The Evolution of Diamond Cutting.

The Round Brilliant Cut.

There have been a few intermediaries who have contributed to the present cutting style of the round brilliant cut. The most noteworthy and the direct ancestor (the grandfather) is the "Old Mine Cut" or the "Old Miner". It is also known as the "Triple Cut". It came into existence in the late seventeenth century. The old miner was the first diamond cut that had all the facets of the present round brilliant cut viz. the bezel, the star, pavilion mains, etc. However, the facet alignment and sizes were in a different manner as compared to the current round brilliant. The old miner was also more of a square or cushion cut, rather than being round. The direct descendant to the old miner is the "Old European Cut". I consider the old European cut to be the father of the present round brilliant cut. The old European cut was more evident in the late eighteenth century till the early twentieth century. Many experiments were done on the old European cut during the early twentieth century regarding it's various facet positioning and angles. Most notable were the one done by Henry Morse and Marcel Tolkowsky. More has been mentioned about them in the Ideal Diamond Cut section. They ultimately gave birth to the present round brilliant cut and the ideal cut diamond proportions.

It comes as a surprise to many people that diamonds come in colors other than white or clear. Diamonds actually come in a variety of colors. The primary colors that are seen most commonly are yellow and brown. The yellow diamonds are also called Canary or Champagne while the brown diamonds are also known as Cognac. Other available colors are black, gray, pink, purple, orange, green, red. Among all of the colors - red is the rarest.

Fancy Yellow Color Canary Diamond

The yellow color of diamonds is caused by the color nitrogen. During the growth process of diamonds in the ground, nitrogen gases get mixed in the crystal lattice. The concentration of nitrogen along with the heat and pressure during the growth process determines the depth of color in the diamond. Fancy yellow diamonds are classified into Fancy Light Yellow, Fancy Yellow, Fancy Vivid Yellow and Fancy Intense Yellow. These classifications of yellow diamonds come afterthey cross the natural grading scale of D-Z.

Fancy Yellow Canary Diamond Shapes & Cuts

Small yellow diamonds under 0.50 ie 1/2 carats, come in all shapes. The larger yellow canary diamonds over 0.50 (1/2) carats come primarily in fancy shapes and cuts such as princess, radiants, cushions, ovals, pears etc. They are not easily found in round, heart or marquise shaped diamonds. The biggest reason for this is that retention of color. The diamond cutter when cutting a fancy colored diamond needs to save the color and the weight while trying to bring out maximum brilliance and fire. This forces him to choose the shape that svaes the color center which disperses throughout the diamond giving it the fancy color. A wrong cut here or a missed facet there could change the entire look of the diamond and might even cause it to loose it's precious color. The square princess cuts, the radiant cuts, oval cut and the cushion cut give maximum flexibility to the diamond cutter.

Fancy Yellow Color Canary Diamond Prices

Most of the yellow canary fancy colored diamonds are more expensive than white diamonds of the same clarity. Although the more inexpensive of the fancy colored diamond family, the yellow diamonds do not come cheap. They range in prices anywhere from 500.00 for a 0.10 carat single small diamond to millions of dollars. For the common man a 1 carat to 2 carat fancy yellow diamond with no eye-visible inclusion would run anywhere from $ 5,500.00 to $ 15,000.00. The difference in price can be significant when other factors such as clarity, diamond cuts and the intensity of color are added.

Buying a Fancy Pink Colored Diamond!

Some of the few things that you should know before buying a fancy colored diamond is to find out it's origin. By this it means if the diamond is natural or synthetic. There are several synthetic colored diamonds available in the market. They are relatively cheaper as compared to natural colored diamonds. The difference although is not significant when it comes to colors like yellow (canary) and brown (champage). The major difference comes when the diamonds are red, purple, pink, orange, etc.

Another important aspect to know is if there has been any color modification been done. You should be aware if the diamond has been modified by man-made process such as irradiation. In this process natural diamonds are bombarded with electron charged particles, which modify it's color. View our blog about clarity & color enhancements.

Both of these issues the origin and the enhancements can be verified by an independent Gemological Certificate/Report. The most reputed and sort after is the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and then followed by the European Gemological Laboratory (EGL). They very clearly state the origin to be natural, synthetic or enhanced. It is highly recommended not to purchase diamonds weighing individually over 0.50 carat without a certificate.

Melee Diamonds, Small Diamonds, Colored Diamond Parcels

Larger diamonds more often than not are accompanied by independent certificates. Unfortunately, it is not cost-effective or feasible to certify smaller melee colored diamonds that are 1/2 carat and under. This is true moreso in the case of diamonds weighing 0.01 carat - 0.25 carat. It is important to get some sort of a physical receipt or guarantee from the supplier or seller that indicates that the diamonds are natural and not enhanced. We for example provide a written guarantee for colored diamonds. This ensures our customers that they are receiving the quality products that are correctly represented. Moreover, it removes doubt from the mind of the customer that the diamonds are enhanced in any way.

In the end it is recommended to do your homework before you purchase any fancy colored diamonds and find out the validity of the seller.

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Buying loose diamond lots and diamond parcels can be a very exhilarating experience. It provides customers with several diamonds that fall within a similar range of quality and diameter measurement characteristics. It provides an excellent opportunity for resale or custom jewelry work such as diamond tennis bracelets, diamond eternity wedding bands, identical pair of multiple diamond studs, etc. Smaller sized diamonds are preferred to be sold in multiple carats and not in single quantities. They can be calibrated according to clarity, color and measurements. You are buying diamonds in bulk and in larger numbers. This enables you to get a better discount as compared to buying it individually. As a customer you are confident that the diamonds have been calibrated and are identical in clarity, color and carat weights.

Several times, diamond jewelry pieces have uneven quality of diamonds, which are clearly visible with the naked eye. A discriminating buyer who spends thousands of dollars would most likely not tolerate that. These types of discrepancy are commonly seen in mall stores, mail-order & TV order discount jewelry. Although it is not possible to perfectly match diamonds, buying calibrated diamond parcels with similar characteristics minimises the visual differences dramatically.

Just like everything in this universe there are always disadvantages and downfalls. Buying loose diamond parcels is not for everybody. One of the most common issue about diamonds is trusting the seller. A trained and experienced diamond grader or gemologist is well equipped to combat this problem. However, only a limited amount of gemologists are trained in effectively and correctly grading smaller diamonds.

On the other hand you have to avoid getting stuck with a extra diamonds or less diamonds? A lot of customers land up getting more diamonds than they require incase of custom work. This causes a problem of excess diamonds, which they have no use of. These can be returned to the seller after the custom work is complete. They can also be resold to online at different auction websites to get a return.

It is also possible that you might need more diamonds. In the normal course of diamond setting a bench jeweler applies a lot of pressure on the diamonds. Although unlikely, this might break the diamonds. They will have to be re-ordered. Sometimes calculation errors might occur on the customers side. A diamond dealer or wholesaler should be in a good position to add on to your order in such unforeseen cases. He/she should have enough diamonds in stock to send you, if not the same, at least match the last order as best possible.

We at Adamas are familiar with the dealings in diamond parcels. We keep several loose diamond parcels in stock in various clarity and color ranges. We stock hundreds of carats of loose diamonds from 0.01 carat to 0.90 carat each.  Each of our diamond grader goes through almost 25 carats of melee (0.01 - 0.18) loose diamonds on a daily basis. Reasonable prices are accomplished with direct imports of diamonds from India. Please do not hesitate to contact us for your diamond needs. Please see our stock at https://shop.gemsutra.com or call us toll free at 800-657-5435.

Enhanced Diamonds, Treated Diamonds, Diamond Treatments

Note: The FTC requires that all treatments to diamonds be revealed to the customer at the time of purchase. Adamas India Inc. does not buy or sell and refuses to trade in enhanced or treated diamonds, unless requested by the customer. We would like to educate our customers and the general public to let them know that there enhanced and treated diamonds available in the market. There is a possibility that they might be buying a clarity enhanced or color enhanced diamond. Education is the key to unlocking ignorance - "Caveat Emptor". Please visit our online store to view our selection of diamonds. We will be glad to answer all your questions. Please email us all questions. You will receive a prompt and professional reply within 24-48 hours.

Diamond Treatment refers to all natural diamonds that have been altered by human inteference. This usually involves in improving the total quality of the diamond but is not limited to just the diamond clarity or diamond color.

Fracture Filling:

This type of clarity enhancement in diamonds is usually done on lower clarity I 1 to I 3 clarity diamonds, since these diamonds are highly included (several eye visible inclusions) and are highly susceptible to breaking and chipping during regular wear and tear. Fracture Filling literally means filling the cracks, fractures of the diamond. It involves a glass-like material which has similar optical properties to that of diamond. It is known to imprive the diamond clarity by almost two grades. Typical characteristics of fracture filled diamonds are bright flashes of a single color, when viewed parallel to the fracture plane. For fracture filling to be effective the inclusions must reach the surface of the diamond ie break the diamond surface. It effects the entire diamond and is not contained to just one fracture. Fracture filled diamonds cannot be left in the jewelry ultrasonic for longer periods of time.

Laser Drill Treatments:

Laser Drilling is a process of lightening a dark inclusion, more commonly known as "carbon spots", within the diamond by targeting a laser beam to that specific inclusions. It is a repeat process since a diamond can have more than one inclusion. This results in several drill holes. They are clearly visible when viewed perpendicular at 10x magnification as a single tube within the diamond. The tube opening can be easily spotted at the surface and resembles a nail hole. In recent years with scientific improvements, this process has been fine tuned. This renders the drill hole and the tube as natural inclusions at lower magnifications. They are visible only at 200x - 1000x magnification. Laser drilling a diamond is a permanent form of diamond treatment.

Coating:

This is the oldest form of diamond treatment. The surface of the diamond has been coated or there are color paint marks on the girdle or diamond pavilion. The refractive nature of the diamond spreads the color within the diamond. It is not a permanent form of treatment which easily detected under magnification. Cleaning the diamond usually removes the coating or makes it easily visible.

Irradiation:

Radiation from high energy particles is used in creating color centers in diamonds. The most common colors caused by irradiation are different hues of Blue and Green. For a long time, bombarding the diamond with radioactively charged particles from cyclotron generators were used to irradiate diamonds. This left concentrations of color at the culet (tip) of the diamond and/or facet junctions. Nowadays, the most commonly used technique is electron radiation.

Irradiation & Annealing:

Heating the diamond after bombarding it with charged particles results in the modifying the bluish green colors to yellows, oranges and sometimes pinks, reds and purples.

Heat Treatment, Graphite Treatment:

Low quality (extremely included) diamonds are heated in a vacuum to form graphite deposits within the fractures, resulting in black diamonds. Majority of the black diamonds found in the diamond market are treated.

High Pressure High Temperature(HPHT):

A very minor class of diamonds Type II A and on some rare occasions Type Ia B are subject to this form of treatment. These lower color brown diamonds are exposed to pressures of upto 70,000 atmospheres and temperatures of upto 2,000 Degree Celsius. This results in improved white color or completely different color.

Gold

Gold's natural color is yellow. It is measured in a term called "Karat". The purest form of gold is 24 Karat or 99.99 % pure. The purest form of gold is extremely soft. 24 karat gold is extremely soft and can be easily molded into anything. It is made into jewelry in primarily in the Middle-East, Asian and Southeast Asian countries. Further classifications of gold are as follows;

• 22 Karat Gold or .916 % pure,
• 20 Karat Gold .833 % pure,
• 18 Karat Gold or .750 % pure, (used mostly Worlwide)
• 14 Karat Gold or .583 % pure, (used mostly in the USA)
• 10 Karat Gold  or .416 % pure (least amount legal in the USA)
• 9 Karat Gold or .375 % pure (least amount legal in the UK)
• The other parts are alloys mixed with gold inorder to increase strength or change it's color.

White gold, rose gold, etc. are manufactured when alloyed with other metals such as nickel, zinc, etc. White gold has been extremely popular in the recent years along with a steady increase. The young couples along with new generation of baby boomers now prefer white gold.

One of the biggest disadvantages of white gold is the fact that it has to be rhodium (same family as platinum) plated on a regular basis inorder to maintain it's bright white finish. Gold when mixed with alloys results in white gold, which has a faint yellow tone to it. This tone resurfaces with regular wear and tear within 6 - 18 months. Although the rhodium plating process if inexpensive (USD $ 25.00 - $ 45.00), it does involve polishing and cleaning of the ring thoroughly, minimising the final weight of the item. Over a period of few years (generally 3-5 years), the ring will not be wearable and the diamonds/gemstones will have to be reset into a new mounting.

White gold and yellow gold rings require regular check-ups every 6 months if you wear it daily. The checkup should include the prongs, bottom shank and the level of rhodium plating.

Platinum

Platinum is also hypo-allergenic, just like surgical stainless steel. You, thus, cannot have an allergic reaction to platinum. Individuals, who are allergic to lower karatage gold due to the nickel content in 14 karat or 18 karat gold, should use platinum instead. Since platinum is 95% pure and the other alloy used is iridium, which is hypo-allergenic, it is the ideal metal. When you hit a platinum ring it displaces itself, unlike gold which flakes off. In 100 years your 10 grams platinum ring will weigh 9.90 grams and an equivalent weighing gold ring would probably be 6.00 grams. It is strongly recommended to set your important diamonds, gemstones and jewelry in platinum for this exact reason.

Palladium

Palladium is in the Platinum family, which involves Osmium, Rhodium, Platinum, Palladium, Ruthenium and Iridium. Palladium has similar chemical properties to Platinum. It is as hard as Platinum and perfectly fit for making jewelry. Palladium looks just like platinum and is slightly lighter in weight. In it's raw form platinum looks greyish white while palladium looks silverish white. The major difference is price. It is less than half the price of Platinum and is equally good in strength, stability as well as looks. Palladium just like platinum is hypo-allergenic. It does not need any kind of rhodium plating to maintain it's bright white finish.

In the last couple of years there has been a subtle shift from white gold to palladium. The equilibrium reached between Gold and Platinum by Palladium has been the major cause of it. The price of palladium being less than that of platinum but at the same exhibiting more strength than gold along with less maintenance has driven it's demand.

Jewelry is a matter of personal choices and expressions. Choosing your metal is a part of that along with the thoughts of longevity. Most pieces of jewelry are handed down generations. Some get it and are proud of it while others want to give it and want to be proud of it. So choose wisely!

Journey Diamond Jewelry!

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Historically speaking, yellow gold never went out of style. It has always been popular in foreign countries such as Italy, Greece, Turkey and in Asian countries such as India, China, etc. In the USA, yellow gold lost it's lustre to white gold in th early 1990's. People liked the look and the brilliance of white gold. Coincidentally, at this same point of time diamonds also started gaining popularity. Diamonds when set in white tend to shine more than in yellow gold. The yellow color of gold would bleed into the diamonds and make them look yellower than they actually were. This made many jewelry designers avoid yellow gold.

Alternatively, in the early 1990's Platinum started gaining momentum. It is a harder and longer lasting metal but more expensive. Jewelry designers could make intricate designs without worrying about the quality of the ring. Platinum, however, is more expensive than gold. The difference in price is almost 3-4 folds. White Gold was a cheaper alternative to Platinum. This furthered the popularity of white gold.

The turn of the century showed an excess of white gold in the market with common designs being replicated. White gold still dominated the market. Sometime in early 2004, jewelry designers to be unique from each other started inculcating yellow or rose gold. This was especially true for European designs coming from Italy, Germany, etc. However, most of the pieces were larger bulky pieces with gemstones such as Topaz, Tourmaline, Opals, Citrines, etc. There were few diamond accents. These designs caught the eye of the discriminating buyers, who wished to differ from the common lot.

At this moment, yellow gold is primarily seen as an accent in wedding bands with other metals such as Platinum, Titanium and Silver. They are widely used in larger gemstone rings, necklaces, earrings, etc. Unique colored gemstones such as Lapis Lazuli, Rubellites, Blue Topaz, Rubies, Emeralds face brighter and more brilliant in yellow gold, than in white gold. Yellow gold adapts very well with darker and earthy color clothes such as brown, purple, tab, navy blue, etc.

Yellow Gold, although still not the favorite with the masses, it surely is popular with the classes.

So What Is A Gem Laboratory?

A Gem Laboratory an independent organisation which grades diamonds or gemstones. In other words, they are a third party profit or non-profit organisation that does an unbiased grading and evaluation of a loose diamond or loose gemstone. The final printout of the grading is called a "Certificate" or a "Grading Report". It is an honest and educated opinion of the stone. At the end of the examination they issue a report for the item. There are several diamond grading as well as gemstone grading laboratories. More prominent among them are

• GIA - Gemological Institute of America (New York City and Los Angeles)
• EGL - European Gemological Laboratories (New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver & Toronto)
• AGSL - American Gem Society Laboratory Services (AGS is a sister concern of GIA, Las Vegas)
• HRD - Diamond High Council (Antwerp, Belgium)
• Gubelin Labs in Lucerne, Switzerland; Does mostly R & D
• IGI - International Gemological Institute (Worldwide)
• Several other local labs like AGA, GCAL, etc. are not included in this list

My personal favorite in the order of preference is GIA, Gubelin, AGSL and HRD. Out of all, I am particularly fond of the GIA, mainly because I finished my GG diploma at their Carlsbad, CA campus. They are only interested in giving their honest and straight forward certification of the actual gradings and do not involve in the money wars of appraisals and monetary evaluations.

On the other hand, I am not a big fan of EGL, IGI or any local labs since their gradings usually tend to be softer. Most times, I do not agree with their grading and tend to grade them lower than the certificate. Sometimes they will give an additional appraised value of the stone, which might I add is balderdash. A gem laboratory should never give a value or appraisal to a stone. That in my opnion just seems wrong. What's more important though is the grading. If the grading is wrong or should I say linient then the value is going to be higher than what the actual value of the stone is! This in my opinion is misrepresentation. Anyways, I do not want to get started on that aspect.

GIA vs EGL!

So Would You Buy a Certified or an Uncertified Diamond?

The main purpose of a certificate in my eyes, is safety. Yes! A certificate comes with a plot or a map of the diamond, which points out the inclusions relative to what you would see under magnification. That is the whole purpose of a certificate. This way, you do not have to trust the seller. All you need to do is look at the diamond and look at the plot. The actual inclusions in the diamond coincide somewhat with the inclusions marked on the plot, then you have the same stone.

I always recommend my customers that if they trust me enough then buy an uncertified diamond since they cost less. I give them a plot of the diamond which helps them identify their diamond and in some cases Laser inscribe the girdle with my stock number. This will help them identify their diamond in a stash of diamonds.

Although, I prefer to sell certified diamonds (playing a devil's advocate) since it gives me peace of mind. Truth of the matter is that there are scrupulous sales people out there whose only interest is to earn commission. It is best when customers are equipped with a GIA certificate. They will automatically understand the ultimate goals of an uneducated sales person.

Now that you know the difference, you decide which one's the best for you! Afterall, a certificate is just an educated opinion!!!

Well the root cause of Conflict Diamonds coming into so much publicity is because of Hollywood and the movie "Blood Diamonds" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Dimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly. It is based on the 1990's uprising in the African Continent, which brought international attention to this aspect. The term "Conflict Diamond" or "Blood Diamond" was virtually unheard of before the movie. Although the dramatized version of Hollywood is not the exact truth, but is not far from it. The area has definitely seen its share of violence caused due to diamonds and its illegal trading. The trading of conflict diamonds as reported by the Kimberly Process has been less than 1 % as compared to almost 4 % in 1990. However, a lot of the gurus are not sure about the authenticity of these numbers.

The jewelry and diamond industry was actually rocked by the news that this movie was being made. In July of 2006, there were seminars and articles about the movies and it's release dates. The jewelry industry and hollywood were head to head. Considering the movie was releasing in the middle of the shopping season. Obviously, Warner Bros. wanted maximum leverage during the holiday season when the consumer has diamonds on his mind. While the jewelers were all against it, considering that this is would hit their busy season. Everyone was gearing up with information to combat questions by consumers about blood diamonds. It all turned out to be much a Hulla Bulloo about nothing. Customers still continued buying diamonds, promotions were still being done and the movie did not dampen anyone's spirit of the season.

Why diamonds?

Is there anything good about conflict diamonds?

• An estimated 5 million people have access to appropriate healthcare globally thanks to revenues from diamonds.
• An estimated 10 million people globally are directly or indirectly supported by the diamond industry.
• The diamond mining industry generates over 40% of Namibia's annual export earnings.
• Diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13.
• Sierra Leone (previously a conflict nation) is now at peace and exported approximately $142 million diamonds in 2005.
• Approximately one million people are employed by the diamond industry in India.
• Approximately $8.4 billion worth of diamonds a year come from African countries.
• More than 99% of diamonds are now from conflict free sources and traded under the UN-mandated Kimberley Process.

Just as my Mum would say, there is a good and a bad to everything. It is what you decide to be!

As per the the United Nations (UN) defines conflict diamonds as "...diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council." These diamonds are sometimes referred to as "blood diamonds."

Basically what this means is that certain rogue states like Liberia, Republic of Congo, etc. in the continent of Africa illegitmately mine diamonds or trade in diamonds. They then use these diamonds to buy guns, ammunitions and recruiting individuals to spread havoc and terror. They are evil people who defy the existing government and spread terrorism throughout the country and region.

For more detailed information visit www.diamondfacts.org

What is the Kimberly Process?

It is document which is accepted by nations, which determine and control the imports of loose rough diamonds. Thus, making sure that the diamonds are not being used by rebels in rogue countries to source and harbor terrorism as well as terrorist acts. At the writing of this article there are 45 countries that have participated in being a part of the process.