Diamond Facts
Today it is possible to buy two types of diamonds:
NATURAL DIAMONDS
Natural diamonds are between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years old. Most were originally formed at depths between 150 and 250 kilometres and then some tens to hundreds of million years ago they were carried to the surface in volcanic eruptions and deposited in igneous rocks.
LAB-GROWN DIAMONDS
Lab-Grown diamonds are created in a cutting-edge laboratory where sophisticated technology uses tiny diamond seeds from pre-existing diamonds. The laboratory creation process uses the same conditions that created natural diamonds: extremely high temperatures and intense pressure. The resulting Lab-Grown diamond is an authentic, real diamond – it is identical chemically, physically and optically to natural mined diamonds yet offers a more sustainable option to mined diamonds.
Lab-Grown diamonds are less expensive than equivalent natural diamonds because they use less energy to create than is required to mine natural diamonds, without incurring the same environmental, social, or ethical issues. If you are looking to buy a larger carat weight, or higher quality diamond for a given price, Lab-Grown diamonds may be a good choice for you.
Diamond facts applying to both Natural and Lab-Grown Diamonds:
BRILLIANT CUT
The modern round brilliant cut is the most popular of diamond cuts. The design uses facet arrangements and proportions to maximise the fire of diamonds. Each brilliant cut diamond consists of 58 facets – 33 on the top half above the middle (girdle) and 25 on the lower half below the girdle (pavilion).
CARAT WEIGHT
The carat weight measures the mass or weight of a diamond.
CLARITY
Diamond clarity is the quality of diamonds that relates to the existence and visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond (inclusions) and surface defects (blemishes).
COLOUR:
Diamond colours vary from white, yellow, blue, black, green, pink. White diamonds are graded from D (colourless) E, F (very little trace of colour) G, H (little trace of colour) and I, J and K (slight colour).
CUT
The cut of a diamond describes the quality of workmanship and the angles in which a diamond has been shaped and polished from a rough stone to its final gem proportions. Diamond ‘cut’ is different to “shape”.
HARDNESS
Diamond is the hardest material on earth on both the Vickers scale and the Mohs scale.
POPULARITY
Diamonds are among the world’s most sought-after gemstones and have been used as adornment for centuries. The popularity of diamonds is enhanced by their hardness and the ability to disperse light which gives the diamond its characteristic “fire”.