Diamonds are the most cherished and highly valued of gemstones.

Throughout history, they have been admired by Kings and worn as a symbol of strength, courage and invincibility. Over the centuries the diamond acquired unique status as the ultimate gift of love, in myth and reality. The word `diamond' comes from the Greek adarnas, meaning unconquerable. It is the hardest mineral known to man, yet it has the simplest chemical composition being crystalized carbon.

The exact origin of diamonds is still something of a mystery even today. It is known that diamonds were created by Nature more than 3 billion years ago. The elemental forces of heat and pressure miraculously transformed carbon into diamonds deep below the surface of the earth. The volcanic mass in which this crystallization took place then thrust upwards, broke through the earth's surface to cool in kimberlite or lamproite pipes where most diamonds are found today. It is not an easy task to recover gem-quality and industrial diamonds and approximately 250 tonnes of ore must be mined and processed from the average kimberlite pipe to produce a one carat polished gem-quality diamond. Thus, it is easy to understand why diamonds are so rare and valuable.

Composition: C (crystallized carbon)
Crystal System: Isometric (cubic)
Moh’s Hardness: 10
Specific Gravity: 3.417-3.55
Refractive Index: 2.417-2.419
Transparency: Transparent
Dispersion: 0.044

The word"Diamond"comes from the greek word"Adamas", which means indestructible. It is the only gem known to man that is made of a single element, Carbon, besides graphite. Diamond is completely made of Carbon atoms (Chemical Composition - 'C') crystallized in a cubic isometric arrangement.

Diamonds form between 120-200 kms or 75-120 miles below the earth's surface. According to geologists the first delivery of diamonds was somewhere around 2.5 billion years ago and the most recent was 45 million years ago.

There are four main factors by which the value and quality of a diamond is determined. These items are popularly known as the 4C’s. Any combination of these four factors can make it possible to understand the quality and value of a diamond.These factors are:

COLOR Diamonds come in a variety of colors as well as the traditional colorless type. Fancy colors such as red, green, blue, pink, etc., are more costly than the regular colorless, yellow and brown.

CLARITY The clarity of a gemstone is assessed by examining any imperfections, inclusions and blemishes under 10x magnification.

CUT The cut of a diamond, its proportions and symmetry, are of extreme importance as they have the greatest influence on the brilliance of a stone.

CARAT"Carat" is the term used to describe the size measurement of a diamond. Diamonds come in all sizes from 0.005 carat to even 500 carat, and more.

First and foremost, a diamond's "shape" should not be confused with a diamond's "cut." While the term "Cut" is frequently used to describe it's shape, it should be remembered that when a diamond jeweler (or a diamond certificate) says "cut," that is a reference to the diamond's reflective qualities, not it's shape. The shape refers to the general outward appearance of the diamond, (such as round, emerald, or pear).

The "brilliant-cut" was created at the end of the 17th century and was represented by several forms of faceted diamonds. These cuts were round, rounded or cushion-shaped in girdle outline. During the early 18th century, Brazil gave rise to the cushion-shaped old-mine cut, a forerunner of the modern brilliant cut having 33 crown and 25 pavilion facets, the same 58 facets as today's round brilliants.

Over the years, the process of cutting diamonds has become more sophisticated and precise. Thusly, more brilliant shapes have emerged from the classic cuts. These techniques also increases the ammount of facets that a stone can have on them adding to the diamond’s beauty and luster.

The Ideal Proportions of a Brilliant-Cut Diamond

In 1919, Marcel Tolkowsky developed a mathematical formula for cutting diamonds into precise angles and proportions to achieve the optimum reflection and refraction of light, optimum stone balance, sparkle and fire. Lazare Kaplan, Marcel’s cousin, adopted the theory and today is still devoted to the art of cutting the most beautiful diamonds in the world.

Today, fewer than 1 percent of the world’s diamonds are ideal cut. To achieve this quality, more of the original rough diamond must be sacrificed. Thusly, there is only a small ammount of diamonds that hold up to the standard of the ideal cut.

There are many factors that vastly affect the proportions and symmetry of a diamond. If any particular part of the diamond is cut disproportionately, all of the other elements will be affected by this.