Diamond – Most Famed & Fabled Gemstone:

It earns the title of being the hardest substance on the planet earth which cannot be cut by anything but itself.

Other unique features are those of sparkling fire, durability and rarity. There is no other gemstone that could compete with diamond for allure and interest. It also happens to be the most expensive stone in the world. Do you know, historically, just a single carat had been sold for more than a million dollar? These were vivid fancy diamonds.

The word diamond has been derived from a Greek word “adamas” which literally means “unbreakable” and “unalterable”. So, the name of this gemstone itself indicates is extraordinary strength.

Jump from Least Precious to Most Precious:

Have you ever heard about the surprising reality linked with the nature of diamonds? By nature, the world’s most prized gemstone is nothing but a metastable allotrope of carbon. Carbon is usually considered a commonplace material with little value attached to it. Then what transforms carbon into a highly valuable material is the different arrangement of the carbon atoms, forming a face-centered cubic crystal.

Carbon is not that much hard. It is the strong covalent bonding between the carbon atoms that make diamond the hardest substance on earth. This strong covalent bonding,in unique pattern,also renders it other superlative physical qualities.

Color & Value Variations:

Diamond occurs in a variety of different colors, ranging from black and completely colorless to yellow or brown. Sometimes, it may also be found in pink, purple, red and blue hues. Do you know the color of diamond crystal can have a great effect on its worth? It’s true.

The color serves as a determining factor for the value of this precious stone. The colorless diamonds are the most expensive and most valued ones. The black ones, on the other hand, are relatively less expansive. Such colored diamonds are considered as “fancies”. Owing to their rarity, some fancy diamonds have become most valuable materials in the world.

In fact, there are four factors that contribute to determining the value of a diamond. These are: color, cut, clarity and carat weight. In other words, you can say that “the four Cs” collectively determine the worth of this gemstone.

Historical Perspective:

People have been using the precious gemstone diamond for making jewelry and as a decoration piece since the ancient times. It is said that the recognition and mining of diamonds started in India many centuries ago. Small deposits of this stone were also discovered in Brazil in the 1700s. It was 1870s when the vast diamond fields were discovered and exploited in South Africa. Later on, new significant deposits were discovered in various other parts of the world. The increased supply and the use of advanced cutting, faceting and polishing technologies have contributed a lot to the tremendous popularity of the gemstone.