Diamond Decades tells the definitive history of Her Majesty the Queen, from the beginning of her reign to the Diamond Jubilee.
In 1976 the wholesale price of prime investment diamonds—one-carat, D-flawless—averaged $6,700. By 1980 that priced had leaped to $60,000 but by the end of February 1981 had fallen to $44,000.
Diamond, although discovered first in India in 4th century BC, became a very valuable commodity in the 1800s when European women started wearing it at all important social events. The discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1870s played a very important role in shaping the diamonds as we see them today.
We really do not know how long it takes for a diamond to form. Scientists believe anywhere from one billion to three billion years, and that is an incredible amount of time.
It is thought diamonds were first discovered in India around 2,500 years ago in the Golconda region, between the Godavari and Krishna Rivers. Diamonds were prized as divine objects by Indian rulers. At this early stage, cutting and polishing had yet to be mastered, so diamonds retained their natural outer skin.
Amazon.com: 60th Diamond Birthday.
February babies have the rarest birthstone of all. Diamond (April) is the rarest birthstone in a total of six states, while topaz (November) is the rarest birthstone in Montana, Wyoming, and Rhode Island.
Red diamonds are the rarest of the colored diamonds, with only 20-30 existing in the entire world. They get their beautiful red color from a rare process during their formation, which changes the crystal structure of the diamond and causes light to pass through it differently than colorless diamonds.
The most valuable diamond in the world is Koh-i-Noor, also spelled Koh-i-Nur and Kohinoor. The diamond is also called the Mountain of Light diamond, and it's known as one of the largest cut diamonds, weighing a whopping 105.6 carats. Koh-i-Noor is a colorless diamond and features an oval brilliant cut.
The oldest diamond is around 3.3 billion years old! Earth is estimated at around 4.5 billion years old. The oldest diamonds are believed to have been crystallized around 3.3 billion years ago.
If your zodiac sign is Aries, Pisces or Scorpio, you should not wear the diamond because according to astrology, diamonds can bring disharmony to your life. Diamond is the gemstone for those who are born under Virgo and Libra as it bestows good luck and prosperity.
Diamonds are expensive because they cost a lot to bring to market, there's a limited supply of fine quality gems, and people around the world want to buy them. It's simply supply and demand.
Antique cuts actually tend to be less expensive than modern cut earth-mined diamonds if and when you can find them. Part of this reason is because they don't require new mining and all of the associated costs that come with that.
A woman in England was in for a shock when she found out that a 'costume jewellery' stone, which she was planning to sell, was a 34-carat diamond worth £2million. The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, found the gemstone while she was clearing her house in Northumberland, BBC reported.
As diamonds age from 100 years to 120 years old and we move further away from the 20th century, these old cuts will not only become more scarce but also more valuable. As an example, jewelry from the 17th century and older is extremely valuable and rare.
Topping our list of the most expensive diamonds in the world is the legendary Koh-I-Noor. Weighing in at a massive 105.6ct, the most expensive diamond in the world is oval shaped. Steeped in mystery and legend, the stone is believed to have been mined in India in the 1300s.
Gem-quality rubies are significantly rarer than diamonds, though there are certain types of diamonds that are very rare too. If we weigh the most spectacular examples of rubies and diamonds against one another, diamonds that show color are even rarer.
Moissanite has unparalleled sparkle! It has a higher refractive index than diamond, resulting in greater brilliance than diamond. Moissanite also has greater dispersion (fire) than a diamond, so you will notice more rainbow flashes of light.
The Golden Jubilee diamond
In 1997, the diamond was presented to the King of Thailand after it took specialists a few years to cut and polish. Today, the largest finished diamond is owned by the Royal Family of Thailand.
Brown diamonds are generally the least expensive of natural fancy colors. As with colored stones in general, color is paramount for fancy colored diamond pricing. Other quality factors like clarity and cut do not affect prices as much as with colorless diamonds.
1. ROUND BRILLIANT DIAMOND. By far the most popular cut is the Round Brilliant, with it's fifty-seven perfectly aligned facets it's brilliance really does out-shine the others. Total internal reflection is the key here; light travels through the stone giving optimum sparkle and scintillation.
Although most black diamonds on the market today are either superheated or irradiated to an almost black color, natural black diamonds do exist, though they are extremely rare. Carbonados, sometimes called "black diamonds," are a distinct and unusual polycrystalline diamond material.
1. Emerald (May) The lush abundance of spring is mirrored in May's birthstone, the emerald, with its deep green hue, making it the best birthstone of them all. According to legend, emeralds are also a source of great luck and offer protection against evil to those who wear them.
December Birthstones
Zircon is the oldest mineral on Earth, dating back more than 4.4 billion years. Found in the Earth's crust, it's common in most sand and sedimentary deposits, as well as metamorphic rocks and crystallized magma.