What is the Perfect Diamond Cut? The cut of a diamond refers to its subtle finish. If a diamond is cut well, it will appear bright and luminous, with intense contrasts and a dazzling sparkle. One of the most important factors used to evaluate diamonds is cut. The term is not difficult to understand; however, it is important to understand that cut does not refer to the shape of a diamond. A diamond with a sub-par cut will appear darker and less brillian...
Where Do Diamonds Come From? The first diamonds ever to be excavated by humans came from ancient India. The Indians believed that diamonds were incredibly sacred. India became and remained a hub of diamond mining from early history until recently, when most of the country’s resources became depleted. It has since been replaced by numerous sites throughout the world, in places such as Brazil, Russia, and Australia. As global demand for diamonds has ris...
What is a Carat? A carat is a unit of measurement equal to 0.2 grams. The term originates in ancient times, back when the seed of a carob tree was used as the standard measure of weight for precious stones. Of course, not every seed weighed the same–which lead to serious problems from time to time! In order to end such disputes and discrepancies, the carat was formally adopted into the metric system in 1913. And there are many different diamond types...
Are Diamonds Strong? Diamonds are one of the strongest materials on earth, but it’s not stronger than steel or several minerals. In fact, as you may know, most diamonds are all but indestructible, due to the unique arrangement and bonding of the carbon atoms they are made up of. Did you know that diamond tipped saws are even used to cut through extremely tough material like stone and metal? Or that most diamonds are estimated to be billions of years o...
How Long Have Diamonds Been Symbols of Prosperity? Since humans first began mining and finding diamonds thousands of years ago, diamonds have been a symbol of wealth and prosperity. First in ancient India, the birthplace of the diamond industry, and then increasingly across the Middle East, north Africa, Europe and Asia throughout the first millennium A.D, diamonds were used in the jewelry and wealth reserves of aristocratic, noble, and royal families. ...
Are Diamonds Older than Dinosaurs? It has become apparent that most diamonds are hundreds of millions– even billions– of years old, and we know this by using new technology. Diamonds are older than any dinosaur, and, in fact, older than nearly all land dwelling plants and animals (the source of coal). Most diamonds are now believed to have been formed ancient carbon in magma, as old as the earth itself. That diamonds are beautiful goes without sa...
Do Diamonds Come From Outer Space? When most people think of diamonds, they picture minerals far beneath the surface of the Earth. Even though the majority of the diamonds on the planet are formed this way, it is sometimes overlooked that many diamonds actually come from outer space as well. These diamonds are either carried from the depths of space within the bodies of asteroids and meteorites, or formed here on Earth from space material upon the impac...
How Big Do Diamonds Get? The largest cut fine-quality diamond ever to be found on earth– a gem known as the Star of Africa I, weighs in at a whopping 530 carats! Other very big diamonds are: the millenium star diamond with 777 carats, the sergio diamond with 3167 carats and the star of sierra leone diamond that has 968.9 carats. Most diamonds that are found are almost as small as dust-like particles. However, from time to time, enormous diamonds are ...
Are Diamonds Just For Jewelry? No, 80% of diamonds is used for industrial applications. They are mainly used in cutting and grinding tools and as a conductive tool, as a drill or an abrasive. Most diamonds mined are not used for jewelry since most diamonds are naturally either far too small or too full of impurities for use as jewelry. Only one in a million diamonds weighs over a carat, and many larger diamonds are discolored by chemicals. So what a...
What Makes a Diamond a Diamond? There are two specific things that make a diamond different from all other precious and semi-precious rocks: the material it is made up of, and the arrangement of its atoms (which translates hardness). There are many types of gemstones in the world, of varying materials, colors and grades, but for a gem to be a diamond it must meet several very specific criteria. Diamonds, in their purest form, are made up entirely of carbo...
