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MALOOF
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Diamonds are made from pure carbon, earth's most common
element and the hardest natural substance known to man. Diamonds were formed eons ago under incredible heat and pressure deep in the earth. Great volcanic upheavals millions of years ago forced the "blue earth" containing diamonds to the surface where they were scattered along rivers and into the oceans. |
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The first river-bed (alluvial) diamonds were probably discovered in India, in around 800 B.C. The volcanic source of these diamonds was never discovered, but the alluvial deposits were rich enough to supply most of the world's diamonds until the eighteenth century
Only about one-fifth of all mined diamonds could be considered of gem quality. From 40 to 250 tons of gravel and sand must be processed today to recover one rough diamond from the world's thinning diamond deposits. Experts estimate that all known supplies of diamonds will be depleted within 30 to 40 years. 75 – 80% of all diamonds mined are used for industrial applications such as drilling, grinding, or sawing. The remainder are used for jewelry or investment. Less than 2% are of such high quality that they may be considered investment quality.
On average, 250 tons of ore must be mined and processed to produce a one carat diamond of gem quality. When the mining operation is completed, sorters look at rough diamonds, separating them into small piles by shape, size, and quality, a long and laborious process.
The earliest record of diamond-polishing is Indian, and probably dates from the fourteenth century. The earliest reference to diamond cutting is in l550 in Antwerp, the most important diamond center of the period, where a diamond-cutters' guild was soon to be established.
Today, 90 percent of diamond jewelry is made from diamonds mined in African countries with the rest mined in Australia, South America, Canada and Russia.
The word "diamond" comes from the Greek word "adamas" meaning unconquerable, in reference to the eternity of love. In 1477, Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, thus, starting the tradition of diamond engagement rings, say Maloof experts. The reason a woman wears it on the third finger of her left hand dates back to the Egyptian belief that the vena amoris (vein of love) ran directly from the heart to the top of that finger.
In 1939 De Beers introduced the criteria for Diamonds determining the gem quality by a combination of four distinct factors. These are called the 4C's. Cut, Color, Carat and Clarity. Each diamond is unique, with its own individual beauty.
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Many of the rarest diamonds occur by rare accidents of nature in shades of pink, blue, green, amber, or even red. These diamonds are referred to as “Fancy" diamonds and are evaluated by a different set of color standards. Fancy diamonds are the most expensive due to their extreme rarity. Some of the “Fancies” may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for diamonds of one carat or less! |
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History of
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