Diamonds for Dummies

What is Diamond?

Myths and legends from ancient Greece state that diamonds are "splinters of stars fallen from the sky."

To give an idea, the Greeks called him "Adamas", the invincible, a word from our times that derives from this very term.

An intrusively formed gemstone, it is composed of a single element: carbon. It belongs to the cubic crystal system and is commonly found in octahedral form, less so in cubic or dodecahedral forms.

Carbon is also the main component of the graphite we use to write (the common pencil), but in this case the carbon crystallized, or formed, at lower pressures and temperatures, and above all it was extracted much more slowly; in fact, to remain diamond, it must be transported to the surface very quickly by volcanic eruptions.

The conditions necessary for diamond formation are the following: a temperature of about 1300°C and a pressure of about 70,000 atm. Conditions that are found only 130-200 kilometers below the Earth's surface, where volcanic activity occurs.

The diamonds found in our surroundings can be up to tens of millions of years old.

The Diamond cannot be broken, everyone knows that.

And yes, it is. In the 15th century, it was discovered that diamonds are not the same hardness in all directions.

A characteristic called "directional hardness." This means that in some directions the diamond's hardness is less than in others, making it possible to cut and transform an "insignificant" rough stone into a splendid faceted diamond that further enhances its characteristics.

The hardness of diamond was later better described by Fredrich Mohs who composed the famous Mohs hardness scale from 1 to 10.

Diamond is the only material to reach the maximum level of 10, just below corundum (level 9). But with one difference: from one level to the next the hardness increases by only one level at a time, while between diamond and corundum there is a 140-fold difference, even if only one step higher. Just like between level 1 and level 9.

But the Diamond has no color, it is white.

Milk is white, sheep are white, and the Diamond is colorless.

that is, it is the union of all the colors of the chromatic spectrum, which derive from it a white light. Technically speaking, color is the result of the selective absorption of light by a specific material.

The color of a diamond is extremely important, both economically and aesthetically, because it is the characteristic that subjectively attracts us to the stone.

A “perfect” diamond crystal free of trace elements or color centers will appear perfectly colorless.

The color spectrum in diamonds is astonishing, ranging from pink to red, blue, green, yellow-brown, and even black. The rarest natural colored diamonds are pink and red, followed by green, blue, and purple.

There are two macro categories of diamonds: type I and type II diamonds.

to summarize briefly:

Type I : there are those of type IA : which belong to those with shades ranging from colorless to light yellow, greenish or brownish. The color is due to the presence of locally contracted nitrogen particles.

type IB : these are the much less common ones, they have a lower quantity of nitrogen, and generally have intense yellow or brown colours.

Type II : These diamonds contain little or no nitrogen particles, which determine their color.

Type IIA : These have very little or no nitrogen content, and are typically very rare and colorless; they are not electrical conductors. (Queen Elizabeth's Cullinan is type IIA.)

Type IIB : These are very rare diamonds with the presence of boron, and have a typically blue color (Hope Blue, that of the Titanic).

While for natural green diamonds, the color comes from the possible presence of radioactive material such as uranium or thorium where they form.

For those of pink color, from light pink to brownish pink to deep pink, they owe their color to plastic deformations in the crystal lattice during their formation.

All of these latter colored diamonds are classified as "Fancy" or fantasy diamonds.

more commonly…

Diamond color grading follows a standardized scale, introduced by the CBJIO, which assigns diamonds a letter from D to Z based on their color hue.

Color scale

• D - F → Colorless → Perfectly colorless diamonds, with no traces of color. They are the rarest and most precious.
• G - J → Almost colorless → Slight trace of color, visible only to the trained eye. Excellent value for money.
• K - M → Light color → Slight yellow or brown tinge, visible to the naked eye.
• N - R → Very evident color → More marked yellowish or brown tones.
• S - Z → Bright Color → Deep yellow/brown color, less sought after than lighter diamonds.

What is considered when talking about the "purity" of a diamond?

We are talking about inclusions or "piques"

or foreign bodies to the diamond in question, such as garnets, spinels, jaspers, olivines or other diamonds that have formed inside another diamond, during its formation or while the diamond was developing or after its complete formation has been completed.

In the 1920s, the GIA established a grading scale, which was described using a 10x lens, with which the extent of inclusions within it was classified, and is classified.

The GIA scale ranged from "Loup Clean" (clean under a magnifying glass) to "Pique." Today, it has evolved into a more precise and meticulous scale, with many more levels describing the clarity grade.

The highest rating today for a diamond is "FL" meaning flawless on the outside, as far as cut proportions, polish and girdle thickness are concerned, and "clean" on the inside, up to the worst, "Pique 3" with inclusions visible to anyone with the naked eye.

Inclusions can also appear in the form of internal fractures within the diamond being examined.

the complete scale:

FL IF VVS1 VVS2 VS1 VS2 Si Si2 Si3 Pi Pi2 Pi3

The most commercially interesting ratings range from IF to VS2.

But is the Diamond Brilliant or is the Diamond Brilliant?

This is very important, and it needs to be clarified.

We often talk about brilliant without knowing that this term ONLY indicates the type of cut, as if to say I would like a pullover but in reality I don't specify whether I want it in cashmere or synthetic.

The DIAMOND is the stone, the BRILLIANT is the cut.

It's not enough to simply use the term "brilliant" to define a material as a diamond. It could be brilliant-cut zirconia, brilliant-cut moissanite, etc.

For this reason, on the Diamond certificate you will find Brilliant indicated in reference to the cut but the stone must be indicated as Diamond.

How much does a diamond weigh?

Diamonds are measured in carats, and one carat weighs 1/5 of a gram.

But how do I indicate the weight of a stone less than one carat? With points.

For example, if I have a diamond with a circumference of approximately 3mm, it means that our stone "weighs" 0.10ct, or to put it more precisely, 10 points commercially.

Below 1 carat all diamonds are "weighed" in points 0.20ct(points) 0.50ct (points or half a carat) 0.99ct(points).

Above one carat, for example 1.20ct, it is simply called 1 carat and 20.

Every time we exceed half a net carat in the weight of our diamond, we enter a higher economic bracket. For example, 0.48ct will cost €8, 0.49ct will cost €9, while 0.50ct will cost €12. And so on, increasing each time we exceed half a net carat, e.g. 1ct, 1.50ct, 2ct, 2.50ct, 3ct and so on.

Size matters...but not always.

Obviously, the "heavier" or larger the stone, the more it will cost.

but by raising and lowering the technical characteristics of the diamond you can also obtain a larger stone, with less excellent color and clarity, spending less than a smaller pure stone, depending on whether you prefer purity or size.

For example, a 3ct H/I color Si/Si2 clarity diamond with less than optimal cut and polish proportions will cost less than a 2ct D color IF clarity diamond with excellent cut and polish proportions.

For pricing information, please contact us without obligation.

Does the cut make a difference too?

absolutely yes.

The cut determines 4 key points in the value that a precious gem may or may not have, such as

external brilliance

internal brilliance

dispersion

sparkle

These four characteristics define how much a gemstone can enchant those who gaze upon it. They define the amount of light produced by the reflection of light on the surface of the facets, the total reflection of light on the pavilion facets, the division and dispersion of light into spectral colors, which gives rise to the famous "fire" that is noticeable when moving the stone as it is struck by light through the various colors of the rainbow, and also the "sparkle" caused by the reflection of light striking the stone from different angles of the facets as it is viewed.

The brilliant cut, defined in 1910 by the "father" of this cut, Marcel Tolkowski, defined mathematical proportions that took into account the diamond's physical and optical properties. More recently, it was refined by Johnson and Roesch in 1926, by Eppler in 1939, and by Parker in 1951.

By precisely following these proportions, you will obtain a perfectly cut stone, capable of moving anyone and enhancing not only its capabilities but also the economic ones linked to its final valuation.

Diamonds: The greatest value in the smallest form