Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Which are the most popular diamonds in the world?

The Cullinan I: a pear fashioned diamond of 530.20 carats also called ”The Star of Africa”. Set in the English crown jewels. Can be admired in the Tower of London.



The Koh-I-Noor: This”Mountain of Light” is the oldest of the well-known diamonds, has an oval shape and weighs 108.93 carats. Discovered in India, the stone is now fraction of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.



The Hope: This is a blue diamond of 44.50 carats and with an extraordinary brilliance. At the moment, the stone is on display at the Smithsonian organization in Washington. Had the reputation to bring misfortune.




Thursday, October 14, 2010

Gemstone Treatments


Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to the way some gems are altered or treated to improve their appearance or durability. Some common treatments include:

  • Heating, which can lighten, darken or change the color of some gems, or improve a gemstone's clarity.

  • Irradiation, which can add more color to colored diamonds, some other gemstones and pearls.

  • Impregnating some gems with colorless oils, wax or resins, which makes a variety of imperfections less visible and can improve a gemstones' clarity and appearance.

  • Fracture filling, which involves injecting colorless plastic or glass in the gems to hide cracks or fractures and improve the gemstones' appearance and durability.

  • Diffusion treatment, which adds color to the surface of colorless gems while the center of the stone remains colorless.

  • Dyeing, which adds color and improves color uniformity in some gemstones and pearls.

  • Bleaching, which lightens and whitens some gems, including jade and pearls.

  • Laser-drilling, which removes dark inclusions from diamonds, improving the clarity of the stone.

    The Jewelry Guides state that sellers should tell consumers about gemstone treatments in certain circumstances. If the treatment is not permanent or if the treated stone requires special care, you should tell consumers that the stone has been treated and give them appropriate instructions to care for the gemstone. Even if a gemstone treatment is permanent and doesn't create special care requirements, the Guides require you to tell consumers about the treatment if it significantly affects the value of the gemstone.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Kohinoor Diamond

The Kohinoor Diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. The Kohinoor diamond was first mentioned in 1306 when it was taken from a Rajah of Malwa, whose family had held the diamond for centuries. It was described as weighing 186 carats and was an oval cut white diamond - the shape and size of a small hen's egg. The Kohinoor diamond belonged to various Indian and Persian rulers but it became part of the Crown Jewels of England at the time that Queen Victoria was proclaimed empress of India. The Kohinoor was re-cut at this time and now weighs 108.93 carats and is kept in the Tower of London.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Kimberley Diamond


The Kimberley Diamond, named after the Kimberley Mine in South Africa, is one of the most far-famed emerald-cut diamonds in the world.

Before the Kimberley Diamond was cut, it weighed about 490-carats and had the color of sparkling wine. In the year 1921, the rough diamond was cut to 70 carats and in 1958 the Kimberley Diamond was re- cut into the current emerald shape and measured about 55.09 carats. The yellow colored diamond with its beautiful shape has been exhibited in different places and finally an undisclosed collector from Texas bought it in 1971.

The Kimberley Diamond has become famous because of its emerald cut. This emerald cut was initially known as ‘step cut’ and was perfectly suited for emeralds, hence the name emerald cut. The emerald cut consists of 58 facets, 8 girdles, 25 crowns and 25 pavilions. The shapes can vary from squares to rectangles. Later this emerald cut was used while shaping hard stones and so it was also applied in case of the diamonds.