Diamond Tutorials

Diamond Tutorial - 5 C's

The Origin of Diamonds

Diamonds are natural stones that are formed deep beneath the earth’s surface under high temperatures and pressure and are usually found in volcanic pipes that have formed millions of years ago and have cooled over a long period of time.

Diamonds in the 21st century are either found in the Kimberlite rock in these volcanic pipes or a few meters under the surface of the earth in alluvial gravel deposits. The alluvial deposits are essentially diamonds that have washed over very large tracks of land through the movement of Glaciers during the Ice Age or have travelled great distances with the torrential ancient rivers.

Composition of diamonds

Diamonds are made out of carbon molecules very similar to the carbon found in other everyday uses such as pencils. The difference is that diamond carbon molecules have formed perfect crystal shaped lattices after been subjected to heat in excess of 2000°C and under pressures in excess of 1800kpa.The diamonds are then cooled over millions of years.

Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth and register 10 on a Moe scale of 1 to 10. Diamonds do not attract water and never get “wet” in the conventional sense.

Due to their hardness, diamonds have many usages including industrial, such as cutting and drilling equipment, medical, aerospace and scientific applications.

The most glamorous of all usages are however jewellery and investment grade diamonds which are polished to perfection. Only a small percentage of all diamonds that are found are of a gem quality that are capable of being polished for jewellery.

The Rarity of diamonds

Gem quality Diamonds are rare. In alluvial deposits only between 2 and 5 carats and in Kimberlite pipes, approximately 15 to 25 carats, of diamonds are found in an average of 100 tons of soil. This is the equivalent of 100 one tonner loads of the popular 1-ton pickup truck.

When the diamond is eventually polished, average recoveries are about 40% of the rough diamond, meaning that from a 1 carat rough stone, we achieve a 0.40 carat polished stone.

It is this scarcity and difficulty in finding gem quality diamonds, and then the losses during polishing that make diamonds so valuable, unique and special.

Genuine Diamonds vs. Treated Diamonds

Diamonds are only special if they are genuine, have been made deep in the earth over millions of years, and have been found and protected as authentic natural stones. Every diamond is as unique as a fingerprint and no two diamonds are the same. The value of a diamond is built up over millions of years by mother earth.

Unfortunately, in the modern world many technologies have developed that have resulted in the proliferation of synthetic diamonds, “cultured” diamonds, colour enhanced diamonds, HTPT treated diamonds and laser drilled diamonds that are not visible to the human eye. A whole host of tricks are used to sell diamonds to the consumer at prices higher than their true value. These non-natural diamonds are available mainly in the USA, Europe, India, China and Canada, but have recently been found in jewellery shops in South Africa and Africa as well. The diamond industry has lost much of its integrity for this reason.

Consumers must demand certificates of verification from independent laboratories when purchasing diamonds whether these are loose diamonds or diamonds that have been set into jewellery. As a rule, any diamond above 0.25 carats in weight should be purchased with a certificate verifying its authenticity, colour, cut, clarity and carat weight.

At African Romance™ we pride ourselves in ensuring that every single diamond is genuine, independently certified, untreated, unenhanced, not laser drilled and not tampered with in any way.

We guarantee that our diamonds are 100% natural diamonds just as mother earth has given them to us.

Carat Weight

All diamonds are weighed in carats. The carat weight of a diamond is one fifth of a metric gram measurement, therefore 1 carat = 0.20 grams.

When choosing a diamond, the purchaser should always insist on a certificate from an independent laboratory to establish the exact weight of the diamond. Usually, this is appropriate for diamonds with a weight greater than 0.25 carats.

The marketplace determines the value of a diamond based on certain psychological thresholds in relation to weight. If one understands these thresholds, it is easier to make a decision in respect of your purchase. For example, if you are buying a diamond for investment, certain thresholds such as 0.25 carats; 0.30 carats; 0, 50 carats; 0, 75 carats; 1 carat etc are more sought after.

If on the other hand, you are buying a diamond for use, it is better to buy a 0.24 carat; 0.29 carat; 0.49 carat; 0.74 carat; 0.99 carat diamond etc. The reason for this is that visually there is no difference between a 0.99 carat and a 1 carat diamond, but there is usually a very big difference in price.

These psychological thresholds that are arbitrary have a huge influence on price.

Bigger diamonds are more valuable because they are rarer. The increase in value is not linear, and therefore a diamond that’s twice the size could be three or more times the value.

Colour

Diamonds are graded in colour from D to Z. The more colourless a diamond is, the rarer it is and will hold more value. D is almost colourless and is sometimes referred to as ‘blue white’. The transition moves in very slight changes in colour so that when they are approximately K or L colour they begin to distinctly demonstrate a yellowish tint. The diamonds that are more intense in colour are more valuable due to their rarity.

It is important to purchase a diamond, or diamond jewellery with an independent laboratory certificate that certifies the actual colour, clarity and cut of the diamond.

Clarity

Natural diamonds produced over millions of years have inclusions in them made of carbon, boron or other trace minerals. Sometimes a diamond has a cloud, bubble or gletz in the stone, which, if clearly visible, will affect the clarity of the diamond.

Clarity grades vary from Internally Flawless (IF), Very Very Slight (VVS), Very Slight (VS), and Slightly Included (SI) to Included (I). Only I grades and sometimes SI grades are visible to the human eye.

The value of a diamond varies very considerably between IF grades and I grades, the lowest grade being I3.

Only certification Laboratories can conclusively indicate the grade of a diamond because a large number of graders reach an independent consensus about the grade.

Cut

The cut is the most important variable in the value of a diamond. A diamond that is D colour with an IF grade can be totally destroyed so that it does not look special or sparkle at all if it has not been cut correctly.

Our master diamond cutters are highly skilled in maximizing light refraction. Our diamonds are cut to ideal geometric perimeters and angles so that the refraction of light results in the diamond looking spectacular. The industry uses terms such as ‘brilliance’, ‘life’ and ‘fire’ to describe how good a diamond looks.

An independent laboratory uses cut grades such as “Excellent”, “Very good”, “Good”, “Fair” and “Poor” to determine whether a diamond is well cut. Most experienced diamond traders would only look for “excellent” or “very good” cut grades. These grades hold good value and the diamond is likely to have excellent “fire” and ‘life’.

At African Romance™, every one of our diamonds is cut to stringent specifications and is strictly quality controlled. As many as 80% of our diamonds are cut to an “excellent” grade and about 20% of our diamonds achieve a “very good” grade.

We are proud of our track record and regard every one of our cuts as a work of art.

Our own 5th “C” – Confidence

African Romance™ has developed its very own 5th ‘C’ – Confidence.

We believe that in a world where beautiful and rare diamonds have become tainted with war, conflict and child labour, it is essential that consumers demand ethical diamonds.

Diamonds are worn as a symbol of love and a mark of style. The knowledge that a diamond has a dark history does not lend to the wearer being able to walk tall and proud.

African Romance™ has taken much time and effort to ensure that the wearer of its product sparkles with pride and exudes confidence. We do this with our fifth ‘C’, which is a unique special 100% guarantee from African Romance™ that:

• Our diamonds have not being mined at the expense of people or the planet;
• The diamonds are not synthetic, cultured, colour enhanced, laser drilled, or tampered with in any way;

Each one of our diamonds are as unique as a fingerprint and your ownership is marked by a registry system to prove the history and origin of the diamond;

Every diamond is genuine, authentic and independently certified and comes to you after lying in the earth untouched by human hands until it was discovered and polished by our master craftsman for millions of years.

As if that’s not all, the fifth ‘C’ also represents our confidence. We are so confident about our diamonds that we will trade-in any diamond purchased from us for another one under our no nonsense trade-in policy.

We want you to be as proud to wear the African Romance™ brand as we are to promote it.