For The Love Of Diamonds

Diamonds are the most indispensable part of any big celebration in one’s life. Can you imagine an engagement or a wedding without diamonds? The gemstone that sparkles even in the tiniest glint of light can fill a person’s life with sheen and luster with its magnificent radiance and has a proven history of creating a bond of love among couples for ages now.

The Romans commenced the ritual of slipping a diamond ring on their fiance’s slender finger to rejoice their union as a blessed couple, and this tradition has been accepted and followed for centuries together. And the durability of diamonds also conveyed the message that the bond stays forever akin to the famous saying “diamonds are forever.”

What makes diamonds so special?

On the surface, diamonds are nothing but carbon deposits present on the Earth’s mantle that are delivered to the surface through volcanic eruptions in the form of kimberlite and lamproite pipes. Constant weathering and erosion of these deposits lead to the formation of precious diamonds. These precious stones are formed under immense pressure and heat deep below the Earth’s surface which helps the carbon atoms to bond together in a unique way resulting in the beautiful crystalline structure of diamonds.

Another major reason that makes a diamond extremely special is its uniqueness: no two diamonds can ever look the same, that is, the characteristics of each diamond is distinct and cannot be replicated whatsoever. This makes a good reason to understand why a diamond ring plays a very significant role in an engagement or a wedding ceremony: it simply means that the man accepts the fact that there is no one as unique as the lady he plans to marry. She is the one whom he is meant to spend his life with and she is the one who will be his life partner. Gifting diamonds to a special person literally means that you are seeking their company forever in a lifetime.

Other major features that make diamonds still the most coveted gemstone are due to

* Beauty: The eternal beauty of colorless diamonds is one of the most significant features of a diamond. This gemstone is still considered a prized possession by many for its inner fire and dances and dazzles in the light. Also, diamonds cannot be duplicated and hold a
very unique design of their own, just like its owner’s personality that truly and completely belongs to them

* Durability: Durability resonates with diamonds since a diamond is one of the hardest substance discovered by man and is resistant to a very high level of deterioration. No doubt, when cared for, diamonds remain pristine for centuries together and can be passed as an heirloom for future generations.

* Rarity: Diamonds once were very rare and required a lot of efforts to be mined and carved for use. It is a fact that tons of dirt had to be cleaned up to get the smallest quantities of precious diamonds. It is believed that more than 250 ton of ore is blasted, crushed and processed to obtain one carat of diamond. The rest of the effort goes into the cutting and polishing of diamonds.

* Enduring Value: Prices of diamonds have always fluctuated from the time they have found their huge market value. The major reason for this is the fact that diamonds do not lose their charm and luster for a very long time.

Why Women Covet Diamonds?

It is no news that a woman’s love for diamonds has remained intact for years together. Women consider these rare gemstones to be their best friends and have significantly invested in them to possess the most beautiful collection to embellish themselves to their heart’s content on occasions they consider important for them.

Diamonds have been framed as the most coveted treasure of women and have been significantly echoed by various artists in their songs such as Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend or Rihanna’s Diamonds. All this depicts a woman’s insatiable love for diamonds, which according to her represents every form of emotion – love, wealth, greed, trust, and security. For them, diamonds are more than just the embellishing stones that adorn their body, and no wonder they love to be wooed by their man with diamonds.

Diamond types and cuts

There are various types of diamonds extracted from this Earth. Based on their appearance and occurrences, they are categorized as type 1a, type 2a, type 1b, type 2b.

Type 1a

These reflect a yellowish tone due to the presence of nitrogen aggregates or large clusters in their lattice. The yellowish tinge occurs in these diamonds due to the presence of nitrogen atoms in groups that absorb visible light on the blue end of the spectrum and the light reflected by them appears yellow. Even this category can be segregated further as type 1aA and type 1aB based on whether the nitrogen atoms appear in pairs or as four atom cluster. Type 1 diamonds are very common and are famous for their characteristic fluorescence and their ability to absorb infrared and ultraviolet light.

Type 2a Diamonds

These diamonds are devoid of nitrogen impurities that cause that yellow tint in diamonds. In fact, these diamonds are formed under a very high pressure that they are subjected to for a very long period of time. This results in them having an irregular shape. Type 2a diamonds are considered rare and extremely valuable, and hence are the most sought after diamonds. This is because they are almost free from or contain very less quantity of nitrogen impurities in their crystal lattice.

As a result, they are able to reflect large quantity of light and glitter immensely even in low light, and have a stunning appearance. They are almost pure carbon and are generally white or colorless unless they are made into a certain color absorbing stone. Many famous diamonds such as the Cullinan, the Koh-i-Noor, the Hope diamond, and the Graff Pink diamond fall into this category and have remained the most precious and expensive diamonds in the world.

Type 1b Diamonds

This category represents less than 0.1% of the natural diamonds. The major characteristic of these stones is the presence of single nitrogen atoms instead of aggregates or clusters of them that are present in their crystal lattice. Since the nitrogen atoms are scattered, they absorb a lot of light visible light on the blue end of the spectrum and get their intense color, such as brown, orange, yellow, etc

Type 2b Diamonds

These type of diamonds is devoid of nitrogen atoms in their crystal lattice and instead consist of another distinct element: boron. The presence of boron gives these diamonds a bluish gray or bluish tint since boron absorbs light on the red end of the color spectrum. This type is also a very rare one and represents only 0.1 percent of diamonds on the Earth. They too have a very high value and are quite expensive

How to cut costs on diamonds?

f you are looking for buying diamonds for the big day and are also worried about the big hole it is likely to drill into your pocket, we have a solution for you. According to Jacob Mercari, sourcing diamonds directly to the jeweler can cut costs considerably. It is right to be perturbed about buying ethically sourced diamonds, and it is important to check whether the diamonds you buy from a store hold the certificate issued by the GIA which are a proof that the diamonds are conflict-free, meaning the materials required for making these diamond jewelry came from legal sources.

In order to buy conflict-free diamonds, you need to ensure that the store has a transparent selling policy. That is, the company is open to audits and holds a proper conflict-free certificate for the diamonds it sells.

Sourcing diamonds from jewelers ensures that in the entire journey from being rough to getting polished, good care has been taken by the jewelers to stick to responsible business practices and create diamonds that are conflict-free. Such practises ensure that the hard-earned money invested by the customers gives them a great product and also lets them have the satisfaction of owning a conflict-free diamond.

Diamonds no doubt are expensive, but if bought from a jeweler who sources his diamonds from a trustworthy company or recycled gold producers who take care of the fact that diamonds are conflict-free and hold GIA certificate, this build the trust between the customer and the company, and the customer is able to purchase diamonds for his big day without any hassles or worries.

Summing Up

It may be important for you to impress the love your life with the best diamonds in the market and make your big day an extremely grand and memorable one. But everything will fall into place if you take care of the fact that the diamond is conflict-free, holds a GIA certificate and is bought from a shop that has trustworthy sources selling them legally acceptable diamonds.