Precious diamonds sparkle with legendary meanings
JAKARTA (JP): Diamonds have been linked to love and legend since they were first unearthed in India thousands of years ago.
Due to their resistance to both fire and steel, diamonds, whose name is derived from the Greek word adamas meaning unconquerable, became a sign of conjugal durability and faithfulness.
A diamond ring presented by the Austrian Archduke Maximilian to his beloved fiancee Mary of Burgundy in the 15th century was an eternal token of love. This began the tradition of giving diamond engagement rings.
Another famous diamond is the Cullinan, the biggest diamond ever found. It was cut into nine big stones and 96 smaller ones. The largest cut is the 530.20-carat Star of Africa which now belongs to Britain.
Tiffany is also a stunning diamond. It weighs 287.42 carats and it was bought by Tiffany & Co. in 1879 and then cut in Paris to a cushion shape of 128.51 carats. It was valued at US$12 million in 1983
Nani Budiman from the Diamond Information Center, the publicity arm of the De Beers diamond mining company, discussed important diamond know-how with dozens of jewelry lovers during a recent meeting at the Regent Jakarta.
Nani explained the journey of the gems from the mining process to the international market.
Diamonds were first mined in India about 800 B.C. After the discovery, ancient people also found abundant deposits in Brazil, the southern part of Africa and later in Australia. There are around 20 diamond-producing countries today.
The gems are mostly found in alluvial deposits. The composition of the diamond is actually very simple -- carbon. Billions of years ago, heat and immense pressure transformed pure carbon into sheer brilliance. The force of ancient volcanic eruptions drove the diamond-bearing rock, known as kimberlite or blue ground, through pipe-like channels towards the earth's surface.
Mining the kimberlite pipes starts by digging downwards from the surface to form an open-cast mine. The kimberlite stones then go through a long recovery process in which they are crushed and washed until only a concentrated diamond bearing residue remains. This concentrate is then passed through an X-ray separator to isolate the diamond.
These rough diamonds are sent to the Central Selling Organization (CSO) in London. More than 500 CSO officials will sort the rough diamonds into 5,000 categories according to its size, shape, quality and color.
The CSO is the body which sorts and markets the diamonds worldwide 10 times a year. The body also takes control of the international market. CSO's considerable financial reserves will prevent the diamond market from any temporary price fluctuations.
"People wanting to buy the gems must be very careful. There are four criteria to consider when choosing a stone: cut, color, clarity and carat weight, known as 4K," Nani said.
Cut refers to how well the diamond has been cut to enable the maximum amount of light to be reflected through the stone. Colorless diamonds are more highly prized than those with a light yellowish tint, she explained.
Absolute clarity, that is, a diamond that is flawless, is a rarity. Most diamonds have small "inclusions", and the more of these a diamond has, the less valuable it is.
There are several kinds of cut; emerald, pear-shaped, round or brilliant, the marquise and oval.
Emerald cut is rectangular with "steps" on the side and corners; pear-shaped diamonds are worn with the point towards the fingernails; round and brilliant is the classic cut, with highly reflective 58 facets; the marquise is named after Madame de Pompadour; the oval is an adaptation of the round cut and looks larger than a round stone of the same carat weight.
"The trend of today's diamond jewelry is simple diamond or solitaire," Nani said. "This type of design will focus more on the stone and thus it will more beautifully sparkle." This style of diamond jewelry is appropriate for any occasion and can be worn with casual or formal dresses, she added.
She warned diamond wearers to be attentive in caring for their precious gems. "Don't jumble your diamond pieces because they can scratch each other. This will reduce the values of your jewels."
Diamond jewelry should be stored in special cases or pouches, and they should be taken to reputable jewelers for a "check-up" at least once a year.
"Buying good and flawless diamonds will be one of the biggest purchases you are likely to make, and it isn't one to rush into," she said. "Choose the best jeweler and make sure you get the one you really dream of. And that will be yours forever because a diamond is forever." (raw)