Personal Consultation
By Reut Shuker, Content ManagerDiamond Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most important things to know and understand when buying diamonds?
Scroll through for expert answers to the most frequently asked questions.
What Are Diamonds Made Of And How Are Diamonds Formed?
Diamonds are made of carbon so they form as carbon atoms under a high temperature and pressure thousands of miles beneath the earth’s surface. Over the course of millions of years they bond together to start growing crystals.
Are Diamonds Minerals?
Yes, Diamond is a rare naturally occurring mineral composed of carbon.
Where Are Diamonds Found?
Diamonds have been found in approximately 35 countries. South Africa, Russia and Botswana are the main producers of gem diamond while Australia produces most of the industrial diamond. Diamonds are also found in India, Siberia, Brazil, China, Canada and the United States.
How Are Diamonds Mined?
Diamonds are mined from Kimberlite through three types of diamond mining, alluvial mining, pipe mining, and marine mining.
Are Diamonds Rare?
Today, there is a large range of diamonds both widely available and very affordable. Yet large, fine quality diamonds with high clarity and good color are still quite rare. The rarity of a diamond depends on a number of factors including the 4 C’s (color, clarity, cut and carat). Fancy colored diamonds are considered to be rarer than colorless diamonds, there are specific colors that are so rare, only few exist in the world.
Why Are Diamonds So Expensive?
Diamonds were once rare and hard to come by, however in the 1800’s a new mine was unearthed in Kimberly, South Africa giving potential to flood the market with diamonds and bringing down cost. At the time De Beers (who in fact maintained control over the global diamond supply) decided to release only enough diamonds to meet annual demand, giving the illusion that diamonds were exceedingly rare. De Beers is largely responsible for the demand for diamonds. In the 1930s, De Beers invested thousands into the marketing changing the gem’s image to a symbol of wealth, power and status and ultimately leading to slogans like “A Diamond Is Forever” and “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. For nearly a century De Beers held a virtual monopoly over the diamond industry, and by limiting the supply kept prices stable. Both De Beers successful marketing strategy along with the limited supply of diamonds being released into the market has kept the overall cost of diamonds at an increase.
What is a Certified Diamond?
Certified diamonds are stones that have been graded by a gem laboratory based on the 4 C’s (color, cut, clarity and carat) when purchasing a diamond, it is recommended to buy a certified diamond to ensure quality of the stone.
What is a Diamond Carat? And What's The Difference Between Carat And Karat?
1 Carat of diamond equals to 0.20 grams. Simply put, carat is the measurement of the weight of diamonds and other precious stones whereas a karat is the measurement of the purity of a precious metal, particularly gold.
How Are Diamonds Cut?
Since diamonds are made of the hardest materials in the world, they are extremely difficult to cut and require specialized knowledge, tools, equipment, and techniques. The only way a diamond can be polished is by using diamond powder on the polishing machine.
Which Diamond Cut Sparkles The Most?
Brilliant cut diamonds were designed to have the most facets and therefore the most sparkle, however the diamond itself has to be of high clarity and excellent cut to achieve the best sparkle.
What is The Most Popular Diamond Cut?
Round diamonds are the most popular cut.
What is The Most Common Diamond Setting?
The most classic setting is the prong setting (a single diamond set in a traditional plain mounting with 4-6 prongs) another popular setting is the bezel setting, using a metal border to surround the perimeter of the diamond.
What Are Diamond Inclusions?
A diamond inclusion is a flaw in the diamond, it is exceptionally rare that a diamond is flawless. Diamond inclusions can exist in the interior and the exterior of the diamond. The most common inclusion is crystal and pinpoint which is a tiny bubble within the diamond.
Can Diamonds Break?
All gems and stones can break if hit hard enough, however diamonds are very tough stones so it’s remarkably difficult to break a diamond. It is important to know that if a diamond hits another diamond it can chip each other.
What Are The 4 C's of Diamonds?
The 4 C’s of a diamond refer to the four main components of which the diamond is graded which consist of cut, color, clarity and carat. You can read about it more in Leibish's learning center and learn much more about diamonds and gemstones.
What Diamond Clarity is Best?
The best diamond clarity is FL, meaning it is completely flawless inside and outside. These are extremely rare and not easy to be found.
Diamond Color And Clarity Chart
The white diamond grading system measures the amount of color present in the stone (or actually the absence of color), and breaks it down into six definitive categories
The table below defines the various levels of clarity in the GIA clarity scale for both white and color diamonds.
What Are Color Diamonds?
Just like white diamonds, fancy color diamonds are found beneath the earth’s surface. It is this natural, organic phenomenon that makes them so special. Unlike white diamonds, color diamonds are exposed to an additional element which in turn create diamonds of spectacular color.
What is The Best Color For Diamonds?
There is no color that is best, it is based on personal preference, however fancy yellow diamonds are considerably more affordable and readily available than other color diamonds.
What Are The Rarest Colored Diamonds?
Pure red, purple, orange and violet diamonds are the rarest color diamonds in the world, there are very few that exist in the world.
What Color Diamond is The Most Expensive?
Pure red and blue diamonds are the most expensive diamonds, a 1 carat pure red diamond can easily sell for over 3 million dollars.
