Synthetic Diamonds

Synthetic Diamonds

The first synthetic diamonds were produced 

by General Electric in 1954. A synthetic 

diamond is basically a rock that has the 

durability, refractive index and hardness of 

a natural diamond – but it is made by man. 

A synthetic diamond should not be 

confused with stimulant diamonds, such as 

glass, cubic zirconia, or moissanite. 

Although the technology for synthetic 

diamonds came into play in 1954, no 

synthetic diamonds were ever seen on the 

market until the 1990’s. This was due to the 

fact that it took many years for General 

Electric to produce a synthetic diamond that 

could compare with the quality of a natural 

diamond – and when they figured out how to 

do it, they found that it cost more to produce 

a synthetic diamond than it did to mine and 

cut natural diamonds.

Finally, a small company by the name of 

Gemesis Corporation figured out a way to 

produce synthetic diamonds that were of the 

same quality as natural diamonds, at a 

cheaper price. Today, Gemesis produces 

synthetic white diamonds, and colored 

diamonds as well. These diamonds sell for 

about 1/3 of the cost of a natural diamond, 

but there is a shortage of them, and they are 

hard to find. In fact, it seems that synthetic 

diamonds are rarer than natural diamonds!

Selecting Diamonds

Selecting Diamonds

Diamonds are graded for certification by 

laboratories using grading criteria. Four of 

these criteria are critical to understand when 

making a diamond purchase or investment. 

Known as the “Four C’s” these criteria are: 

color, cut, clarity and carat.  

Color is the result of the composition of a 

diamond and it does not change. When a 

jeweler is describing the color of a diamond 

they are referring to the presence or absence 

of color in white diamonds. Because a 

diamond with no color allows maximum light 

to pass through, colorless diamonds are 

preferred for their sparkle.

Cut refers to a diamonds reflective quality. 

Most diamonds are cut with 58 facets. The 

brilliance of diamonds is heavily dependent 

on the cut. The different angles and the finish 

of a diamond determine its ability to reflect 

light and cause its brilliance and fire. 

Remember that the cut of a diamond can 

have an impact on its durability as well as its 

beauty. Some cutting faults can make a 

diamond prone to breakage. A diamond 

that is cut too thin can also cause light to 

leak out of the back and the diamond will 

lose some of the sparkle and appear not 

to shine. So, as you can see the Cut is 

probably the most important of the Four C’s.   

During the formation process, inner flaws, or 

inclusions occur in most diamonds. The 

number and size of these inclusions 

determine what is referred to as the clarity 

of a diamond. Diamonds that are clear 

create more brilliance and therefore are rarer 

and highly priced. To be considered

“flawless”, a diamond must have no surface 

or internal imperfections visible upon being 

viewed by a skilled diamond grader using 

10 power magnifications.

Carat is the unit of weight by which diamonds 

are measured. One carat is equal to 200 

milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 

segments called points. 150 points would 

equal one and a half carats.  

When you go to the store to make that all 

important diamond purchase, do not be shy!  

Ask questions, get the answers needed to 

make an informed purchase. Shopping for 

certified diamonds enables you to make an 

informed selection. Knowing the “four C’s” 

allows you to comparison shop and purchase 

the best diamond at a fair price.  But, before 

making a purchase, shop around and decide 

what shapes and styles really appeal to you. 

Enjoy your diamond for years to come! 

40 Beryl colors

As much as we love diamonds, we’re also in love with colored stones and gems like aquamarines and morganite, which can range from peach to lavender in color, are becoming more and more prevalent in gemstone jewelry.

Beryl is the mineral from which emeralds are created. But beryl comes in a variety of colors, making it a versatile gem. Morganite is probably the most popular of the other beryls. It has a pastel pink to peach or lavender which is similar in intensity to the blue of aquamarine. Morganite has been marketed as "Pink Emerald" and "Pink Aquamarine" to emphasize the kinship to its popular cousins. It was first discovered in California. It was also discovered in 1908 in Madagascar. There are also deposits in Brazil, Mozambique, Namibia, Afghanistan, and Russia. However, morganite is relatively rare, which stands in the way of it becoming a jewelry stone.

Heliodor, or golden beryl, is named after the Greek words for sun - helios - and gift - doron. The sunny yellow color of this beryl lives up to its name. Heliodor was discovered in Namibia in 1910 in a pegmatite that also produced aquamarine, which is also colored by iron. Heliodor is also found in Brazil and Madagascar. The largest faceted heliodor, 2,054 carats, is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Red beryl is the rarest member of the beryl family. It is mined in only one place: the Wah Wah Mountains in Utah. The color is stoplight red. Unfortunately this deposit produces only a small quantity of this gem. Most of the gems produced are under a carat in size, and many have inclusions. Specimens that are over a carat and clean are fantastically rare and are priced as such.
Colorless beryl, which is also known as goshenite, is also relatively rare. It is named after a deposit where it was found in Goshen, Massachusetts. The Greeks used colorless beryl as lenses; the first spectacles were probably beryl.

   

Sri Lanka
One of the world’s most beautiful and exotic islands, Sri Lanka, (formerly Ceylon) lies just below the southern tip of India. This pear-shaped bit of tropical paradise, about the size of Sicily, is a tourist’s delight offering British teahouses, rubber plantations, and gem mines.
Marco Polo wrote of his visit in 1292: “I want you to understand that the island of Ceylon is, for its size, the finest island in the world, and from its streams comes rubies, sapphires, topazes, amethyst and garnet.” Little has changed since Marco Polo’s time except that Sri Lanka faces overpopulation and a faltering economy.  
Its gemstones, however, seem to occur in endless supply. Known as the “Jewel Box of the Indian Ocean,” Sri Lanka, like possibly no other locality on earth, has yielded precious stones and fine gems in a great profusion of gem species and varieties. The island was known in the ancient world as Taprobane (copper colored in Greek). Native Veddahs, bathing in smooth flowing streams, noticed colored pebbles scattered in sandy bottoms. It was not until 500 B.C. that conquering Buddhists from northern India also discovered gems in the rivers and began to set rough stones into crude jewelry. They bartered stones with traders from abroad and eventually the treasures found their way to the marketplaces of Asia and Europe. Ancient Greek and Chinese historians referred to the beautiful gems of Ceylon, and King Solomon reportedly wooed the Queen of Sheba with Ceylonese precious stones.
The crown jewels of royalty all over the world contain extraordinary spinels, sapphires, and zircons mined from Sri Lanka streams. The Imperial Treasury of the Soviet Union houses a 400-carat red spinel of great beauty which was once given to Catherine the Great. The British Imperial Crown features a giant oval-cut spinel (previously supposed to be a ruby), known as the “Black Prince.” Crowns in the Green Vaults of Dresden are covered with sapphires from Sri Lanka.
         

Hindu lore rubies

Rubies are a type of corundum, a rare mineral made up of densely packed aluminum and oxygen atoms, which are normally colorless. When other atoms are substituted for a few of the aluminum ones, bright hues emerge. Small amounts of chromium impart the deep red color of ruby, traces of titanium and iron produce the stunning blue of sapphire, and chromium and ferric iron create the delicate orange shades of the extremely rare and costly padparadscha.
Rubies with their fiery hearts have inspired passion and legends throughout history. Rubies are even more rare than was once believed. Since chemical testing has become more common, it's been discovered that many of the world's most famous rubies are not rubies at all, but either garnet or spinel. While still beautiful, they don't possess the hardness nor the rich depth of color found in true rubies.
The color of rubies has given rise to numerous legends, associating the gemstone with courage, power, devotion, passion and love. In Hindu lore, rubies were believed to be the crystallized blood of the demon, Vala, whose body seeded all the mines of the world. When his body was divided, his blood fell over Sri Lanka and Burma, creating the rubies that can be mined from the ground. The sparkle and luminescence of rubies is said to be created by an inextinguishable fire in the heart of the stone. The fire is linked to the life of the person who wears it or owns it, and as long as the ruby burns bright, it is said, the person will enjoy good fortune and good health. So clear is this connection, according to some legends, that a ruby will darken in color if its wearer's life is in danger. In healing, rubies are the gem of choice to cure diseases of the blood and the heart.