Famous and Rare Diamonds

Rare Diamonds
Originally uploaded by chellefay1120.

Interested in the fancy colored and rare diamonds?? Throughout the world, there have been discoveries of diamonds with the rarest colors, and obviously most expensive diamonds. Starting from the left, the Millennium Star was found in Zaire and represents a perfect diamond color (colorless). Next, is the Heart of Eternity Diamond; Its perfect blue color makes this one of the 11 rarest blue diamonds in the world (and most expensive!!!). The third diamond, called the Centenary, is another perfect colorless diamond. The necklace, called the Star of South Africa, was a flawless diamond (recall Clarity) found in South Africa. The Incomparable is another fancy-colored diamond, boasts a yellow-brown color, and was also discovered in Zaire, the same place as the Millennium Star. Finally, the De Beers Diamond is a fancy-colored diamond found in their mines. It is a bright yellow color, creating another rare diamond.DeBeers provides more information and better quality images of these rare diamonds.

More on Color

J.Lo Engagement Ring
Originally uploaded by chellefay1120.

To avoid confusion, the previous posting was explaining the color grading for diamonds, does not include fancy color diamonds. Fancy color diamonds include colors such as yellow, pink, green, blue, and the rarest is red. The color grading scale for fancy color diamonds is completely different; the more color and hue, the rarer the diamond. Unfortunately, these diamonds are not graded on a scale. Remember the pink Harry Winston engagement ring Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Lopez?? This is a perfect example of a fancy color diamond engagement ring. And the cost?? It's estimated to be between $1 and $1.5 million for this 6-carat ring!!!

C #3: Color

Color is the third C of a diamond. Color is measured along a specific scale. For a diamond, the perfect color is actually colorless; it does not possess a color. Diamonds with a color, often not seen with the human eye,do not have a high color grade. This color becomes more yellow or brown (due to imperfections) as the color grading worsens. Jewelry stores measure the color of diamonds against what is called "master stones." So, if you are choosing a diamond, request the jeweler to compare the diamonds you are choosing from to their master stones. This will help you view the difference. The American Gem Society grades the color of diamonds on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being colorless (the perfect diamond color). Jewelers certified by the AGS will use this same scale and also provide AGS Master Diamonds. Tiffany's, on the other hand, uses the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) scale to measure color; their scale ranges from D (colorless) to Z (saturated with color). Their website states they will only accept diamonds with color grading I ("near colorless") and better. D, E, and F are colorless, while G, H, I, and J are near colorless. Harry Winston uses the same scale as Tiffany's, but only sells diamonds with a G grade or better (this is a better standard than Tiffany's!!!). Harry Winston's son Ronald, explains, "For color, I advise anywhere from D through G. Any color darker than G should not be purchased in any shape other than round because the color tends to concentrate at the points and becomes more noticeable." If you're really interested in this topic, visit DeBeers to see how diamonds of different color gradings look.

Clarity

Inclusion Examples
Originally uploaded by chellefay1120.

Clarity is the second "C." There are two ways to determine clarity: blemishes and inclusions. Blemishes are abrasion, nicks, pits, scratches, etc. on the surface of the diamond. Inclusions are the spots located inside the diamond. The size, nature, location, and number of includsions affect the grade of the diamond. Three types of inclusions are called crystals (minerals trapped within the diamond), feathers (breaks inside the diamond), and clouds. De Beers shows examples of these inclusions (place the mouse over each diamond). Each diamond is graded for its clarity according to a scale devised by the American Gem Society. This scale ranges from 0-10, with 0 describing a flawless diamond (no presence of inclusions or blemishes). To determine the clarity, a microscope must be used, as the blemishes and inclusions can be extremely minute. The more apparent and easier the blemishes and inclusions are to see with the microscope, or human eye, the lower the level of quality is for the diamond. Using the picture above (from the AGS website), it is easy to identify the different clarity grades. The first diamond is flawless and graded by the AGS as 0 (zero); this diamond is perfect because inclusions and blemishes are nonexistant. The second diamond has "very small inclusions" and is given a grade 3; the last diamond is labeled "small inclusions" with an AGS grade of 5. High-end jewlery stores will only accept diamonds which receive a specific grade quality. Check with the jeweler before purchasing the diamond. The inclusions are shown by the red dots. Tiffany's also has a cool interactive clarity grading scale, as does De Beers.

The 4 C's!!!

The most important point to remember about choosing an engagement ring is the 4 C's!!!! The 4 C's are cut, color, clarity, and carat; these actually relate to the diamond, not the entire ring. The 4 C's determine the actual quality of the diamond. Instead of explaining each of these together, I am going to avoid confusion and first focus on the cut of the diamond. Contrary to popular belief, the larger the diamond does NOT necessarily mean the ring is more expensive or has better quality. Cut does not represent shape of the diamond; it involves symmetry, proportions, finish, and polish. The cut of a diamond ring is the only "C" that is actually created by human hands; all remaining C's are found naturally in the environment. The cut of a diamond is the most important C; therefore, the value of the diamond is mostly determined by the cut. For an ideal cut, light should be reflected only through the top of the diamond. This is called the brilliance of the diamond. An ideal cut diamond is called a brilliant cut; light is reflected directly through the top. A premium but has slight variations in light and inferior cuts are cut either too deep (light is reflected through the sides of the diamond) or too shallow (light is reflected through the bottom). Finally, the cut of the ring should be symmetric; this means if a ring was sliced down the center, it would appear the same on both sides. A perfect cut diamond has about 58 facets (the diamond shape on the surface). Finally, brilliance and size do NOT come hand in hand. To increase the brilliance, more of the diamond must be cut away, creating a smaller size. Also, the larger the diamond, the more brilliance is lost.