Diamonds are a huge chapter of gemmology. Everybody is interested on them and wants to buy one at one point of their life. After all, diamond is the hardest natural gemstone, receiving 10 at Moh's scale, making it last forever.
Starting with, carbon is the basic chemical element of a pure diamond. However, trace elements such as nitrogen will cause the yellow tint that we can often observe in diamonds. Another trace element that is responsible for the blue colour of diamond is boron. Moving to crystals, diamond belongs to the cubic crystal system. It usually displays an octahedron form or rarely it might be found in more complex forms, such as a dodecahedron. Diamond shows some characteristic features on the sides of the crystal, such as triangular pits (trigons) and grain lines.
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| Rough diamond crystals |
Have you ever heard about the 4 C's? I am sure you have 😉 These are the most important factors that you should check when you want to buy a diamond. Thus, we have carat weight, which is the weight of the diamond in carats, as the name suggests. The greater the carat weight, the higher the carat price. Colour is very important in diamonds, too. A pure colourless diamond is the best, not only because it is colourless but also because it will display a high brilliance effect. Colour grades will be between D and Fancy, according to GIA colour grading system. Generally, for colourless diamonds, when all the other factors are being equal, the more colourless the stone is the higher the value per carat. In addition to colour, clarity is also graded according to GIA starting from FL(=flawless) ending to I3 (=beauty and durability are seriously affected). Diamond's clarity depends on various parameters, such as internal characteristics (number, size, position, brightness and nature of the inclusions) and external characteristics. Last but not least is the cut of the stone. The quality of cut is very important value factor because it affects the level of brightness of the diamond. Thus, the style of cut, the symmetry, the proportions and the polish of the stone should all be carefully checked by the gemmologist.
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| Vintage ring from the 1970's with a round brilliant cut diamond |
Brilliance in diamonds results from reflection of light when viewed 'face-up'. Maximum brilliance depends on the cutting of the diamond, the transparence and the clarity grade. There is the perfect cut for diamonds, which you might have read about it on gemmological reports.The term 'fire effect' is related with the dispersion, which produces flashes of spectral colour from the faceted diamond when light passes through its inclined facets. This term is not scientific but gives an indication of the amount of the perceived dispersion.
Diamonds were, are and always will be a treasure for people. Be careful not to buy a diamond and any gemstone without a gemmological certificate. You need to make sure that you buy real gems and that they are worth the money you spend.
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