Diamonds

Antique Cushion Cut Diamond Ring.

A History Of Diamond Cutting

This article gives an overview of the history of diamond cutting. For detailed descriptions of the different diamond cuts see ...
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6.79 Carat French-Cut Diamond, Angeled View.

Adamantine Luster

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 ...
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A contemporary shot of the Agra.

Agra Diamond

Like many historical diamonds, the Agra’s saga is a familiar combination of fact and legend, leaving the reader with the challenging ...
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Shah Jahan ca. 1620

Akbar Shah Diamond

Unfortunately, the history of famous diamonds is not without its list of casualties. In this category are those magnificent stones that somehow ...
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The Archduke Joseph Diamond

Archduke Joseph Diamond

This stone enjoys the distinction of being the twelfth largest “perfect” diamond in the world. Named for a military man of ...
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Arcot Diamonds Set in a Brooch.

Arcots

ARCOTS – A Pair of Diamonds These two exceptionally beautiful pear-shaped diamonds began their travels from the Nawab of Arcot ...
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3.30 ct. Asscher-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring.

Asscher Cut

In 1902 the Dutch diamond cutter Joseph Asscher developed the cut that would carry his name on into the future ...
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Art Deco Baguette Diamond Ring.

Baguette Cut

The baguette cut represents an elongated, rectangular table cut. The modern version, as in the ring on the right, was (re)introduced ...
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Banjarmasin Diamond. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, The Netherlands.

Banjarmasin Diamond

One could rightfully call this stone the Rodney Dangerfield of diamonds. Almost from the moment of its discovery, this diamond has ...
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The Beau Sancy.

Beau Sancy

This diamond's name is taken from its first recorded French owner, Nicolas Harlay de Sancy, a fancier of fine gems who ...
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Brilliant-Cut Diamond Ring.

Brilliant Cut

Diamonds as We Know Them When we think of a diamond, most of us will form an image in our ...
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Mid-Nineteenth Century Fuschia Design Diamond Brooch with en Tremblant Stems Suspending Detachable Briolette Cut Diamonds. Photo Courtesy of Christie's.

Briolette Cut

Edwardian Garland Motif Pendant Suspending a Briolette Cut Diamond. Briolettes are drop shaped, multi faceted stones. They are unique in ...
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2008 sketch of the Golden Fleece (of the Color Adornment) Showing the "French Blue" Diamond.

Brunswick Blue

To paraphrase Charles Dickens, this is a tale of two diamonds. Purportedly cut from the same stone that produced the Hope Diamond, ...
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Diamond Bruting Machine - Rounding 2 Diamonds by Grinding them Together as They Spin.

Bruting

Bruting is a process in diamond cutting that establishes the girdle outline. Once the height and width of the diamond are determined, it is ...
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Carbon

Carbon is a chemical element on the periodic table. Carbon is the 15th most abundant element in the earth's crust ...
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The Cleaving Directions in an Octahedral (left) and Dodecahedral (right) Diamond Crystal.

Cleavage

DefinitionThe ability of a material to split along a certain plane or planes with weak atomic bonding. A crystal structure ...
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Minnie Palmer

Cleveland Diamond

If ever fate has lent a hand in determining the course of a diamond's story, it is this one. Just a ...
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The Nine Most Important Cullinan Diamonds. Top Row: II, I and III. Bottom Row: VI, VIII, IV, V, VII and IX.

Cullinan Diamond

It was the late afternoon of January 25, 1905. Employees at the Premier Diamond Mine in the British African colony ...
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Antique Cushion-Cut Diamond Ring.

Cushion Cut

Cushion cut is a sexy and romantic name for a squarish ("cushionesque") antique brilliant-cut diamond, sometimes referred to as an ...
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Darya-e-Noor Diamond.

Darya-ye-Noor Diamond

Darya-ye-Noor Diamond. Darya-ye-Noor, translating “river of light” or “sea of light”, is the product of an undocumented – but what ...
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3.30 ct. Asscher-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring.

Diamond

Diamonds are valued for their incredible brilliance and hardness. Diamonds are chemically pure carbon, identical to the graphite used for ...
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6 Loose Diamonds in Different Cuts.

Diamond Cutting & Grading

Diamond CutsMain Article  Gems & Gemology: The Quarterly Journal of the Gemological Institute of America Diamond Cutting & Grading: Summer 1936, ...
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The Dresden Green Diamond in its Setting.

Dresden Green

The Dresden Green Diamond in its Setting. Labeled as the greatest example of a naturally green colored diamond, the Dresden Green ...
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Emerald-Cut Diamond Ring

Emerald Cut

The Emerald Cut is a rectangular step cut design which means it has horizontal facets which differ in angles of ...
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The Emperor Maximillian Diamond Weighing 39.55 Carats. Photo Courtesy of Christie's.

Emperor Maximilian & Maximilian Diamonds

Although these two diamonds are often spoken about in the same breath, no two stones could be more different – ...
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Empress Eugenie (1853-1871)

Eugénie Diamond

Believed to be of Brazilian origin, this much-traveled diamond has not only changed hands many times, it’s also one of the few ...
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7.41 Carat European-Cut Diamond Drop Earrings

European Cut

Diamonds cut in the later 19th and early 20th-century cutting houses are called 'Old European Cuts', a term which indicates ...
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69.68 ct. Excelsior I, G-VS2. Photo Courtesy of Mauawad.com.

Excelsior Diamond

June 30, 1893, appeared to be just another day at the Jagersfontein Mine in South Africa until a worker, performing ...
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The Crown is Comprised of the Table, Main, Star and Girdle Facets.

Facet

Definition A facet is a flat, planar surface ground onto a gemstone or diamond. Facets can be produced in many shapes and sizes ...
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Synthetic Rutile Showing a High Amount of Dispersion. Image courtesy of Jeffrey Hunt.

Fire

Synthetic Rutile Showing a High Amount of Dispersion. Image Courtesy of Jeffrey HuntA popular term used to describe the flashes ...
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A Replica of the Florentine Diamond.

Florentine Diamond

Studying the history of this diamond is an exercise that will challenge even the most talented detective. Almost everything about this diamond’s ...
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Four C's

Four C’s

Diamonds, by nature of their unique characteristics, can be evaluated much more precisely than other gems. Their extreme hardness allows ...
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6.79 Carat French-Cut Diamond, Top View.

French Cut

Art Deco French-Cut Diamond Straightline Bracelet.The term "French Cut" does not refer to the country of origin, rather It refers ...
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Gadolinium Gallium Garnet aka GGG

GGG

Gadolinium Gallium Garnet. A synthetic gemstone used as an early diamond substitute. GGG is manufactured by the Czochralski method and ...
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Crown, Girdle, Pavilion

Girdle

Crown, Girdle, PavilionThe band on a faceted stone, around the widest circumference, which creates the separation of the crown and ...
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Golden Jubilee Diamond.

Golden Jubilee

If you record size as the number one trait in judging the importance of a diamond then this stone would top your ...
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Early Drawing of the Great Mogul Diamond.

Great Mogul Diamond

This is the kind of story that would make a great Indiana Jones movie – solving the mystery of the ...
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Warren Hastings

Hastings Diamond

If ever there was a famous diamond named for a certified scoundrel, it’s the Hastings Diamond. Using this gem as a tool ...
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Swedish Heart-Shaped Diamond Ring.

Heart Shape

Heart-Shaped Diamonds.Main Article   ...
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Portrait of Queen Wilhelmina (1898)

Holland Diamond (Stuart)

This is the story of a diamond whose beginnings and early history are unknown, a casualty of lost or poor documentation. It ...
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The Hope diamond. Image Courtesy of The Smithsonian Institute.

Hope Diamond

Thievery, royalty, revolution, gambling, eccentricity, mystery and curses are all part of the spectacular and storied past that is the ...
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Hortensia Diamond, 20.53 Carats, Pink.

Hortensia Diamond

It seems each famous diamond has some kind of mystery attached to it, usually involving the location of its discovery, the identity ...
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HPHT Diamond Diagram.

HPHT

HPHT treatment stands for high pressure - high-temperature treatment. This method of diamond enhancement, invented in the late 1960's, started to be applied commercially ...
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Idols-Eye Diamond.

Idol’s Eye Diamond

Like many of its contemporaries, the Idol’s Eye diamond possesses an early history that combines a rich mixture of legend, myth, mystery, ...
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Kazanjian Red Diamond. ©Tino Hammid, Los Angeles

Kazanjian Red

Kazanjian Red Diamond.©Tino Hammid, Los AngelesThis stone belongs to an extremely small – and select - group of diamonds. It ...
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The Koh-i-noor Set in the Coronation Crown for Queen Mary (Wife of King George VI) Mother of Queen Elizabeth II. (Reuters Photo)

Koh-i-Noor Diamond

The Fabled Koh-i-Noor DiamondLike other famous gems, the Koh-i-Noor diamond has its share of mystery, intrigue, and curses attached to its long ...
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Large Scale Synthetic Star Ruby and Platinum Diamond Ring

Laboratory Grown

Gemstones that are produced by man are generally termed "laboratory grown". These can be synthetics or other inorganic minerals that have no ...
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Laser Drilled Diamond.

Laser Drilling

Laser Drilled Diamond. The Drill Channels you See are Not All Individual Channels, for the Most Part, They are Reflections.Image ...
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