Diamonds
That brilliance, scintillation, and luster, those fiery flashes, that unmistakable glimmer. What makes diamonds so amazing? The many gemological features and properties that diamonds possess and display are discussed in the articles found in this section. Choose from the Diamond pictorial glossary below to begin probing the secrets of the mighty diamond.
Vignettes
The question most frequently asked of our jewelry experts at Lang is “what is the difference between antique cut and contemporary cut diamonds?” The answer is to be found primarily in...
You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined...
Further Resources Gems & Gemology: The Quarterly Journal of The Gemological Institute of America. March-April 1935, Synthetic Diamonds, Historic and Modern, by Anderson, p. 213, 4pp. Winter 1938, Supposed Synthetic...
Terms & Definitions
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Adamantine is the term used to describe the luster exhibited by diamonds and gems with a Refractive Index of 1.9 – 2.5. The root word adamant derives from the Greek word adamastos which means untameable. Throughout history the...
Like many historical diamonds, the Agra’s saga is a familiar combination of fact and legend, leaving the reader with the challenging task of choosing what is indeed its true story. Regardless,...
Unfortunately, the history of famous diamonds is not without its list of casualties. In this category are those magnificent stones that somehow could not escape the fate of enduring such calamities as...
This stone enjoys the distinction of being the twelfth largest “perfect” diamond in the world. Named for a military man of royal blood, this diamond followed a long history of courting danger,...
In 1902 the Dutch diamond cutter Joseph Asscher developed the cut that would carry his name on into the future. The square, step-cut, design had been around for ages but...
The baguette cut represents an elongated, rectangular table cut. The modern version, as in the ring on the right, was (re)introduced for diamonds by Cartier in 1912. The linear, rectangular cuts from which...
One could rightfully call this stone the Rodney Dangerfield of diamonds. Almost from the moment of its discovery, this diamond has gotten positively no respect from the jewelry world. Even after...
This diamond‘s name is taken from its first recorded French owner, Nicolas Harlay de Sancy, a fancier of fine gems who just happened to be King Henri IV’s exceptionally talented Minister...
When we think of a diamond, most of us will form an image in our mind which closely resembles the image above. This cutting design has become the ultimate standard...
Briolettes are drop-shaped, multi-faceted stones. They are unique in the sense that they lack a girdle, a feature all other gemstone cuts have and by which they are usually set....
To paraphrase Charles Dickens, this is a tale of two diamonds. Purportedly cut from the same stone that produced the Hope Diamond, this diamond’s path through history turned out quite differently from...