Hancock Red Diamond

April 28, 1987: A 0.95 ct Fancy purplish red round brilliant-cut diamond, now known as the Hancock Red, sold at Christie’s in New York for $880,000 fetching $926,000 per carat. The price paid for the Hancock Red set a new world record per-carat price for any gem sold at auction and fetched more than seven times the previous record mark for a diamond ($127,000 per carat, paid for a 7.27 ct pink diamond in 1980). Despite eye-visible inclusions, the Hancock Red commanded such a hefty price due to its exceptionally rare natural color.

The diamond was put up for auction by the heirs of a Montana collector, Warren Hancock, who reportedly had purchased it in 1956 for $13,500. The Hancock Red was one of his several fancy-color diamonds that had been mined and cut in Brazil.

The record price fetched for the Hancock Red in 1987 set a record which was not surpassed until October 2007 when Sotheby's sold a 6.04 carat fancy blue internally flawless diamond at auction for $7,981,835.00 U.S. Dollars which is a stunning $1.3 Million U.S. Dollars per carat!

Pink Yellow Sapphire Butterfly Ring Diamonds 14k White Gold

Diamond Inclusions

Inclusions play a major role while judging the quality of a diamond. Their presence can reduce the value of a diamond. Among the four Cs, clarity determines the stone’s purity. Any kind of internal impurity is termed as Diamond Inclusion.

The various types of diamond inclusions are:

Mineral and Crystal Inclusion: Diamonds may have slighter crystals inside them. These crystals can be smaller diamonds or some other mineral. They are intent within the stone during its formation. Though they are referred to as inclusions, sometimes they can actually create the diamond look more appealing.


Pinpoint Inclusion: They are minute crystals inside the stone which degrade its clarity. They are so small that they need to be viewed under magnification. When several pinpoints gather at the same area of the stone, it appears to be more distracting and hence makes the diamond look dull.

Cloud Inclusion: When several tiny crystals or pinpoint inclusions are grouped together, it emits cloudy and hazy appearance hence developing a cloud in the stone.

Needle Inclusion: Long and thin crystals are termed as needles in diamond inclusions. They are similar to pinpoint inclusions except for their shape.

Feather Inclusion: These are inclusions which actually look like feathers or fractures. Although small feathers are harmless but if they reach the diamond surface then they can probably result in its breakage.

Knot Inclusion: When an included crystal extends to the diamond’s surface, it is termed as a knot. They are a higher risk to the stone as they make the diamond less durable.

Cavity Inclusion: It is large opening in the stone and is also called as a crack which is relatively bigger in size.

Cleavage Inclusion: It is quite similar to cavity inclusion but appears to be a straight crack without any kind of feathering. This can be quite hazardous for the stone since if hit at the right place, the diamond can split down.

Girdle Fringes, Bearding Inclusion: They are hair-like lines which usually develop during the cutting process of the stone. They appear around the girdle and extend from the surface towards its internal part.

Grain Lines Inclusion: They are also called as grain lines and are formed during the formation of the diamond. These lines are formed due to irregular crystallization.

Asscher cut diamonds

Asscher cut diamonds are square shaped. With regard to their shape, asscher cut gemstones resemble an emerald cut stone because both exhibit step cut. But, diamonds with this cut are larger than the emerald cut diamonds.

The different aspects of a diamond are arranged beautifully in asscher cut with the aim to bring out the inner beauty. Its bottom has great depth which accounts for the enormous brilliance of this type of diamond and it is characterized with ‘small table’ and ‘high crown’. One thing that you must notice while selecting your asscher cut diamond is its corners.

A Few Facts about Black Diamonds

Black diamonds are also called “carbonados,” reflecting their chemical make-up of pure black carbon. All diamonds of any color are chemically composed of carbon that through eons of time, became what we know today as diamonds. They don’t come out of the earth as white, sparkly gemstones, but must be extracted, cut and immaculately polished. Black diamonds are not truly black; they are diamonds that contain a large amount of dark inclusions that give them their dark appearance. These inclusions are actually specks of the carbon that creates all diamonds.

Black diamonds, so far, have only been mined in Brazil and Central Africa. Both countries have a well-known history of producing large, rich diamond strikes. Australia is one of the most prolific producer of diamonds and fire opals, but as yet has not hit a strike of black diamonds.

To enhance their color, black diamonds are treated with an electron beam that causes no harm to the stone. This process can be used with other colored diamonds, but is recommended only for the black diamond’s chemical carbon inclusions. The treated stone is then carefully cut into various carat weights and styles that enhance their dark color.

Diamond Cut Grades

Blue Nile Signature Ideal cut: Our most brilliant cut, representing roughly the top 1% of diamond quality based on cut. The highest grades of polish and symmetry allow it to reflect even more light than the standard ideal cut.

Ideal cut Diamonds: Represents roughly the top 3% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects nearly all light that enters the diamond. An exquisite and rare cut.

Very good cut: Represents roughly the top 15% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects nearly as much light as the ideal cut, but for a lower price.

Good cut: Represents roughly the top 25% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects most light that enters. Much less expensive than a very good cut.

Fair cut: Represents roughly the top 35% of diamond quality based on cut. Still a quality diamond, but a fair cut will not be as brilliant as a good cut.

Poor cut: Diamonds that are generally so deep and narrow or shallow and wide that they lose most of the light out the sides and bottom. Blue Nile does not carry diamonds with cut grades of poor.

Type of Diamonds

Natural Diamonds

Natural diamonds are classified by the type and quantity of impurities found within them.

* Type Ia - This is the most common type of natural diamond, containing up to 0.3% nitrogen.
* Type Ib - Very few natural diamonds are this type (~0.1%), but nearly all synthetic industrial diamonds are. Type Ib diamonds contain up to 500 ppm nitrogen.
* Type IIa - This type is very rare in nature. Type IIa diamonds contain so little nitrogen that it isn't readily detected using infrared or ultraviolet absorption methods.
* Type IIb - This type is also very rare in nature. Type IIb diamonds contain so little nitrogen (even lower than type IIa) that the crystal is a p-type semiconductor.

Synthetic industrial diamonds

Synthetic industrial diamonds are produced the process of High Pressure High Temperature Synthesis (HPHT). In HPHT synthesis, graphite and a metallic catalyst are placed in a hydraulic press under high temperatures and pressures. Over the period of a few hours the graphite converts to diamond. The resulting diamonds are usually a few millimeters in size and too flawed for use as gemstones, but they are extremely useful as edges on cutting tools and drill-bits and for being compressed to generate very high pressures.

Thin Film Diamonds

A process called Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) may be used to deposit thin films of polycrystalline diamond. CVD technology makes it possible to put 'zero-wear' coatings on machine parts, use diamond coatings to draw the heat away from electronic components, fashion windows that are transparent over a broad wavelength range, and take advantage of other properties of diamonds.