Precious diamonds sparkle with legendary meanings

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)