Biggest Diamond in the Universe

Astronomers discovered the largest diamond of all times in space. The weight of the precious stone reportedly makes up ten billion trillion trillion carats or five million trillion trillion pounds). The space diamond is virtually an enormous chunk of crystallized carbon, 4,000 kilometers in diameter. The stone is located at a distance of 50 light years from Earth, in the Constellation Centaurus.

Scientists believe that the diamond is the heart of an extinct star that used to shine like the Sun. Astronomers have already dubbed the space diamond as Lucy in a tribute to the Beatles song ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.’

“You would need a jeweler’s loupe the size of the Sun to grade this diamond!” says astronomer Travis Metcalfe (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), who leads a team of researchers that discovered the giant gem.

The cosmic stone completely outclasses all diamonds that have ever been found on Earth. The largest diamond weighing 546 carats was found in South African Republic. The diamond, The Star of Africa, resides in the Crown Jewels of England. The Star of Africa was cut from the largest diamond ever found on Earth, a 3,100-carat gem.

Lucy, also known as BPM 37093, is actually a crystallized white dwarf. A white dwarf is the hot core of a star, left over after the star uses up its nuclear fuel and dies. It is made mostly of carbon and is coated by a thin layer of hydrogen and helium gases.

The white dwarf is not only radiant but also harmonious. It rings like a gigantic gong, undergoing constant pulsations. “By measuring those pulsations, we were able to study the hidden interior of the white dwarf, just like seismograph measurements of earthquakes allow geologists to study the interior of the Earth. We figured out that the carbon interior of this white dwarf has solidified to form the galaxy’s largest diamond,” says Metcalfe.

Astronomers say that our Sun will die in five billion years and become a white dwarf too. About two billion years after it will turn into a similar diamond that will continue to sparkle in the center of the solar system forever.

Majority of the diamonds mined, cut and produced in the world are melee. The diamonds in melee sizes are usually sold in parcels and lots. They can be bought in parcels of 1.00 carat to 100’s of carats. Melee diamonds change hands on a regular basis. Just like how a $1 bill is the most produced and used denomination in the USA. In wholesale diamond bourses throughout the world a single parcel of melee diamonds will sometimes be sold and resold 3-4 times in a day. They are basically flipped at nominal profits! However, due to the size of the parcels, the final amounts are enormous. To put things in perspective, say 0.01 carat melee black diamonds cost around $ 25/carat. Individually, that is not a significant amount. Now multiply that $25/carat with a parcel of 1000 carats. Suddenly you are looking at a final price of $ 25,000. It completely changes the scenario.

Melee diamonds change several hands on a daily basis. This is primarily facilitated by diamond brokers. Diamond brokers are freelance commissioned individuals who know what is going on the market, who’s got what, who is desperate to sell, who is desperate to buy, etc. They are the road runners and jobbers of the diamond industry. They have inside information about a lot of diamond dealers, wholesalers and cuttings houses. Diamond brokers earn anywhere from 0.25% to 1.5% of the final sales value. The figure doesn’t sound a lot for something that seems to require a lot of energy, knowledge and insight. Let’s take the example of the previous $25/carat x 1000 carats .01 carat black diamond parcel. At a nominal rate of 0.75% commission, the broker makes $ 187.50 from one single transaction. On a good day, a diamond broker would do as much as ten transactions. In most cases, the effort involved from the broker’s side is knowing the seller and the buyer. Mind you, a lot of times throughout the entire negotiating process, the buyer and seller will not meet, talk face to face or even know each other! It is the diamond broker who is convincing the seller to sell and the buyer to buy.

Sorting and grading of melee diamonds is another art form. They are usually sorted by using a diamond sieve. It is just like a normal sieve. A round stainless steel metal sheet with holes of different sizes in it. Sorting melee diamonds in different sizes is a very noisy process. You pour the diamond parcel on the top of the diamond sieve and shake it. Once shaken, you have to use a pair of tweezers to bang the edges to ensure that the borderline diamonds sieve through. Once that is done, the diamonds that are stuck in the sieve have to be pushed through with the tweezers. It is more of fun visually then verbally. I will be putting up a video of diamond sieving hopefully in a short period of time for you to see how it works.

Once these melee diamonds are sieved and sorted in similar sizes, they need to be graded. Grading melee diamonds is not a job for the faint-hearted. Melee diamonds need to be sorted, graded, matched and paired together in groups. A regular gemologists who is trained for larger diamonds usually falls flat when grading and sorting melee diamonds. They find it hard to hold them. Without experience, these small diamonds will be “pinging” out of the tweezers throughout the room. Good luck trying to find a 0.01 carat diamond in a carpet. Moreover, melee diamonds are not graded in the same manner as regular larger sized diamonds. It is simply not possible to give them a cut grade based on the GIA standards. There are technological advancements in this field but none come close to an experienced eye. Only an experienced diamond grader can sort through melee diamonds, put them in individual groups based on clarity, color, cut and then calibrated based on measurements with the use of basic and rudimentary tools. It requires skill, a steady hand and tremendous amount of patience to sort through a 25 carat parcel of 0.01 carat diamonds. I know it since that’s how I started in the diamond industry. Sorting 20-30 carats of melee diamonds in a day.

Melee diamonds are used by jewelers and customers for various purposes. One of the common use of melee diamonds is in custom work, repairs and replacing lost diamonds. Custom work requires diamonds of all shapes and sizes. Making custom jewelry usually requires a various number of melee diamonds in different sizes. This is where the expertise of a skilled Gemologist and Diamond Grader is useful. It is important to ensure that the diamonds you plan to put into a precious diamond engagement ring has to be chosen with great diligence and skill.

Setting of melee diamonds is also tricky. Just like grading melee diamonds require experience and skill, setting them requires an even steadier hand. A master jeweler and master craftsman is required to do a good job. Every diamond when set in a piece of jewelry is put through pressure. This ensures that it does not pop out with ease. The amount of pressure required on a melee diamond is relatively the same but it’s chances of breaking in the process of setting is more. Every jeweler has a reserve of melee diamonds while setting them just incase they break or chip. It is a very common for them to break due to their size and pressure. Everytime, I get a custom piece of jewelry made, I give my master jewelers a bit of leniency when setting melee diamonds. Once again, technology has made progress with more efficient tools for the jeweler but nothing comes close to a steady and experience hand of a master jeweler.

You will find a lot of articles on melee diamonds on the web BUT you will NOT find an article that describes the intricate working of the melee diamond market. Hope this was helpful for all!!!

This list will define an approximate MM diameter size and its relation to weight.

1. 0.001 carat – 0.78 mm – 0.99 mm
2. 0.005 carat – 1.00 mm – 1.15 mm
3. 0.0075 carat = 1.16 mm – 1.23 mm
4. 0.01 carat = 1.24 mm – 1.40 mm
5. 0.02 carat = 1.56 mm – 1.80 mm
6. 0.025 carat = 1.81 mm – 1.88 mm
7. 0.03 carat = 1.89 mm – 2.10 mm
8. 0.04 carat = 2.10 mm – 2.33 mm
9. 0.05 carat = 2.24 mm – 2.43 mm
10. 0.06 carat = 2.44 mm – 2.50 mm
11. 0.07 carat = 2.51 mm – 2.73 mm
12. 0.08 carat = 2.74 mm – 2.80 mm
13. 0.10 carat = 2.81 mm – 3.10 mm
14. 0.12 carat = 3.11 mm – 3.23 mm
15. 0.15 carat = 3.23 mm – 3.54 mm
16. 0.18 carat = 3.55 mm – 3.83 mm

The individual pictured is believed to have stolen a credit card from a gym locker, which he then used to purchase a high-end watch and ring at a New York City retail jewelry store within 60 minutes of stealing the credit card. The suspect is known to travel to other cities, such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Anyone with information about this suspect is asked to call

Detective James Murphy,
20th Precinct Detective Squad,
212-580-6414.

Step 5: Trip To The Local Jewelry Stores

Once you gather all the required information, you need to make a trip to few reputed local jewelry stores in your area. Make sure that they have been in business for a reasonable amount of time. 10+ years in business usually is a reasonable parameter. My recommendation would be to visit at least 3 jewelry stores with 5 being ideal. You can divide that number by visiting 3 Mom and Pop Jewelry Stores and 2 High End Jewelry stores. This should give you a decent comparison point in price, quality, return policy, financing, sales staff education level and your comfort level of each jewelry store.

Most of the local brick and mortar stores have experienced or educated sales staff in charge of the bridal section. They would not allow someone new to directly get into the bridal section. Nevertheless, you should not hesitate in asking the salesperson his experience or education level.You always want to deal with someone who has experience or educated about diamonds. I met a salesman in a well known jewelry store who was a limo driver & a tile salesman before he was selling diamonds.

Step 6: Take Notes & Always Compare the Diamonds

It is important to choose a diamond first. The diamond is where you will spend the bulk part of the engagement ring. The sentimental value for most women is primarily the diamond. The diamond does not change in style over the years and it is the diamond which is considered an heirloom. Pay attention to the diamonds being shown to you. Take a good look at all the diamonds that the salesman brings out. You must look and evaluate all the C’s by yourself despite what the salesman says. Here are some tips

• You must view the diamond clarity with a jeweler’s loupe of at least 10x magnification. If the jeweler has a microscope (which everyone has nowadays) go ahead and tell him/her to setup the diamond in the microscope for you to look at. Do not hesitate to increase the magnification to view an inclusion up close. However, do not make a clarity decision based on the magnified inclusion. The sole purpose is for you to compare other diamonds.
• You must compare the diamonds for color side by side. If you are looking at 3 diamonds of 3 different color grade, you will see a difference in color ONLY when they are placed right next to each other. This will improve your knowledge and understanding. Also the diamond color MUST be viewed when the diamonds are face down. To explain further the table i.e. the flat top of the diamond should be down and the culet i.e. the bottom point of the diamond should be facing up.
• Compare the diamond certificates with each other. Diamond certificates have all the information that you could possibly need about the diamond. It begins with the size, shape, clarity, color, dimensions, girdle thickness, fluorescence & cut grade among other details. Nowadays almost all the diamond certificates including GIA come with a Cut Grade for round diamonds. The Cut Grade is important since it differentiates a high sparkling diamond from a low sparkling diamond.
• Ask the salesman you are working with to give you the best price. Don’t feel shy to ask the question or even to make a reasonable offer. Most jewelers accept an offer which is 5% – 10% less than their regular selling price. After all it is your money and you want to get the best deal. Take copies of all the diamond certificates of the diamonds that you are interested in. Once done, write down all the prices quoted by the salesman on the copies of the diamond certificate.

Step 7: Check Online Jewelry Retailers Selling Diamonds

In the last 3-5 years there has been a huge increase in the number of online jewelers that sell loose diamonds. It is a good reference point for you to check the price difference from online jewelry retailers and brick & mortar jewelry retailers. Most of the online jewelry retailers don’t own or even possess the diamonds that you see on their website. They basically use online technology to post their supplier’s diamond inventory on their website. I have listed some links here for you to get an idea of pricing in no particular order.

1. Blue Nile (UK/EU Residents)
2. Diamonds On Web
3. Diamonds International
4. Diamond Jewelry Masters (Also known as Jeweler’s Alliance Inc.)
   
5. Gem Shine
6. Jacob Ruth & Co.
7. James Allen
8. Since 1910

Browse through their selection of diamonds. My advice would be to look for diamonds that you saw in the brick & mortar jewelry stores. Narrow down to the cheapest ones you see on their website, print out the details including the certificate details along with their prices. This gives you an excellent bargaining point with the other jewelry stores. The competition between online jewelry stores and the brick & mortar stores is fierce. They do not like to loose business to online jewelry stores. It is an amazing bargaining point and advantage you have in your hands.

Step 8: Choose a Ring Mounting, Ring Setting or Ring Semi Mount

A ring mounting, setting and a semi mount are basically the ring in which the jeweler will set your diamond. Keep in mind the preferences and choices of your soon to be fiancee. Remember the picture stuck to the refrigerator! You don’t have to buy the exact same ring unless she is COMPLETELY in love with it. Most women will accept a slightly inexpensive version of the same ring. Also remember, if you are too confused then just go with the cheapest solitaire. You can always bring her in later and let her choose the ring setting that she loves.

Once decided on the ring, the jeweler will have to either set the diamond or custom make the ring in the dimensions of the diamond. This usually takes around 3-6 weeks. Give them her finger size. It is always a good idea to manufacture the ring in her finger size. The more a ring is sized, the less it’s strength gets. If you are not sure of her finger size, then leave the ring in it’s original showcase format. Once again, most jewelry stores allow 1 finger sizing for free. If they don’t then you can bargain with them to do so.

Finally: Some Words of Advice!

1. Try to avoid the chain mall stores. They are most times over priced and over zealous to sell you what they have and not what you want. Don’t get taken by their huge discounts either. It’s just a farce!
2. Find the local mom and pop jewelry store who have a decent reputation and been in business for a reasonable amount of time (10+ years).
3. Call the Local Better Business Bureau for any complaints or check their website for complaints against the jeweler you decide to purchase from. If the complaints are numerous and similar in nature, it should raise a red flag.
4. Those who have access to a jeweler’s row should make a trip down there just to get a feel of things. You have an advantage of going to several stores right next to each other. If you have access to the New York Diamond Exchange, then you will have a ball of a time just listening to all the Bullying salespeople.
5. Be focused and make a decision on the diamond first and the ring next. Remember, the diamond hold the most sentimental value and the “Oomph” factor.

Imagine yourself walking into the jewelry store with all this valuable knowledge and information you learnt. I have seen the hungry sales eyes lit up whenever a bloke walks into the bridal section. It’s like watching a documentary of a pack of wolves preying on a deer on the discovery channel. With all this knowledge and tips you are now the lion of their jungle. They are the hunted and you are the hunter!

Most men don’t know anything about diamonds. It is an extremely daunting task for most men to leave their daily routine and learn something about diamonds. After years of contemplating and avoiding they finally make the decision of a life long commitment. To make things more complicated, they now have to spend a few thousand dollars on something they know nothing about. Hopefully, after reading this you should be able to make an educated decision on buying the diamond engagement ring. After all, this is not rocket science!

The First Step: How Much Do You Want to Spend?

People from all walks of life ask me this question – “How much should I spend for the diamond engagement ring?” The most common response that everyone gets is “You should spend 2 months salary.” If you are in a jewelry store and a salesman/saleswoman tells you that – don’t think much and walkout. Do you go into a car dealership and ask the salesperson “How much car can I afford?” If you did that then you will probably walkout with the most expensive model with all the Add-Ons, most of which you will never use. This 2 month’s salary mantra was coined by few marketing geniuses sitting in a De Beers conference room trying to earn a paycheck. Don’t let anyone else tell you how much you can spend or want to spend or should spend. You are the best judge of your own finances. You have a budget then stay within that budget.

The Second Step: Learn About The 6 C’s

Yeah! You read it right. There are 6 C’s and not 4 C’s. The five C’s in no particular order are

1. Carat
2. Clarity
3. Color
4. Cut
5. Certificate
6. Cost

I am not going to get into details regarding the 6 C’s since there is ample information available on the internet. You can read about it in my sister website here.

Carat (abbrv. CT): refers to the weight of the diamond. 100 Points (internationally 100 cents) make 1.00 carat. A 1 carat diamond measures approximately 6.20 mm to 6.50 mm in diameter.

Clarity: refers to the quality of the diamond. It is divided into 11 categories with the cleanest being Flawless (abbrv. FL) and the least being Included 3 (abbrv. I3). This was previously known as Imperfect 3. However, it was changed to Included since the luxury jewelry industry is picky on it’s words.

Color: refers to the color of the diamond. It starts with D being the whitest and ends with a Z. Anything after Z is considered to be a fancy colored diamond.

Cut: refers to two things – the shape of the diamond and the quality of the diamond’s brilliance and fire. This is the only human factor and probably the most confusing factor in diamond buying.

Certificate: refers to a third party non-biased grading report of the diamond. Some of the well known diamond and gem labs are GIA (CA & NYC), EGL USA (NYC & Canada), HRD (Antwerp, Belgium), etc.

Cost: This self-explanatory factor is the most important in diamond buying. You want to make sure that you are getting the best bang for your money.

The Third Step: Find Out What Diamond Shape She Likes?

Most men are oblivious to their soon to be fiancee’s choices. You need to know the diamond shape she likes best. In most cases when girls are younger, playing with their doll houses and dreaming about their wedding, they are thinking about a round diamond set in a solitaire ring. The answer to the most complex question is usually the simplest one. As common knowledge, you should know that the round brilliant cut diamond is the most popular shape. It is followed by the square princess, after that it’s anyone’s guess. However, now the princess cut diamond has close competition with the rectangular radiant, the cushion and the asscher cut.

You might want to chicken out and say “She’s gonna wear what I buy her”. This statement might be true if she doesn’t care what you buy her as long as you buy her a ring. However, for those men that have a woman who’s made her mind, please follow my advice and get her what shape she wants. In case you think that she will still wear what you buy, then be mentally prepared for a return and most likely an upgrade. I can say this confidently since I have enough experience charging re-stocking fees and upgrading diamonds.

The Fourth Step: Find out What Ring Style She Prefers?

It is equally as important to find out the engagement ring style she likes. There are many engagement ring designers and designs in the market. There are several brands that she might have already been looking at in the fashion magazines. Most women tear those pages and hang them in prominently visible places (like the refrigerator door). You can never escape them. If you don’t know what style she might like, these are some of the typical design types you might encounter. If you get too confused, remember you can never go wrong with the simple $ 150.00 solitaire diamond engagement ring. Most jewelers will not mind taking it back either for an exchange, especially when you upgrade.

• Simple & Classical Solitaire Rings
• Solitaire Engagement Rings with certain smaller accent diamonds (commonly known as diamond chips)
• Three Stone Engagement Rings
• Replica Antique & Vintage Engagement Rings with or without side diamonds
• Genuine Antique & Vintage Rings with or without side diamonds
• Ornate Engagement Rings
• Extremely Ornate Engagement Rings (completely blinged out)
• Modern Engagement Rings (geometric looking designs)
• Tension Set Engagement Rings

By reading Part 1, you have understood the theoretical part by knowing how you want to spend, learning about the 5 C’s, getting a feel about the diamond she likes and the diamond engagement ring style she might prefer. Now you are ready to look at actual diamonds and to brace yourself for the sticker price.

What is a Carat?

A carat is the unit used to measure the weight of diamonds. It is basically sub divided into points. Basically 100 points make 1 carat. When you hear someone say that they have a 1/2 carat diamond engagement ring – they are refering to a diamond that weighs 0.50 carats. A 1/4 carat is 0.25 carats and so and so forth. In the diamond trading world, they are more frequently referred to as Grainers. A 1/4 carat diamond (0.25) is considered to be a Grain, which makes a 1 carat diamond 4 Grainer. It is not a precise measurement since the trade worl consider 4 grainer as a range of weights from .90 carats to 1.05 carats. The reason I bring this out is because the story behind the grainer concept dates back to 100’s of years.

The word carat originates from the carob seed of the locust tree. In the ancients days, it was difficult for traders of the gem producing countries to weigh precious stones. They had to use something which was relatively consistent in shape, size, weight and available abundantly locally. They used the carob tree seeds and the wheat grain as a standard. The wheat grains were standard in size, weighed pretty much the same no matter where you were and were readily available. Over the years with transformations in languages and borders it eventually got it’s current name. The carat was standardized in the early 20th century and now is the acceptable form of measure. The Grainer concept gained popularity in the trader circles and is still prevalent.

What is a Karat?

Karat is a unit used to measure the purity or fineness of Gold. Gold when mined out of the ground is classified as 24 Karat. It is the purest and the softest form of gold. Gold is available only in it’s sunshine yellow color in it’s purest 24 Karat form. Gold when made into jewelry is most times mixed with alloys such as nickel, silver, zinc, etc to reduce it’s purity or to change it’s color. Contrary to common belief 24 Karat Gold jewelry does exist (I have brought that to attention in detail). The classification of gold is as follows:

• 24 Karat Gold; 99.99% Pure – No added alloys
• 22 Karat Gold; 91.67% Pure – 8.33% alloys
• 20 Karat Gold; 83.33% Pure – 16.67% alloys
• 18 Karat Gold; 75% Pure – 25% alloys
• 14 Karat Gold; 58.5% Pure – 41.5 % alloys
• 10 Karat Gold; 41.7% Pure – 58.3% alloys
• 9 Karat gold; 37.5% Pure – 62.5% alloys

In the USA and Canada, the minimum percentage of gold required to call it Gold is 10 Karat. Additionally, in the USA and Canada, the classification of Carat and Karat holds true. In most other Eastern countries, the word Carat is used for both Gold and Diamonds. This is a very debatable subject since a lot of scholars do not agree with that classification. Anyways, that is a battle that they can fight. As far as I am concerned, the classiciation of Karat and Carat holds.

So there you go! You should now be able to easily distinguish between the two words!

As you all probably know we have a complete system for making custom jewelry from custom diamond engagement rings, custom diamond wedding bands to custom made diamond necklaces and dog tags. This one here is a work in progress of a custom made diamond dog tag that we are making for one of our Navy customers in HI.

Dog Tag Sketch

It started out with the customer’s inability to find the right jewelers to do custom work on the islands of Hawaii. Some jewelers had the diamonds but did not do custom jewelry, while others did custom work but could not get diamonds. So he searched online – Lo & Behold! He found us, gave us a call and within 24 hours we had an estimate, a rough sketch, approximate dimensions and suggestions for improvement for the custom made diamond dog tag ready. You can see the image of the custom sketch.

CAD - Front View

Once we got the approval from our customer, we proceeded with the CAD work. CAD stands for Computer Aided Design. It is ideal for custom jewelry work since it gives a 3 dimensional view of the jewelry before it is made. The design can then be modified according to customer’s whims and wishes to get a final product. You can see the CAD pictures shown.

Custom Wax for Diamond Dog Tag Necklace

Once the CAD is approved, the next step involved in making our custom diamond dog tag was the wax mold. The wax mold is an ugly green delicate piece made in wax. It is ugly but extremely essential since the final product will be made out of this mold. As you see in the picture (left), why I call it ugly. It is this was wax mold which can be cast into any metal – Platinum, Palladium, 22K gold, 24K gold, 18K gold, 14K gold or 10K gold based on the customers request.

The next is the casting process. The wax mold is cast into the required metal. In our customer’s case it was 14K yellow gold. The casting does not take long, however, the tumbling, the cleaning, removing excessively metal (gold, palladium pr platinum), basically the finishing touches takes longer since it involves human labor. The cast pieces which is tumbled looks like this.

Tumbled Gold

Now comes the important and essential part of adding the diamonds to the dog tag necklace. Our GIA educated, experienced and skilled Graduate Gemologist picks out the diamonds from a 100 carat lot of diamond parcels. The diamonds are matched based on clarity, color, cut. The diamonds are then calibrated based on measurements to ensure a uniform look when the diamonds are set in jewelry. These diamonds are then sent to the master jeweler who is eagerly waiting for the diamonds to set them in the custom dog tag.

The next step in this 14K gold diamond dog tag’s creation process is the diamond setting. The human aspect of jewelry where our experienced, skilled and talented master jeweler sets the diamonds individually in the custom dog tag. The diamonds that were previously selected by the Graduate Gemologist is added to the dog tag step by step. Each diamond is painstakingly set in the custom dog tag in a prong setting.

14K Gold Custom Made Diamond Dog Tag Necklace

Once all the diamonds are set in the dog tag, the master jeweler goes ahead and adds the final touches. He makes sure that all the diamonds are safe and secure in their setting. They should not be shaking or rattling in their setting. This ensures that diamonds do not fall off in daily wear and tear. The center of the dog tag has to be modified with a brushed satin finish. The edges are polished to give them a high polish finish. The dog tag is put in the ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning. It is then steamed to remove any additional dirt and dust. The custom dog tag is now complete and ready for delivery to the customer. It is carefully wrapped in the shipping package and shipped off to the customer.

Isn’t She A Beauty! We made this beautiful natural fancy intense yellow diamond engagement ring for a customer of ours from London. He had a very specific request and considering that he has been a long time customer, we had to make sure that it be done. Fancy yellow diamonds are easily and readily available in princess cuts and rectangular radiant cuts. His request was a square radiant cut yellow diamonds. Additionally, he wanted to make sure that the diamond cut was excellent, the diamond clarity was not below VS2 without any black inclusions (for religious reasons – an Indian thing) and the diamond color had to be nothing less than a Fancy Yellow. Now with all these diamond parameters, our choices were getting tight.

One thing that most individuals do not understand about fancy colored diamonds is that they are very difficult to mine, cut and eventually get your hands on it. Let alone conditions and stipulations which narrow it down. The most demanding of all the challenges was the Square Radiant Cut Diamond Shape with the Excellent Cut Parameters.

Our search began with phone calls to our diamond cutters within the USA. We always try to give business first within the USA (a patriotic thing – like keeping it in the family). We got some positive responses. We then made some more phone calls to our diamond cutter friends in Australia. Now they are not very easy to understand and few things are usually lost in translation.  After talking to all of our suppliers and diamond cutting friends, we thought our chances are slim of getting this fancy yellow diamond.

It had been over a week and we sorted through some 25 fancy yellow to fancy intense yellow diamonds that were sent to us. We graded each diamond, matched each diamond to their certificates, evaluated each diamond for cut and visually checked each diamond to see it’s brilliance, scintillation, color distribution & basic face-up appeal. None of them had the “Oomph” quality that we were looking for.

The 2nd week passes by and we are still sorting through another set of 10 fancy yellow diamonds. Mind you, our diamond cutting friends and the diamond sight holder buddies are getting frustrated with us. Diamond dealers are very touchy people. They don’t take rejection very easily and when you tell them that their diamond “Is not what I was looking for”, their typical response is “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”. It’s like telling a mother that your kid is ugly. You can imagine the response.

During this diamond sorting fracas, we finally bump into this little 1.50 carat fancy intense square radiant diamond staring back at us – playing peek-a-boo. It was one of the most brilliant, clean and deep yellow colored diamond I had ever seen. It was like staring at a bright yellow candy with colors of the rainbow. Right there and then we knew that this was THE diamond. We pulled the GIA certificate for the diamond and voila! its specifciations were

Cut: Square Cut Cornered Modified Brilliant Cut (GIA doesn’t use Radiant)
Color: Fancy Intense Yellow
Clarity: VS1
Distribution: Even
Origin: Natural

It fit within all the parameters that our customer was looking for. All we had to do was loupe it and make sure it did not have black spots within it. We louped it, then put it in the microscope, zoomed to 30X magnification, checked every nook and corner – nothing. Finally, the search was over.

After that it was smooth sailing. We matched a pair of trilliant cut diamonds each weighing .37 carat each, diamond clarity range VVS1 – VVS2 and diamond color range D – E. Assembled all the diamonds in a beautiful, elegant and classical platinum engagement ring. The results as you see were astounding. Needless to say our customer was thrilled when his wife jumped with joy!!!

1. 0.32 Carat VVS1 – VVS2, F – G Loose Baguette Cut Closeout Diamond
2. 0.30 Carat F – G, VVS1 – VVS2 Loose Baguette Cut Closeout Diamond
3. 0.30 Carat SI1 – SI2, F – G Loose Baguette Cut Closeout Diamond
4. 0.27 Carat VVS1 – VVS2, F – G Loose Baguette Cut Closeout Diamond
5. 0.25 Carat VVS1 – VVS2, F – G Loose Baguette Cut Closeout Diamond
6. 0.15 Carat VVS1 – VVS2, F – G Loose Baguette Cut Closeout Diamond
7. 0.15 Carat VVS1 – VVS2, F – G Loose Baguette Cut Closeout Diamond