Fun and Interesting Facts About Diamonds

If you’re lucky enough to have been born in April, you get to claim the diamond as your birthstone. Whether you have an April birthday or not, this glamorous gemstone is a favorite of many. Test your knowledge of diamonds, the official birthstone of April. Scroll down for the answers — but no cheating!

1. Diamonds are a naturally occurring allotrope of what element?
2. Diamonds are formed deep inside the Earth’s interior when carbon is crystallized over a long period of time. What two factors cause the crystallization?
3. Diamonds are appraised and priced according to the 4Cs: color, clarity, carat weight and cut. What organization created this standard grading system?
4. Diamonds were first mined in India around 800 BC. Today, what are the four top diamond producing countries in the world?
5. A state park in Arkansas is the only diamond-producing location in the world that allows the public to dig for and keep the diamonds they find. What is the name of the state park?
6. Marilyn Monroe famously sang “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in what 1953 film?
7. In the 1963 film, The Pink Panther, Peter Sellers played clueless police inspector Jacques Clouseau on the trail of a jewel thief known as “The Phantom.” In the movie, what is the name of “the largest diamond in the world?”
8. In December 2011, Elizabeth Taylor’s renowned jewelry collection was auctioned at Christie’s in New York. One of her most famous pieces was the Taylor-Burton diamond ring, given to her by husband, Richard Burton. How many carats is it, and what is its estimated worth?
9. In James Cameron’s movie Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, what is the name of the fictional blue diamond lost to the ocean?
10. On December 10, 2012 at the final lot of Christie’s “Magnificent Jewels” auction, a new world auction record was achieved for a reddish-orange fancy colored diamond. What was the diamond’s carat weight, and what did it sell for?

Diamond Quiz Answers:

1. Carbon
2. Heat and pressure
3. The 4Cs grading system was created by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
4. Australia, Zaire, Botswana, and the former Soviet Union
5. Crater of Diamonds State Park
6. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
7. The Pink Panther
8. The Taylor-Burton diamond is a 69.42 carat pear-shaped stone estimated to be worth $3.5 million. Taylor sold the diamond in 1978 following her divorce from Burton to fund her charity work.
9. “The Heart of the Ocean”
10. The rare 3.15 carat diamond is the largest reddish-orange diamond ever graded at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and sold for $2,098,500, setting a new world auction record for a reddish-orange diamond and a new per-carat record price of $666,200.

Diamond Facts

Those born during the month of April have one of the most regal and desired gems as their birthstone: the diamond. Here are some interesting facts about diamonds you may not know.

Diamonds are a naturally occurring allotrope of the element, carbon. Diamonds are formed deep inside the earth’s interior when carbon is crystallized over a long period of time due to two factors: heat and pressure.

Diamonds were first mined in India around 800 B.C. Today, the four top diamond producing countries in the world are Australia, Zaire, Botswana, and Russia. Interestingly, Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas is the only diamond-producing location in the world that allows the public to dig for and keep the diamonds they find.

Diamonds are appraised and priced based on a standard grading system by the Gemological Institute of America (the GIA). The grading system is known as “The 4 Cs” and consist of color, clarity, carat weight, and cut.

Diamond jewelry has gained fame as a result of its presence in legendary films. Marilyn Monroe famously sang “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the 1953 film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Actress Jane Russell later sang the signature song in the same film, in court, while pretending to be Monroe’s character, Lorelei.

In the 1963 film, The Pink Panther, Peter Sellers played clueless police inspector Jacques Clouseau, on the trail of a jewel thief known as The Phantom. In the movie, “the largest diamond in the world” is called The Pink Panther.

And who can forget James Cameron’s movie Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, in which the fictional blue diamond called “The Heart of the Ocean” is tragically lost to the ocean. 
Diamonds have also gained notoriety as a result of record-breaking auction sales. In December 2011, Elizabeth Taylor’s renowned jewelry collection was auctioned at Christie’s in New York. One of her most famous pieces was the Taylor-Burton diamond ring, given to her by husband, Richard Burton. The Taylor-Burton diamond is a 69.42 carat pear-shaped stone estimated to be worth $3.5 million. Taylor sold the diamond in 1978 following her divorce from Burton to fund her charity work.

On December 10, 2012 at the final lot of Christie’s “Magnificent Jewels” auction, a new world auction record was achieved for a reddish-orange fancy colored diamond. The rare 3.15 carat diamond is the largest reddish-orange diamond ever graded at the GIA, and sold for $2,098,500, setting a new per-carat record price of $666,200.

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Understanding All About Diamonds

With the new year upon us, we thought it would be a good time to review some gemstones basics, starting with one of the most beloved of all gems, the diamond. 

Diamond Basics

Diamonds are crystals made of pure carbon, and are the only gemstone composed of just one element. Small amounts of other elements might be in diamonds as impurities, and often give diamond its color variation.

Diamonds are formed under crushing pressures and intense heat, mostly in the Earth’s mantle and delivered to the surface by deep-source volcanic eruptions. These eruptions produce the kimberlite and lamproite pipes that are sought after by diamond prospectors.

Diamonds have a hardness of 10 on the Mohs Scale. For millennia, diamonds have been thought to be the hardest material in nature. But in 2009, a composite material containing the mineral wurtzite boron nitride (w-BN) was shown to have the same resistance to indentation as diamond. In fact, research in China and the U.S. suggests that pure w-BN is significantly harder than diamond.

About 2,500 years ago, diamonds were first discovered in India. While the U.S. is the largest consumer of diamonds, there is barely any production here. The only mine is a state park called the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas where tourists can pay a fee to look for diamonds. The park yields just a few hundred carats per year.

The Four Cs

In the ‘40s and ’50s, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), an educational and research non-profit organization founded in 1931, developed the “4Cs” and the GIA International Diamond Grading System™ to objectively compare and evaluate diamonds. Today, even if you buy or sell a diamond in another part of the world, the jeweler will likely use the same GIA grading systems. The 4 Cs are:

• Color: Most diamonds run from colorless to near-colorless, with slight hints of yellow or brown. “Color” is not how much color a diamond has, but the degree to which it is colorless. The GIA set the industry standard with its D-Z scale (D is colorless while Z means the diamond has the most yellow.) The exception to this rule are fancy colored diamonds which aren’t included in the GIA’s D-Z scale. Colors beyond the Z color are considered fancy colored diamonds.

• Clarity: Most diamonds have tiny crystals, feathers, or clouds within them, called “inclusions.” Surface imperfections are called “blemishes.” The rarest diamonds are flawless and have no internal inclusions or external blemishes. The GIA uses a Clarity Scale of 11 grades that are measured using 10X magnifications.

• Carat: Signifies the weight—not the size—of the diamond. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. Since heavier diamonds are rarer than smaller diamonds, the value is higher the heavier the carat weight.

• Cut: The cut of a diamond refers to its proportions, symmetry, and polish. When evaluating cut, two aspects are assessed: shape (round, marquise, square cut, etc.), and how well the cutting was executed. It must be geometrically precise, since it will affect a diamond’s fire (the flash of rainbow colors from within) and brilliance (its sparkle). The cut was historically the most subjective and difficult to standardize during appraisal, but due to advances in technology, the GIA introduced its cut grading system in 2005.

Fancy Colored Diamonds

Not all diamonds fall into the typical white-yellow-brown color range. They can be pink, blue, purple, red, orange, or any color. Colored diamonds, known as authentic fancy colored diamonds, get their color from the trace elements they are exposed to. For example, radiation can create a greenish tint, while large amounts of nitrogen causes a yellowish color. Real natural fancy colored diamonds are very rare and expensive, but through irradiation and heat treating, gemologists are able to enhance the color of most natural diamonds. Fancy colored diamonds are found in 12 different colors, with more than 90 secondary hues and nine intensity levels within the 234 color combinations.

Fancy colored diamonds are graded a bit differently than white diamonds. The four main criteria for determining a fancy colored diamond’s value are hue, color saturation, color purity, and availability. The more rare a diamond is in color, the more valuable it will be. If the color is richer or saturated, the diamond will also be worth more. And like a white diamond, a colored diamond’s clarity or purity of the color will also increase its value. Also, inclusions can be desirable. Inclusions are actually flaws, but in a colored diamond, they can create unique tones and beautiful flashes of color.

Synthetic Diamonds

People have been able to manufacture diamonds since the 1950s. These are known as synthetic diamonds. Today, more than 100 tons of diamonds are manufactured every year. Most of these diamonds are used to make cutting tools and abrasives. Synthetic diamonds are often undistinguishable from naturally occurring diamonds, but they can be identified by laboratory tests.

Cleaning Diamonds

For diamonds not in a metal setting, gently clean the diamond with a solution of ammonia and water. For diamonds in metal settings, soak the piece in a solution of warm water and mild detergent for two to five minutes. Gently scrub the diamond with a soft toothbrush or jewelry brush. Then, rinse the diamond in warm water to remove remaining detergent. Buff the diamond dry with your cloth.

Whether you’re getting engaged or just looking to buy beautiful, quality diamond jewelry, Adina by Empire Jewelers has a magnificent collection of estate and vintage diamond jewelry, available at true wholesale prices, as well as a wide variety of precious and semi-precious gemstone and gold jewelry. Shop online today, and remember, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.