Diamonds are a girl’s best friend

Gold earrings with diamonds – Chantecler

20 December 2016 - Silvia Di Giacomo

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” proclaimed Marilyn Monroe, while Zsa Zsa Gabor confessed “I have never hated a man enough to give him back his diamonds.”

Perhaps these words reveal something of the inner thoughts of many women where it comes this most highly prized of all presents and the most desired of all gems.

anello-e-ciondolo-in-oro-e-diamanti-annamaria-cammilli

Anello e ciondolo in oro e diamanti Annamaria Cammilli

In fact we are talking about extremely valuable minerals. Compared to other gemstones they maintain their value over time, they are incredible hard and they can be bought in sealed packs as well as mounted on jewellery.

Prices are set by the Diamond Exchange, where the majority of unrefined diamonds are sold to accredited diamond cutters. The prices of cut diamonds are provided on official lists.

Diamonds are classified according to four parameters, the so-called four “C”s:

Carat is the weight expressed in carats. A carat is the fifth part of the gram.

Colour indicates the saturation of colour and is expressed with a letter. The whitest diamonds in absolute terms identified with the letter D.

Carity describes the number and size of inclusions contained within a diamond when observed by an expert with a lens that is magnified 10 times.

 

Anello in oro e diamanti Annamaria Cammilli

Anello in oro e diamanti Annamaria Cammilli

 

The purest stones are classified “IF” which means “internally flawless” or “LC”- “Loupe Clean”. When inclusions are visible to the naked eye they are classified as “I” for imperfect or “P” for Piquet.

Cut values the proportions of the various parts of the diamonds and the finish on the faces.

The brilliant cut is characterised by 57 facets with rigid proportions to guarantee the maximum brilliance of the gems. The term “diamond” however, refers to the mineral. The definition “brilliant” can be used implicitly to describe  brilliant cut diamonds.

It is essential that you acquire stones solely from reliable, trustworthy sellers, as you would with any valuable acquisitions. This is especially true when buying beautiful gems with complex and highly precise classification systems. The most serious jewellers such as Gioielleria Ferdinando Veronesi & Figli will be able to provide you with diamonds certified by international bodies and will be able to advise you on the best combination of value and quality.

 

By the Geologist Silvia Di Giacomo for the jeweller’s Gioielleria Ferdinando Veronesi & Figli in Bologna

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