Take a Piece of History in your Hand
Each diamond is unique. Like fingerprints, no two are exactly alike. Diamonds have decorated kings, inspired poets, delighted movie stars, brought untimely death to the famous and infamous--even been credited with curing illnesses. British monarchs added them to their royal treasure troves. French kings adored them. Jehan Shah, builder of the Taj Mahal, wore an 88-carat heirloom at his coronation in 1628.
Diamonds are the ultimate symbol of romance. More than 500 years ago, in 1477, Maximillian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy to seal their marriage vows. Maximillian had obviously paid heed to what the ancients said, namely that the third finger of the left hand connected directly to the heart by the Vein of Love.
Flawless, colorless diamonds--the most perfect, desirable and, therefore, most costly--are the rarest of the rare. Of the 100 million or so carats mined each year, those in the very top grade number in the hundreds. What's more, about half of a rough diamond's total weight is lost in the cutting process.
Diamonds personify value. The luxury car, the private plane, the regal fur are all passing pleasures. Diamonds are lifelong reminders of love and attachment--and having sealed a bond for one generation, they can be passed unblemished to the next. Diamonds are forever.
Color in Diamond: When Least is Best
It's ironic that the very best color for a brilliant diamond is no color at all. The reason is simple: absence of color means no conflict to dim the beauty of the natural light entering the stone and breaking into its spectral elements--the brilliant reds and blues and violets.
The most common measure of diamond color comes from the Gemological Institute of America. The purest, colorless stone carries a D rating and this scale goes right through the alphabet to Z--designating a diamond with a strong brown cast. (The scale starts with D because at the time the system was created in the early 1950's the business was plagued with hucksters offering AA and AAA diamonds--and the GIA wanted to distance itself from this hype).
Gradations on the color scale are so precise and so minute that it's almost impossible for an untrained eye to see them. You have to go fairly far down the scale, perhaps to an I or J, before an amateur starts to pick up a yellowish tint.
Color, like the other three C's of cut, clarity, and carat weight, has a big impact on price. A D diamond costs much more than a G which is equal in every other aspect.
Colorless is ideal for a white diamond. But color in a diamond can be a blessing, if it's deep enough and attractive enough. We're talking here about what are called fancy colored diamonds. Talk about being desirable: in April 1987 at Christie's auction house in New York, an 0.95 carat fancy purplish-red diamond sold for $880,000 or $926,315 a carat!
These gems come in all colors. Among the most famous: the vibrant blue Hope, the Dresden Green, the Black Orloff (a real rarity) and the golden brown Earth Star. Today, Australia's Argyle mine is yielding some fabulous pinks.
When It's Time
You've made your decision. Now it's time to buy that piece of diamond jewelry you've always wanted.
It's time to visit a reputable jeweler who can show you the best there is to see in diamond jewelry. Your jeweler can offer you selection, answer any questions you have and help you buy the diamond of your choice--one you will be proud to present as a gift or own yourself.