| Diamonds |
|
The word diamond comes from the Greek word Adamas, which means invincible. The ancient Greeks thought that diamonds were fragments of stars that had fallen to the earth. Diamond consist of carbon, and is the hardest natural mineral we know of. Still they are not indestructible, they are in fact brittle. Diamonds are mined many places in the world, like Brazil, Russia and Africa. They are very rare. Out of 250 tons ore you only get 0,2 grams diamond, and out of that only 20% has high enough quality for jewellery. The rest is used in the industry, for abrasives, grinding and cutting tools. Natural diamond crystals don’t look like much, almost like a piece of glass. It is when polished, it’s good dispersion shows. White light from the surroundings breaks up into all the colours of the rainbow. This has been called “the fire of love”, and is part of the reason why the diamond has this veil of mystique and romance. The value of jewellery-quality white and yellowish diamonds is decided by weight (carat), colour, clarity and cut, the 4 C’s. No other gemstone has its value decided by a system like this. If you purchase a piece of jewellery with a diamond over a certain size, you will get a certificate telling what quality the stone has, defined by this system. Defining diamonds is a very complicated job that only gemologists with extra training may do. When this is done, they are often working in a team, using a set of diamonds for reference. Carat1 carat equals 0,2 grams (as opposed to Karat, which means 1/24, and is used for telling the amount of gold in an alloy). The weight of diamonds is also sometimes measured in points. One carat equals 100 points. 0,5 carat equals 50 points. Even though the price is calculated per carat, the price per carat is higher for a large stone than for a small. That is because large stones are more rare than small ones. Therefore will one 1 carat stone cost more than two 0,5 carat stones. ColourA chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond has no colour. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The value of a diamond is determined by the hue and intensity of the colour. White diamonds are most valuable when they have as little colour as possible, but coloured diamonds are more valuable if they have an intense and beautiful colour (Fancy coloured diamonds). Diamonds come in all colours, some more common than others. The most rare colour is red. Some coloured diamonds are radiated to enhance the colour. These are less expensive than the natural ones. White diamonds are graded by several slightly different systems. Often the letters are used in addition, to avoid confusion. GIA Scan.D.N. D Colourless River E Colourless River F Colourless Top Wesselton G Near Colourless Top Wesselton H Near Colourless Wesselton I Near Colourless Top crystal J Near Colourless Crystal K Faint yellow Top Cape L Faint yellow Top Cape M Faint yellow Cape N Very light yellow Cape O Very light yellow Light yellow P Very light yellow Light yellow Q Very light yellow Light yellow R Very light yellow Light yellow S-Z Light yellow Yellow
Scan.D.N. = Scandinavian Standard
ClarityDiamonds often have impurities and small flaws called inclusions and blemishes. The grade of clarity is decided depending of the colour and size of these, and where in the stone they are located. The less and the smaller the inclusions and blemishes, the more valuable the diamond is. The clarity is graded like this: FL flawless IF internally flawless VVS1-VVS2 very, very small inclusions VS1-VS2 very small inclusions SI1/SI2 Small Inclusions P1 piqué 1 P2 piqué 2 P3 pique 3
CutThe beauty of a diamond depends on its ability to reflect the light. If the cut is bad, it will be less luminous. In this context, cut has nothing to do with shape, like Brilliant cut or Princess cut. Cut is determined by symmetry, proportioning and polish, and is graded like this: P= poor F= fair G= good VG= very good E= excellent.
How to take care of your diamond jewellery-When not worn, diamond jewellery should be kept separate in boxes or textile bags, so that it doesn’t scratch other jewellery. -Lotions and fat from the skin transfers to the diamonds and make them look matt. This is easily removed by cleaning in warm soapy water. For resistant dirt, use a soft brush, being especially thorough on the back side. -Rings that are used on a daily basis ought to be checked by a professional once a year, because the settings will wear out. If the claws holding the diamond get too thin, the stone may fall out. -It is a very good idea to bring the diamond certificate to the jeweler if the jewellery needs repair. Some diamonds are clarity enhanced (CI-diamonds), which is a weakness. For instance are some cracks filled with a transparent substance to make the crack invisible. This substance is not heat resistant like the diamond. This is not easily seen by the jeweler, and if special care is not taken, the diamond may be completely ruined, at your expense (hidden flaw). CI-diamonds are less expensive than others to buy, but more expensive when repair is needed. That is because they need to be removed from the jewellery before repairing. “Blood diamonds”The Kimberly process is an international initiative established with the purpose to sever the connection between rough diamonds and armed conflicts. It was started in May 2000 by the initiative of the South African government together with other diamond producing countries in Africa, like Botswana amongst others. Many nations have joined the process, like the EU-countries, Switzerland, USA, China, Russia, Japan, Canada and others. Norway has supported the process since 2001. Violation of the regulations may lead to prosecution. On other words: it is illegal to trade with “blood diamonds”, so it is unlikely you will find any in Norway. Ailin Roelvaag 2009 Bibliography
|