Delectable Diamonds

It is astounding to think that the legendary ‘girl’s best friend’ is merely a simple carbon structure, created in the depths of the earth, subjected to intense heat and pressure, and over millions of years (and of course the skills of a master craftsman), transformed into the timeless treasure so many of us adorn.

Background
Until the 18th Century the leading country for diamond production was India, nowadays however, the Argyle mine on the continent of Australia produces the most diamonds of the world’s mines. Approximately 40 million carats are discovered there annually, and the majority of the world’s pink diamonds are sourced there. Now ranked fifth in diamond production, the South African Diamond era started in the 1860’s when a young boy found a rough gemstone there whilst playing on the beach. Other sources include Congo, Botswana and parts of the Soviet Union.

Quality of the stone
The four C’s, as known in the industry, refer to four fundamental aspects of the gemstone. A good quality diamond will be highly rated in all four aspects. A lesser quality stone might, for example, have a good carat weight, and cut, but may have a poor clarity and a not so fabulous color. I’ll explain:

Color
The most expensive diamonds available are colorless, and can cost many thousands of dollars per carat. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) developed a color-grading chart, ‘D’ being colorless ranging through to ‘Z’.

Clarity
This relates to how clear the stone is under the magnification of a 10x loupe. Things to look out for are black carbon spots, white light refraction lines and cloudy or cracked looking inclusions. The GIA grading scale begins with, FL – flawless, and IF – nearly flawless. Stones with this level of grading are very rare, and very desirable, therefore making them more expensive. Most commercial diamonds are graded somewhere between SI – slightly included, and I – included.