Why Diamonds are so expensive?
Diamond
The name diamond derives from the Greek word adamas, meaning invincible. This referred to both the extraordinary hardness of this mineral as well as, according to ancient myths, its supposed magic properties to protect against any poison or attack.
Every diamond is special when you consider that it was formed deep in the earth billions of years ago and each diamond, like a human fingerprint, has certain distinguishing characteristics such as color, clarity and carat weight.
Pic. Rough Diamond
Diamonds are among nature’s most precious and beautiful creations.
Diamond is the only gem made of a single element: It is typically about 99.95 percent carbon.
The other 0.05 percent can include one or more trace elements, which are atoms that aren’t part of the diamond’s essential chemistry. Their cost and value are defined by the 4Cs of diamond quality established by GIA (Gemological Institute of America). As creator of the Diamond 4Cs and the International Diamond Grading System™, GIA is not only a global authority, but the world’s trusted source for unbiased assessment.
Diamonds are dated by analyzing inclusions using the decay of radioactive isotopes. Depending on the elemental abundances, one can look at the decay of rubidium to strontium, samarium to neodymium, uranium to lead, argon-40 to argon-39, or rhenium to osmium.
Those found in kimberlites have ages ranging from 1 to 3.5 billion years, and there can be multiple ages in the same kimberlite, indicating multiple episodes of diamond formation. The universal method for assessing the quality of any diamond, anywhere in the world: Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat weight.
Diamond Cut Shapes
ROUND BRILLIANT
The round brilliant shape uses exacting mathematical proportions to optimize a diamond’s ability to reflect and refract light.
OVAL
The oval shape combines the traditional round brilliant diamond shape with the marquise cut diamond.
HEART
Heart-shaped gems are classic symbols of love, cut with a precise length-to-width ratio.
EMERALD
Although the emerald cut has 58 facets like round and princess diamonds, it is the parallel facets that help highlight the stone’s color and clarity.
PRINCESS
Boasting over 50 chevron-shaped facets, this cut is defined by exceptional fire and scintillation.
PEAR
The pear shape combines round brilliant and marquise cut styles to form a tapered teardrop.
CUSHION
The cushion diamond has a square or rectangular outline, with larger facets and rounded corners that increase the stone’s brilliance.
MARQUISE
The marquise shape is reminiscent of the oval, but features pointed ends, making an elliptical shape.
Clarity
This referred to both the extraordinary hardness of this mineral as well as, according to ancient myths, its supposed magic properties to protect against any poison or attack. Every diamond is special when you consider that it was formed deep in the earth billions of years ago and each diamond, like a human fingerprint, has certain distinguishing characteristics such as color, clarity and carat weight.
Color
Color refers to the tint of the diamond. In nature, most diamonds have a slight tint of yellow or brown color. The closer to being “colorless” a diamond is, the rarer it is. The industry standard for grading color is to evaluate each stone against a “master-set” and assign a letter grade from “D” (colorless) to “Z” (light yellow).
Carat Weight
Taken by itself, carat weight does not determine a diamond’s value. For example, two one-carat stones can vary widely in price when clarity, color and cut are taken into consideration. When that is understood, it is clear that large diamonds of peerless quality are rare and priced accordingly.
