond a glassy look without much sparkle. As any bride to be would agree, you can’t have the diamond without the sparkle. So, he combined the two cuts and it resulted in a stone second to none.

There is only one place to get the original Radiant cut diamond, and that is through the company that Mr. Grossbard founded. There are plenty of Radiant cut diamonds out there, but to get a true Radiant that doesn’t sacrifice proportion or brilliance, you probably should go to those who originated the radiant cut diamond in the first place. Radiant cut diamonds are not just limited to rings, but also make beautiful earrings and other jewelry pieces. Sadly, Henry Grossbard died a tragic death, but his radiant cut diamond is sure to be around forever.

No Comments »

The Trilliant Cut Diamond

trilliant cut diamond - The two major types of triangular diamonds, trilliants and trillions, are in the same shape family but have some very distinct differences. The Trilliant cut is a very marked triangle, its sharp points most often used as “side” stones with another shaped stone. Square or Emerald cuts are among the most popular choices to pair with the Trilliants. Although the Trilliant cut is rarely use as a solitaire stone, when it is it makes a very dramatic statement.

As with the Princess cut, the vulnerable corners of the Trilliant must be protected by a V shaped setting. The cut is considered a variation of the Radiant cut and employs the mixing of step cuts on the crown, and a brilliant cut on the pavilion facet.

The Trillion cut stones, while also triangular in shape, have a softer and more rounded edge to them. The crown and pavilion are both brilliant cut. These stones tend to be deeper in the pavilion to bring out more of the fire and the color enhancements while keeping a maximum amount of brilliance. With both Trilliant and Trillion cuts, an ideal proportion is a 1:1 ratio between the large table and the depth of the pavilion.

One of the most noted examples of a Trillion cut is the spectacular Moussaieff Red Diamond. At 5.11 carats, it is the largest stone ever rated as a Fancy Red by the Gemological Institute of America. A rough of nearly 11 carats, it was found by a Brazilian farmer in the mid-1990’s and cut by the William Goldberg Diamond Group. Its original name was the Red Shield. Moussaieff Jewelers Ltd is the diamond’s current owner.

1 Comment »

« Prev - Next »

The Diamond Blog

The Number 1 Blog For All Things Diamond.

The Green Diamond

The Diamond War in Sierra Leone

Conflict Diamonds - Kimberly Process

The Blue Diamond

The Yellow Diamond

The Pink Diamond

The Asscher Cut Diamond

The Cushion Cut Diamond

The Radiant Cut Diamond

The Trilliant Cut Diamond

Categories

Recent Posts

Diamond Links