The chemical composition and structure of a mineral determines its unique physical
properties which separates it from every other mineral.
A chemical element is a substance that consists of only one kind of atom. Most minerals are a combination of two or more elements. Diamond is the only gemstone made of a single element: Carbon. A diamond is typically about 99.95% carbon. The other 0.05% can include one or more trace elements.
A diamond forms under extremely high temperatures and immense pressure that exist only within a specific depth range beneath the earth’s surface. Natural diamonds typically form 90-125 miles below the surface of the earth. Due to the immense pressure that is present in this part of the earth, as well as the extreme temperatures, a diamond gradually begins to form. The entire process takes between 1 billion and 3.3 billion years.
When carbon is exposed to extremely high pressure and high temperatures (900-1300 degrees Celsius), it crystalizes and forms diamond. Diamonds are brought to the Earth’s surface by erupting from pipes deep underground, forming deposits. These deposits,
called primary deposits, are then mined to recover them.
Another way diamonds are recovered is through alluvial deposits. When a primary diamond deposit is exposed to surface weathering and erosion over millions of years, the diamonds are transported by rivers and deposited in a new environment such as
an ocean floor or riverbed. Additionally, there are also alluvial deposits which are deposits found just outside a primary deposit.
The formation of diamond deep in the earth and what it must endure following formation gives us insight as to why diamonds are an ideal stone for daily wear such as engagement rings as well as other diamond jewelry. Additionally, of significant importance, is that the formation of diamond and its journey to the earth’s surface is a testament to its rarity and, as we know, anything rare is valuable, especially in the case of diamond.
Without any one of these factors, a diamond might be just another mineral. Indeed, because of all of the intense heat and pressure over billions of years that is required for a diamond to form, a diamond is the hardest material in the world. This unique combination of composition, structure, and formation gives diamonds these specific qualities that make them rare, magical, and extraordinary.
As with other gemstones, diamonds with certain qualities are rarer —and more valuable—than diamonds that lack them. Without a systematic way to evaluate and discuss these factors, there would be no way to compare one diamond to another.
When evaluating the color of a diamond, professionals refer to a color grading system developed in the 1950’s by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The GIA color grading system is the most widely used in the world. The normal color range of diamonds is called the “D-to-Z grading scale”.
The scale above represents diamonds within the normal color range. A diamond’s color is evaluated when they are loose and not set in any type of jewelry mounting. To properly determine color, diamonds must be unmounted because they are graded with the table face down. They are assessed against a master set of stones. The image below provides a visual of the range amongst various grades.
Diamonds outside of the normal color range are called Fancy-Color Diamonds. Diamonds in the D-to-Z color range usually decrease in value as the color becomes more obvious. Just the opposite is true with fancy-color diamonds. With fancy-color diamonds, value increases with the presence of more color. The more vivid the color, the more rare and valuable. Some of the rarest colors are red, purple, and green. Different colors in diamonds are a result of various events during formation.
Fancy-color diamond graders use the same standard viewing environment and lighting as they use for D-to-Z grading. However, unlike D-to-Z diamond grades, which are based on an absence of color, colored diamond grades are based on the presence of color. The price per carat goes up as the intensity of color increases. The final color grade includes the diamond’s hue along with one of these grading terms:
The first three grades (Faint, Very Light, and Light) apply to all colors except yellow. A stone that shows a natural yellow color stronger than the normal Z color range would be called “Fancy Light yellow.”
Descriptive terms are different for natural black and opalescent white diamonds, which are described simply as “fancy black” and “fancy white” to avoid redundant expressions like “dark black” and “light white.”
The GIA grading system for colored diamonds was designed to accommodate the varying intensities of different hues. The image of yellow diamonds to the right share the same yellow characteristic color, but they vary in saturation. Their grades are (left to right) Fancy Light yellow, Fancy yellow, Fancy Intense yellow, and Fancy Vivid yellow.
Color treatment in diamonds is a process that improves a gem’s appearance. A seller is morally and ethically obligated to disclose whether a gemstone has undergone any sort of treatment. There are specific regulations by the Federal Trade Commission in this regard. However, sometimes it is not known by a buyer/seller whether a gemstone has any treatment and it is not always possible to detect treatment with standard gemological equipment. In these instances, the stone should be sent to a reputable gemological laboratory such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for advanced testing. This emphasizes the importance of purchasing a stone that is accompanied by a reputable laboratory report which will state any treatment(s) the stone has been subjected to.
Few things in nature are absolutely perfect, and diamonds are no exception. Diamonds have internal features, called inclusions, and surface irregularities, called blemishes. Together, they’re called clarity characteristics. Clarity is the relative absence of inclusions and blemishes. No two diamonds are the same; each diamond is totally unique from all the rest.
Clarity characteristics will affect a diamond’s value. The lower the clarity grade, the lower the value of the stone, all other factors being equal. However, a lower clarity grade doesn’t necessarily decrease the beauty of a diamond if those characteristics are not seen by the naked eye or affect transparency, as example.
Regardless, there are benefits to clarity characteristics:
• The very different inclusions found in natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds, and even some diamond simulants help gemologists separate them from each other.
• Because no two diamonds have exactly the same clarity characteristics, they can help identify individual stones. These differences make each diamond literally one of a kind.
• They provide scientists with valuable information about how diamonds form and also about their origin.
Like the rest of the Four Cs, the presence or absence of clarity characteristics influence on value is directly related to the concept of rarity. When assessing the clarity of a diamond, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) developed a grading system based on viewing a diamond’s clarity characteristics under 10x magnification.
Flawless is the top grade in the GIA clarity grading system. Diamonds graded Flawless don’t have visible inclusions or blemishes when examined under 10-power (10X) magnification by a skilled and experienced grader. Flawless diamonds are very rare, and they command top prices. What people do not realize about diamonds that have been graded Flawless is that once the diamond has been set into a mounting, it is no longer Flawless but, rather, Internally Flawless. At the lower end of the scale are diamonds with inclusions that can easily be seen by the unaided eye. The stones that make up the bulk of the retail diamond market fall between the two extremes. The chart shown provides a representation of what constitutes the different clarity grades; however, grading is systematically based on many specific factors. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes it is not necessarily about the number of inclusions present but, rather, the type. Ultimately, the less the inclusions a diamond has, the more rare and more valuable it is.
Many people think that cut refers to the shape of a fashioned diamond, such round, pear, cushion, marquise, princess, heart, radiant, oval, emerald, as well as others. However, cut refers to the quality of precision, the proportions for its shape, symmetry, and polish. It also refers to the diamond’s “performance”, as the goal is to maximize that the light that enters the diamond reflects back to the viewer’s eye in the form of brilliance (white light return) and fire (spectral of colors) as much as possible. While the clarity of a diamond is a different “C” of the 4Cs than cut, it can have an effect on the “performance” of the stone if it has certain clarity characteristics, such as a large number of clouds.. An excellent cut creates brilliant displays of white and colorful light that is literally mesmerizing.
Of the many shapes that a piece of diamond rough may be fashioned into, the round brilliant, as seen to the right, consisting of 57-58 facets is the most popular and the most expensive price per-carat, all other factor’s being equal This is because to fashion a round brilliant diamond, it requires the most perfect octahedral rough which is the most expensive. The other diamond shapes are fashioned from the remaining material from that piece of diamond rough. As mentioned above, there are many shapes of diamonds which vary in price-per-carat creating desire for certain shapes as a factor when considering one’s budget. Ultimately, it most often comes down to the shape that is most appealing to the wearer’s eye. There also exists proprietary cuts which will always
cost a premium.
Diamond weight is expressed in carats. (Carat is not the same as karat which refers to the measurement of the purity of gold.) One carat equals 0.200 grams or 1/5 gram and is subdivided into 100 points.
Larger diamonds, if all of the other Four C’s are equal will be more expensive than a smaller diamond with the same characteristics. And the price goes up exponentially; hence, the price of a 2-carat diamond is not double of a similar 1-carat diamond. A diamond with better color, clarity, and cut may be significantly more expensive than a much larger diamond of less quality. As mentioned above, a diamond’s value is a combination of all of the Four C’s.
The majority of diamonds used in jewelry weigh under one carat; this speaks to the rarity of high quality, large stones which are worthy of investment, such as those offered by Significant Stones.
A report from a respectable gemological laboratory will include not only carat weight accurately measured, but also the actual measurements of the diamond. (Of note is that if, in the instance of appraisal as example, a gemologist or qualified, experienced appraiser will only be able to get approximate measurements for a set ring unless a stone is removed from its mounting.) If the ring has an accompanying laboratory report, the report can be compared to the diamond under magnification and, if it is determined the lab report does in fact match the stone, the actual carat weight and measurements can be stated on the appraisal. An appraisal should always reference the GIA (or AGS) report number.
Lab-grown refers to a manmade material with the same chemical composition, crystal structure, and optical and physical properties as the natural (earth-mined) gem material. Lab-grown industrial diamonds, which are used as abrasives and in cutting tools, have been manufactured since the mid-1950s. Gem-quality lab-grown diamonds have been commercially produced in limited quantities since the mid-1990s.
Today, lab-grown diamonds are readily produced in large quantities. This emphasizes the rarity of natural, earth-mined diamonds which, in turn, explains their increase in value over
time. But, because lab-grown diamonds can be constantly produced, they have no value. If you purchase a lab-grown diamond today, tomorrow you cannot sell it back – no jeweler will buy it. However, if you do the same with natural diamond, a jeweler will buy it back (albeit at a lower price than originally paid the day prior or soon thereafter however, if held over time, as its value increases so does its ability to sell to a jeweler or other party for higher.
Most lab-created diamonds undergo treatment following production to enhance their color which is not widely known. Reports are now available for lab-grown diamonds and they
should indicate if the stone has undergone treatment.
Diamonds formed deep below the surface of the earth are a rarity. Some people mistakenly think that diamonds are not rare but, like most everything produced in nature, they are finite. Another mistaken idea is that a man-made diamond is kinder to the earth than mining a diamond. This is just not true, as the amount of resources required to replicate the creation of diamond in the lab setting is significant.
Materials that simply look like diamond are called simulants or imitations. The materials can be either natural or manmade. Gemological testing can determine if the material is diamond or an imitation, as well as the identity of the non-diamond material. Gemological equipment is also used to separate natural diamond from lab-grown.
A number of materials have been used as diamond simulants. Some of the classics are glass, zircon, and colorless lab-grown spinel. YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) and GGG (gadolinium gallium garnet) were developed in the late 1960s, although these are not in use today as diamond simulants. However, in the case of estate jewelry, they may be identified.
Today simulants have been almost entirely replaced by CZ— synthetic cubic zirconia. It has “synthetic” in its name because cubic zirconia actually exists in nature, but in crystals too small for use in jewelry.
Synthetic moissanite was introduced in the late 1990s as a diamond simulant. It was so successful that today it’s sold mostly as a gem in its own right. Because of the rarity and the energy that natural Earth grown diamonds possess, we do not support lab grown diamonds. They do not possess the powerful energy that comes from being created in the womb of Mother Earth for billions of years. There is just literally no comparison. When you become sensitive to these subtle but powerful energies, and begin to work with them to enhance your life, you will never again be tempted to purchase a substitute.
When investing in diamonds and gemstones it is very important that you know what you are getting. There are many imitations and synthetics that attempt to mimic the desired appearance of their natural counterparts. Additionally, only a natural gem made by Mother Earth will possess their respective energy. Without purchasing from a known, respectable source a stone’s identity must be carried out using gemological equipment by a trained gemologist. Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous people that will try to pass off an imitation stone as the real thing. Ultimately, the best way to ensure you are getting what you think you are buying is to purchase diamonds and gemstones that are accompanied by a gemological report from a respected gemological lab like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Regardless of where you obtain a gem’s stated identification, any treatments the stone has incurred must be disclosed by the seller; there are specific regulations regarding disclosure by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC). A respected gemological report will state any treatments identified.