Jewellery News

Diamonds have always been an inspiration for dreams and it is just the thing that the stuff of legends is made of. Thanks to it being such a sought after stone, many of the legends about diamonds have survived over centuries right up to the present age.

Diamond Rings: Alexander’s Date with Diamonds

There is an old legend about Alexander in the land which was then known as Hind. It is said that these stones were hidden away from human eye in a place that plumbed the depths of the earth and it was well guarded by serpents. To look upon those serpents meant death so Alexander ordered a huge mirror to be set up so the serpents looked upon their own reflection and died. However, the diamonds were too deep down and it was a treacherous descent. So on the advice of sages, his men threw down a piece of meat and when a bird came and swooped it up, the men followed because the diamonds that got stuck to it kept falling off along the way. Now diamonds falling from the sky must have been really something!

Diamond Rings: Did the Breastplate of Judgement Include a Diamond?

There is a legend about a colourless stone which was on what was called the Breastplate of Judgement which the High Priest of the Jews wore. It was called ‘yahalom’. The meaning of this word was ‘smiter’ and this was later translated into Greek to the word ‘adamas’ which then went on to becoming the word ‘diamond’. However, there seems to be some confusion about whether the stone was a diamond or an onyx. The reference to the breastplate was way before the diamonds in India were written about so one wonders if indeed it was a diamond.

Diamond rings: Diamonds around the World

In China, jade was the preferred stone and the diamond found use in jade cutting tools which were called kin-kang and kun-wu in the early Chinese writings. The diamond was referred to as ‘the great hard stone’.

There’s are references to the diamond in the Tales of a Thousand and One Nights from Arabia and it also finds mention in the Book of Marvels by the great explorer and traveller Marco Polo.

In Europe, it wasn’t till the 13th century that the lure of the diamond caught on. The centre of diamond trade was Venice and this slowly moved to Antwerp which has, since then been the diamond capital of the world. With the Europeans colonising a number of Eastern countries, it was only natural that the spoils of war ended up in Western coffers. The famed Koh-i-noor diamond adorned a throne that was made of gold encrusted with the finest precious stones that one could imagine. It was made for the Mogul emperor of India, Shah Jahan and was carried away after a war to Persia. The diamond however, was found its way to Great Britain where it became a part of the British Crown Jewels.

Then of course, the Hope Diamond is well known, more for the curse that was supposed to befall anyone because it was stolen from the eye of a god in an Indian temple than for its actual value. It was said that whoever touched it would be dogged with bad luck and it just so happened that its owners never really escaped the curse.

Diamond legends will abound as long as the stone is around simply because it is filled with such magic and mystery.

Diamonds are perhaps the most beautiful stones that man ever laid his hands on. A diamond is also the toughest known naturally occurring material, in addition to being perhaps the most desired one! It is composed of minute atoms of carbon that are placed very close to each other. This tight packing causes the atoms to form close bonds – a feature referred to as covalent bonding. The tight packing is often referred to as lattice density and since the diamond atoms are more tightly packed than any other naturally occurring material coupled with covalent bonding, it assumes extreme hardness.

The diamond is the most precious of all gemstones, and has very few flaws as compared to other stones. It is four times harder than corundum, which is the next hardest naturally occurring material after diamond. Despite being so hard, it is permeable. This perhaps is what makes a diamond so unique, the fact that regardless of being so hard, it is not impervious. A diamond has four cleavages, meaning potential areas that may split. If it receives a hard blow in any of these four areas, a diamond could split.

Diamond Rings: A Diamond’s Strength

At 2.8 gigapascals, the diamond is also known to have the highest tensile strength compared to any naturally occurring material. This does not mean that diamonds are used to make ropes or cables – it would be practically impossible. For one, diamonds are one of the most expensive objects to own and secondly, diamonds possess at least four cleavages that may split on receiving a blow. The diamond was once believed to possess incredible levels of compressive strength. So it is often used while testing the compressive strength of different materials. At 443 gigapascals, the diamond now stands second after Osmium that has a bulk modulus of 476 gigapascals.

Diamond Rings: Variations in a Diamond’s Hardness

Like all gemstones, the diamond too displays many variations in its hardness. Diamonds are often used to abrade other unpolished diamonds in order to give them fine cuts and finishes. Diamonds can be now defined by two types of hardness – the scratch hardness and the Knoop hardness. Scratch hardness is measured by means of an instrument known as a Sclerometer. It determines the extent to which the diamond remains resilient to scratches and abrasions on its surfaces. The diamond has a Sclerometer hardness value of 140000. The Knoop hardness determines the extent of its attractiveness as a precious stone as well as the efficiency with which it can be used as cutting material. The Knoop hardness scale gives a value of 10400 to diamond. The attribute of hardness allows a diamond to be polished to achieve a high degree of lustre thus lending it its exuberant beauty.

Diamonds rings are every woman’s idea of exquisite jewellery – one would rarely find a woman whose eyes do not shine at the prospect of owning one! Diamonds acquire a luminous shine on account of the many facets that they have and perhaps this is one of the most important reasons to explain their everlasting popularity in jewellery of all kinds.

Diamonds too, are susceptible to having a number of flaws like blemishes, cracks, the presence of other crystals within a diamond etc. Perfection is perhaps the name of the game, and hence, diamonds too sometimes undergo a clarity enhancing operation. The diamonds that have been treated to such procedures are known as clarity enhanced diamonds.

Diamond Rings: How the Diamonds are Clarified

Clarifying diamonds is not a new concept – it has been practiced for around two decades now. However, the clarity enhancement procedure is not used for all diamonds. Of all the attributes that make the diamond so valuable to the customer, clarity is perhaps the least important. However, inclusion of foreign bodies or blemishes on the diamond may impair its appeal, and especially so if the said flaw is visible to the naked eye. As a general rule, diamonds having flaws that can only be viewed under the microscope are excluded from the clarity improvement procedures.

There are many ways by which diamonds can be clarified. The most common method is the laser beam technique. In this method, a laser beam is used to eradicate any flaws in the diamond. This method allows for a permanent removal of the flaw, while having no detrimental effect on the strength of the diamond. The fracture filling method does not have a ‘complete removal’ effect, but rather has a ‘minimizing’ effect. In this process, a clear substance is inserted into the diamond crystal at places where surface imperfections are detected. The entire procedure results in the improvement of the clarity of the diamond crystal by two grades. However, unlike the laser beam method, the fracture filling method is not a permanent remedy to fix flaws. It is vulnerable to cleaning activity, repairs, sun damage as well as high temperature.

Diamond Rings: What the Industry has to say about Clarity Enhanced Diamonds

Clarity enhancement has remained a much debated topic in the diamond industry. The reason for this is obvious – industry insiders regard the diamond as a very important gemstone. Naturally, not many are too pleased at the prospect of repairing a much revered stone. Certificates that accompany diamond jewellery mention whether the diamond has been clarity enhanced, provided that the jewellery is being purchased at a reputed jewellers. If you purchase diamond jewellery, make sure to ask the jeweller if the diamond has been clarity enhanced for this is the kind of information some jewellers will not willing part with. At Samara James we do not sell clarity enhanced diamonds.

They’ve called it the ‘Build Your Bling’ competition and it’s an online competition that is being run in America by eBay and Brides Magazine. It is open to all women in America and all they have to do is to design a fantasy diamond ring that they would like and send the design in. They would have to design this ring on special software provided by eBay called the Diamond Ring Designer and this programme enables one to choose certain attributes of a diamond including the 4 Cs – cut, colour, clarity and carat.

The prize is a ring which will be fashioned from the winning design and will cost upwards of £15,000. What this competition hopes to do is to enable buyers to see how easy it is to buy diamonds online and to help them feel comfortable with it. The winner will be announced on the 26th of February. There will also be two runners up who will get eBay gift certificates.

Diamond rings, they say, are a girl’s best friends. Now making diamonds stay yours for a lifetime has been simplified by the introduction of the quality assurance system. The grading system, introduced by Forevermark is just the kind of assertion one would need before investing in diamonds. The diamond grading labs are a unique endeavor by Forevermark, which is a London based separate managing outfit of the DeBeers Group. Forevermark aims to build and promote the Forevermark brand of diamonds. The grading process has been taken up by Forevermark as an initiative to develop the diamond market by forging strong customer ties that rely solely on mutual trust and goodwill. The goodwill and trust are a by product of the high quality assurance that Forevermark provides to its customers.

Diamond Rings – the Forevermark Assurance

The labs located in Antwerp, Belgium and the Maidenhead area of the United Kingdom, have stringent standards to grade the diamonds. Diamonds that conform to the Forevermark standards are graded here. The results of the grading tests are charted in a report that serves as a definitive proof of the quality and standard of the diamond. Each of the diamonds that are subjected to close scrutiny at the hands of five different experts comes with a special Forevermark icon emblazoned in it. The diamond is identified by means of a special identification number that bears testimony to the fact that it has been subjected to the most rigorous testing in order to determine its quality.

Diamond Rings- the Forevermark Quality

Forevermark diamonds are at least 0.18 carat in weight, a clarity level of SI2, J color and have a cut rating of ‘good’. These specially graded diamonds are available only at DeBeers stores as well as some select jewelers all over the world. The Forevermark grading labs make use of sophisticated technology in assessing and determining the quality of the diamonds. Such a grading pattern has brought in a new wave of change in the manner and style of diamond evaluation.

Diamond Rings – Forevermark for You

The Forevermark grading labs have ascertained that diamonds meet a set of pre-requisite standards. This has been of help to not only customers, but traders and Forevermark business partners alike. The grading report is a sort of assurance mark that brands a diamond for its integrity and consistency. Investing in a diamond ring can be quite an intimidating affair, given the fact that a layperson has little or no knowledge about the quality of the diamonds. The Forevermark grading reports are proofs of quality that will let a customer trust the choice he makes. When one buys a diamond graded by Forevermark labs, one can be certain that one has bought the best. The Forevermark grading reports provide information on the cut, clarity, size as well as the color of the diamond.

As diamonds are basically crystals of carbon, their natural pattern of growth is symmetrical and geometric. Diamond crystals usually grow in tetrahedrons (three dimensional triangular shapes) neatly, one on another, and if there was no interference, they would grow into nicely symmetrical eight-sided or twelve-sided 3-D shapes.

Unfortunately, there is interference – as the diamond crystal is forming, if a little piece of another mineral comes in the way, the diamond merely carries on forming around it. This naturally distorts the shape of the diamond that is forming and is the origin of the “inclusion” – the flaw that can occur within the diamond. In addition, if one cluster of the crystalline diamond meets another cluster, they join up and carry on crystallizing, creating all kinds of shapes.

Diamond Rings: The Early Point Cut

When diamonds first began to be worn as ornaments, only the pieces with a naturally good shape with clean enough faces to show a little lustre were used – naturally these were rare, and highly valued. Once diamond dust began to be used as a polishing medium, more diamonds became useful as ornaments, but again, the number remained limited. Diamonds with a natural octahedron shape were easiest to “clean up”. Diamond dust could scrub off surface impurities and restore some sparkle to the facets of the stone, but it could not even out the little irregularities in the contours. During the 1300s, it was discovered that diamond dust could also be used to cut another diamond. Using a hammer and a chisel coated with diamond dust, the craftsman cut along each natural facet, to achieve as much symmetry as possible. It was a very tedious and laborious task, needing great care and skill, but once the desired shape was achieved (the rough bits taken off), polishing with diamond dust gave the gem facets their final brilliance, and the Point Cut was born.

In those times, the size of the diamond was highly valued, so the Point Cut was very popular, as it followed the natural octahedron shape with as little loss in material (and therefore weight) as possible. Diamonds as jewellery started gaining popularity and the first guild of “diamantaires” (diamond cutters and polishers) was formed in 1375.

Diamond Rings: The Classic Point Cut

In the late 1400s, a Flemish diamantaire in Antwerp, Lodewyk van Berken invented the Scaif, a polishing wheel impregnated with diamond dust and olive oil that symmetrically grinded away at each facet of the diamond producing a perfect cut and brilliant finish. He introduced the concept of placing and cutting the facets of the diamond in perfect symmetry and revolutionized the diamond industry, producing the first diamond cut with precision. A bronze statue of Lodewyk van Berken was erected in the Diamond District of Antwerp, holding a diamond in his right hand.

The perfectly precise Point Cut has long been associated with the diamond, and that shape still commonly denotes the diamond. Like the symbol of the suit of diamonds in a pack of cards and a baseball field which is not rectangular like most playing fields or even a square – it’s a diamond!

Men have always worn rings. Royal personages wore ornate rings made of precious metals set with precious stones, rings with the State coat of arms or signet rings carved with special insignia and often used as a seal. Men wore these rings from time to time, perhaps for ceremonial purposes or perhaps for an occasion. Rings with sacred or religious symbols were worn more often as amulets for protection.

Diamond Rings – the Earliest Engagement Rings

Betrothal rings as tokens of intent started coming into use after 1215. Pope Innocent III, presiding over the Fourth Lateran Council issued seventy canonical decrees. One of the Canons related to marriage and decreed that couples wishing to marry must publish banns in their parishes. The waiting period before the couple could marry was any time from two weeks to six months. Thus began a custom of exchanging a token of betrothal, usually in the form of a ring. Gemstones not being common at the time, a metal band sufficed, with the affluent using precious metals. Members of Royal Houses were exempt from this decree, so the first record of an engagement ring comes from 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy on the eve of their engagement.

Diamond Rings – the Earliest Diamond Rings

Around 150 years ago, with the advent of the industrial age, jewellery became available to the masses. Machinery made mining for metals and gems faster and easier. Jewellery that was once painstakingly handmade was now machine made, easily obtainable and affordable for ordinary people. The newly affluent classes found precious metals and gemstones, once the perquisite of royalty, the perfect vehicle to flaunt their wealth.And then, in 1901, the era of Edward VII ushered in style, elegance, beauty and fashionable clothes. The silks, satin and lace worn by men and women of the time complemented fine jewellery and King Edward’s love for extravagant clothes and splendid jewellery set a trend, making jewellery acceptable on a man. The gentry often sported gold pocket watches with vest chains, bejewelled monocle cases, diamond cufflinks and gold signet rings with diamonds set in them. The Edwardian man was often referred to as The Peacock!

Diamonds Rings – Diamond Engagement Rings

Today, there is a wide variety of rings available for men – all the designs of the past – Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Retro are available, as well as a wide range of modern designs. It is perfectly acceptable for men to wear engagement as well as wedding rings, and they are available as matching sets with the bride’s, if that is one’s preference. Tungsten, platinum, titanium and palladium are all strong metals and diamonds set in any of them have a rugged and masculine aura. The hardest natural substance on earth, matched with the toughest metal – a perfect combination.

The first thing that you would need to do is to have the ring evaluated yourself. The most unbiased report that you could get would be from a certified, independent gemmology appraiser. An appraiser in a jeweller’s shop will favour his employer, and the jeweller would naturally offer you the lowest price possible, looking for a profit himself. Independent appraisers have a laboratory with gem testing equipment. After testing the four Cs – carat, colour, clarity and cut, you would be given a detailed appraisal report and a certificate for the diamond. (This is always welcome to a buyer.) The appraiser will also test the setting of the ring to ascertain the purity of the gold or platinum. Depending on the styles in fashion presently and the quality of the diamond and setting, the appraiser would then put a value to the ring.

Diamond Rings – Finding A Place To Sell

The next step would be to determine how to sell it. The perfect situation would be to find that someone who truly loves the ring and is willing to pay what it is worth – but how does one find that person? The place to start is among family and friends – pass the word around. These are some of the best sales – private, simple and usually the buyer and seller are both satisfied.Then, there are the classified advertisements. If the buyer is interested, then a meeting takes place and the ring is examined. The appraiser’s certificate is of value here and a decision is possibly reached. The online classifieds site, www.craigslist.com is another option with a larger audience. Well-taken photographs would help buyers decide if they want a closer look.There are also the auction houses. Of course, if the ring is antique or worth a substantial amount, then one of the larger auction houses, Sotheby’s or Christie’s becomes an option. An online auction site, www.ebay.com is also an option. You can put pictures of the ring on the site and there is a good security arrangement between the buyer and the seller.Another interesting online site is www.idonowidont.com – started by Joshua Opperman and his sister, Mara. Joshua bought a beautiful engagement ring for his fiancée, using most of his savings, only to have her change her mind a few months later. Realizing from experience how difficult it is to re-sell a ring, he conceived the idea of an online auction house dedicated to the re-sale of jewellery. The authentication process on the website makes the sale secure, good photographs, proper certificates arouse interest in the buyer and the site encourages you to tell the story of your jewellery, which adds a personal feel to the proceedings.

Diamond Rings – Making The Sale

Auction houses and online auction sites are a fairly safe way in which to make the final transaction, but if you do sell your ring to a stranger that you are personally meeting, a few precautions are in order.Hold the meeting in a safe and public place, take a companion with you if possible and take the money in a legitimate form of payment – a bank draft for example as cheques can bounce. The value that the appraiser puts on your ring may not be the price that is offered to you. After all, the ring you are selling is, in a sense “second-hand”, and if the price quoted is the going rate, then the buyer could walk into a store and choose from a vast selection for the same price. So if you get between 60% – 80% of the value put on your diamond by the appraiser, you can consider that a good price. Or someone could fall in love with your ring and you may even get more than you expected.

Not many can doubt the exuberant beauty of a solitaire. Diamond rings are a treasure for a life time, and more so, when they are exquisitely set. Diamond rings make an engagement complete, whether it has only one diamond, or it has other embellishments to lend it a sparkling beauty. Nonetheless, solitaires or single diamonds have always been regarded as the symbol of true love for many a woman.

Diamond Rings: The Right Setting

A solitaire is usually larger than an average size of diamond that one would normally use in jewellery. As solitaire means one, it means that a solitaire diamond ring has one main stone. This is, in the classic setting, set in a simple narrow gold band. Today, there are more fancy settings as well but the classic setting still is the preferred one for most couples. The solitaire diamond could be the popular round shape or it could be any of the other diamond shapes like marquise, pear, emerald, oval, etc. The classic setting is done using yellow gold though here, there is a lot of change with many opting for platinum or white gold.

Diamond Rings: Different Solitaire Settings

A solitaire acquires beauty only after it has been appropriately set. One of the most popular settings used in diamond rings is the prong setting, or a claw setting. In this type of setting, the diamond is inserted into at least three prongs to form a basket. The ends of the prong are twisted so that they grasp the diamond firmly. The prongs can also be used in an arch setting where the diamond is lifted up a bit so that it shines to its greatest advantage. The arch setting can be simple or it can have fancy filigree work or engraving.

Another popular way of setting a solitaire is the bezel setting. This type of setting makes use of a metal lip that encloses a diamond right around and ‘closes’ it from all sides to hold it firm. The end result is that the diamond is securely held by the metal rim thus making it a safe choice for people who plan to wear the ring daily.

The other settings for a solitaire include the flush setting and the tension setting. Since the engagement ring will probably be worn all the time and the solitaire diamond is usually much more expensive that smaller diamonds that make up the same weight, the setting just has to be secure. One must make a decision to ensure that a beautiful delicate setting is not done to the detriment of security for the stone. Set well, the diamond solitaire has a beauty that is incomparable.

When it comes to coloured diamonds, there seem to be two very strong viewpoints and both sides can be quite rigid. There’s the first camp that firmly believes that diamonds must be clear and brilliant without ant trace of colour for it to qualify as being a diamond of the first water. There’s the other group that might go gaga over diamonds that are white but are equally enamoured by diamonds with a hint of colour.

Diamond Rings: How Diamonds get their Colour

It is usually the presence of trace elements in the diamonds that gives it colour. A yellow diamond for example could be the result of nitrogen trapped inside. The other reason for diamonds being coloured could be due to radiation while it was being formed. This usually results in a green tings. Any kind of inclusions in the diamond could mean so many different hues. Of course, with coloured diamonds getting popular today, high heat treatment in a laboratory could result in diamonds acquiring a tinge of colour.

Diamond Rings: Coloured Diamonds become Fashionable

The coming year is said to be the year of coloured diamonds. Already, we saw the trend changing in the past year and there were yellow, pink and brown diamonds that were proudly worn and flaunted especially on the red carpet. The strange thing is that more and more people are choosing coloured diamonds for an engagement ring as well. One would have assumed that while anniversary rings, promise rings or any other special day gifts would have been coloured, engagement rings would have stayed with the classic style. However, here too, the winds of change are blowing. All we can say is that maybe people want to colour their world a bit more.

Diamond Rings: Coloured demands a Price

If coloured diamonds have, till recently, been related to a poor cousin status, no longer does this hold true. Natural coloured diamonds are demanding a high price today. Why, Christie’s just sold one owned by Spain’s King Philip IV for over £18,000! With the prediction of coloured diamonds ruling the roost on the fashion scene in the year ahead, these are obviously going to be a lot more expensive, especially the natural ones.

Some of the famous coloured diamonds have been the famous black Amsterdam diamond, the brown Earth Star diamond, the yellow Dresden diamond, the blue Heart of Eternity Diamond and the famous blue-grey Hope Diamond. While the white brilliant diamonds have been the sought after ones through the years, there have been some exceptional ones like these and more which have been prized possessions of the rich and famous for many years.

A diamond is the hardest natural substance known to man. Created at depths of almost 400 km below the mantle of the earth under immense heat and pressure, it eventually finds its way to the surface through the agency of volcanic eruptions, taking millions of years in the process. By the time a diamond is actually located, it is already between 1 billion to 3.3 billion years old.

Diamond Rings: Ornamental

The earliest diamonds were talismans against the evil eye, ill health, and the many woes of humanity. They were concealed secretly on one’s person, hoping to engender strength, courage and virtue by their proximity. Once the first diamonds were polished, the fire within came to light, and diamonds began to be used as ornaments.

It was in the 1400s that new cuts and polishing techniques were introduced, and diamonds gained immense popularity as jewellery. At first they adorned royal crowns, sceptres, shields and armour, but once direct sea routes were established to India (the primary source of diamonds at the time), they became available in quantity and the diamond centres of Europe were established. The exquisite crowns, sceptres and other crown jewels of the past may be displayed in museums now, but the diamond is as much sought after, valued and cherished today as it was then. Designing diamond jewellery has become an art form, the cutters and designers displaying as much genius and skill as any Renaissance artist.

Diamond Rings: In Industry

The primary qualities of the diamond, namely its hardness and resistance to heat, make it of exceptional use in industry. The hardest diamonds come from New South Wales in Australia and were called “can-ni-fare” (cannot be cut) by the diamantaires in Antwerp in the 1870s. Diamonds are used mainly in the manufacture of cutting, grinding, drilling and polishing machinery, equipment and tools. 80% of the diamonds mined around the world are not “gem quality”; they have too many “inclusions” (internal marks or flaws), the colour is cloudy or they are just too small to use. One of their uses in industry is the making of machinery and tools to cut and polish other diamonds and gems. Diamond dust is a natural and high grade abrasive and is used to coat saws, blades or grinding wheels which are then used to cut easily through unyielding substances like concrete, ceramic, granite, metals or glass. Drill bits used in the drilling of oil wells have tiny grains of diamond embedded in the metal of their cutting tips, cutting through all kinds of rock easily as the bits spin. They make superior dental drills too.

Diamond Rings: In Science and Technology

Diamonds are transparent and they have a high resistance to heat and abrasion. Technology today allows diamonds to be made into thin membranes for foils, films and windows, which are used in the manufacture of optical, infrared, microwave, x-ray and laser equipment and instruments. Computer scientists are exploring a “diamond chip” – all indications pointing to it being more efficient than the silicon chip in use today. And geophysicists are going back billions of years, studying the inclusions in the diamond to trace the history of the origins of the earth.