Diamond - April birthstone

Mohs Hardness 10

Mined From  Australia, Botswana, Russia, South Africa, Africa, Brazil, Canada.

Cutting Centres  Antwerp, India, China, Thailand, New York, Israel.

Typical Cutting Style Round Brilliant, Princess, Emerald, Pear, Marquise, Carre,Baguette,Heart, Radiant, Asscher, Oval, Cushion & Trillion.

Colour  Colourless, White, Yellow, Brown and Black Blue, Pink, Purple, Red And Orange are the rarest colours of diamonds.

Chemistry Diamonds are a mineral made from carbon. They are the only gemstone made from a single element. Diamonds contain 99.95% carbon the other 0.05% can include one or more trace elements. These are atoms that aren’t part of a diamonds essential chemistry, some of these atoms can influence a diamonds colour and shape. . Nitrogen within a diamond can cause fluorescence and the yellow colour in a diamond, Boron within a diamond a diamonds atoms will make blue diamonds.

Treatment  Techniques for modifying a diamonds colour range from a simple coating to more complex combinations of heat and pressure. Diamond colour can also be induced by artificial irradiation and controlled heating called annealing. All diamond colour modifications are vulnerable to heat, to be safe never use a torch or other heat source near a coloured diamond .

Inclusions  Few things in nature are absolutely perfect, this is as true with diamonds as anything else. There are many different natural characteristics that occur in diamonds, inclusions can become part of a diamond during formation or as a result from its crystal structure. The effect that the different characteristics have on a diamonds clarity grade depends on their visibility at 10 x magnification. Inclusions that are enclosed within a diamond are typically crystal, needle, pinpoint and cloud. Enclosed inclusions as a result from the crystal structure are generally internal graining, twinning wisp or grain centre. Inclusions found on the surface of a diamond can include a cavity, feathering, chip or knot.

Cleaning & Care  Warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush will help maintain the lustre of your diamond. Diamonds have a remarkable affinity for grease and oily substances ( meaning  that grease and diamonds stick to each other ) Grease on the pavilion of your diamond will reduce its optical performance. Do not use harsh solutions or abrasives to clean your diamond. Visit us on a yearly basis for a FREE clean and polish service.

Storing Your Diamond When you are not wearing your diamond jewellery place it in a cloth pouch or in a separate compartment to other gemstone jewellery ( i.e sapphires and rubies are 9 on the Mohs scale and diamond is 10, a diamond is 140 times harder than sapphire and ruby ) your diamond can scratch the surface of your gemstone jewellery.

Interesting Facts  One ton of rock is mined to get less than 1/2ct of rough diamond. Typically only 5-15% of diamonds mined are fit for gem quality and the remainder are classed as near gem quality and industrial quality , which are used for industry tools. Diamonds are graded using GIA’s  4’Cs which stands for Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat. The largest rough diamond mined was in 1905 and weighed an impressive 3,106ct! Named the Cullian Diamond. Diamonds are said to be the symbol of innocence and constancy.