All About Diamonds 

The word "diamond" comes from the ancient Greek "adamas," meaning unconquerable. It is the hardest substance on earth.  

A diamonds forms at least 75 and as much as 120 miles down from the surface of the earth. They are transported to the earth’s surface via volcanic activity and are found in ancient inactive volcanoes as well as river beds that run through these ancient volcanoes and are further carried by these rivers to ocean floor.  

It takes approximately 250 tons of mined ore to produce a 1 carat polished diamond. Of all the diamonds mined, only 25 to 30% are gem quality and fewer than 2% of all the people who own a diamond have a diamond larger than a 1 carat. 

Prior to early 1900’s diamonds were traditional cut as Old Mine or Old European cut shapes, which were round to off round in shape.  

In 1919 a young mathematician, Marcel Tolkowsky, wrote a Masters thesis on the proportions for round brilliant cut diamonds. This became the basis for what is now known as the “Ideal Cut". It is said he asked passers by, in the streets of London, to select the most appealing diamond from a small group. From these casual observer opinions, together with those of the diamond cutters in his family´´s Belgian business, he confirmed the proportions of the best looking diamonds.   

Nevertheless, it has taken more than 80 years for the industry to realize that his theorem predicted a range of proportions, not just the single set of parameters. Today diamonds are cut in many different combinations of proportions, angles and facets. Many of these are as brilliant mathematically and visually as Marcel Tolkowsky’s cutting formula.  

The “4C’s” (Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight) are the guide line to determining a diamonds value. 

Carat, the measure of diamond weight is derived from the Greek "keration," the name for the natural and uniquely uniform in weight, the ‘carob seed’. It has been standardized so a 1 carat diamond weighs one fifth of a gram and is further broken down by smaller point units. A 1.00 carat diamond has 100 points. So a 1.50 carat diamond equals a one and one half carat diamond. 

Clarity refers to a diamond´´s freedom from internal inclusions such as internal cracks or tiny crystals. A diamond may be termed "flawless" if a trained eye can detect no inclusions under 10-power magnification. Most every diamond has some individual characteristics that make your diamond as unique as a snowflake.

Cut refers to the quality and accuracy that a diamond is cut and polished to. The quality of polish, finish and symmetry of the diamonds cut, facilitates the maximum amount of light or brilliance the diamond will refract and reflect light back to the viewer through the top of the diamond. This cut does not refer to shape.  

The term "fancy diamond” refers to shape such as pear, oval, princess, cushion, radiant, marquise or emerald cut stones. A “fancy” cut is any other shape other than round. There are also many ‘Designer’ shapes available now that have special faceting. They may or may not add any additional brilliance. The shape of a diamond is a very personal choice.  

The Color deemed ideal for a gem quality diamond is colorless or near colorless or what is more commonly referred to as “white” color. However, diamonds can have a wide range of color from white, to various yellowish tones to very dark in hues of brown and even black. A “Fancy color” is a diamond with an unusual color or intense color, including red, blue, pink, green, brown and many shades of yellow. Keep in mind there are yellow and brown diamonds that do not have a deep enough color to be considered fancy. Red is the very rarest color for a diamond. The Hope Diamond is also extremely rare and is a famous example of a diamond with a deep blue body color. Since color is subjective, it is always best to have an independent grading report to describe ‘Fancy color’ diamonds.  

Just remember, when selecting a diamond what truly matters is trust in your jeweler and trust in what you see as beautiful. You see, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.