15 THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT DIAMONDS

Diamonds are fascinating.

They really are…

They carry a lot of mystery and myth with them. No matter how much you know about diamonds, there are some things you probably don’t.

Below are 15 facts you may not know. Some are simple and common sense, others may surprise you.

See for yourself.

15 Things you don’t know about diamonds.

Beginning with…

1) Diamonds last forever:

Remember the phrase “Diamonds are forever?“, well, it’s true. Diamonds are forever. Diamonds were born over a billion years ago and they still look brand new today. When they say forever, they mean it.

The only way to harm a diamond is to chip or break it. Otherwise it will be brand new for another billion years.

Which brings us to…

2) Diamonds can be chipped:

Most people are under the impression that you cannot chip or break a diamond. But it happens, and it happens more often than you know.

The vulnerable part of a diamond is around the outer edge (the girdle), where it’s the thinnest and the weakest. One sharp blow at the right angle and pressure could cause your diamond to splinter or shatter.

3) Diamonds are not the hardest substance:

Everyone thinks that diamond is the hardest substance on the face of the Earth. But they are wrong.

Diamond is the hardest ‘natural‘ substance, but, certain man-made substances like nanorods are harder.

4) Diamonds are 100% pure carbon:

Carbon is a funny thing. It’s both strong, yet very weak. Take pencil lead for example. Pencil lead (graphite) is made of carbon. Graphite is very soft, it’s a 1 on the Moh’s Scale of Hardness. But, when mother nature adds heat and pressure to this carbon, it transforms into a diamond (10 on the Moh’s Scale). From one end of the scale to the other, carbon is a crazy thing.

5) Diamond is the #1 inclusion:

The most common type of inclusion found in a diamond is actually diamond. It’s true. Pieces of diamond that never formed properly or crystallized like the rest of the diamond leave inclusions inside the stone. Things like pinpoints, naturals, feathers, and crystals.

Diamond is the #1 inclusion.

6) Diamonds are not identical:

No two diamonds are alike. Every diamond is different. Everything born or made in nature is. Every diamond has its own unique flaws, characteristics, color, inclusions and imperfections that make it one-of-a- kind, just like a fingerprint.

7) Most diamonds are yellow:

Many would think that diamonds are white in color, but the truth of the matter is, most diamonds have a yellow cast or hue to them. Only diamond colors D-E and F are pure white. Everything else is off-white or slightly yellow, not to mention, other fun colors like browns, grays, or fancy colors.

8) Diamonds come in all colors:

Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. Once you get into the fancy colors (Z+) on the Diamond Grading Color Chart, you’ll see that Diamonds come in awesome colors like blue (The Hope Diamond), yellow, orange, red (the rarest color), pink, purple, green, brown (champagne and chocolate diamonds), and black diamonds.

9) Diamonds glow in the dark:

Some diamonds have the natural ability to glow in the dark. They have something that is called fluorescence. Fluorescence is a unique trait that allows a diamond to glow under an ultraviolet light. The next time you’re around a black light, check it out. Your diamond may be glowing.

This might sound like a cool feature, but it’s something that I don’t recommend. Read: Diamond fluorescence.

10) Diamonds are not perfect:

Every diamond has something that keeps it from being truly perfect. It can have perfect color (D), and perfect clarity (flawless), but what about a perfect cut? Or a perfect carat weight? There are none. The ideal cut, which many consider perfect, varies in percentages. Is this range really ideal? Carat weights can also vary. There is no perfect weight. Nothing is perfect. Cut and weight are all subjective. The perfect diamond does not exist.

11) There are no diamond chips:

People believe that all small diamonds are just “chips“. This is not true.

The fact is, jewelers don’t use chips in jewelry anymore. In the old days, really old days, before they had machines that could cut such small diamonds, jewelers would use diamonds that were rough, fractured, chipped or broken in jewelry. In other words, “chips” or chunks of the stone were set into mountings. Under a microscope they would look like pieces of broken glass.

Zoom ahead to the modern era and we have now have machines that can cut these small, tiny stones. This cut is usually called the single cut diamond. It’s a cut of diamond that has 16-18 facets on it, unlike the brilliant cut (full cut diamond) that has 58 facets.

The only way you will ever see a “chip” nowadays, is if you are looking at old, antique pieces. And even then it’s extremely fare.

12) Diamonds are used:

Used diamonds? It’s true. Some diamonds have been used before. Because diamonds look brand new forever, and because people are always trading them in, selling them, exchanging them, and pawning them, you could be purchasing a diamond that someone else has worn before (used) and never even know it.

Don’t be alarmed about this, since diamonds will never show any real signs of wear and tear (unless you break them), they will be officially new forever. Hence, diamonds can always be sold as new.

13) Diamonds are not a good investment:

Just like a car, once you buy a diamond, the value drops. You will never (unless you’re really lucky) get the full price you paid for a diamond if you sold it. You’d be lucky to get half (and normally, it’s more like 20-30%).

The reason being? There isn’t a market for buying diamonds… Only selling them.

So always buy a diamond because you want one, not because you think you could make a profit on it later. It’s not going to happen.

14) Diamonds are not the most expensive gem:

Believe it or not, but some gemstones (like ruby, emerald, sapphire or alexandrite) could bring in higher prices than a diamond can. Of course, it’s all based upon size, clarity, color and rarity, but some gems are more valuable than a diamond is.

15) Jewelers make very little profit on diamonds:

People tend to think that jewelers make big bucks on diamonds. The truth is, jewelers make very little on these transitions. In fact, jewelers make less money selling diamonds than any other item in the store.

There is way too much competition in the industry for diamonds. Price margins are slim. Jewelers will be lucky to make 5-10% profit. And diamonds that are of larger carat weights with great color and clarity, jewelers will probably make even less. There is not a huge market for expensive stones. This keeps the diamond margins down. Demand is not high enough.

So there you go, 15 facts you may not have known about diamonds…

Until now.

Consider yourself informed.

Cheers! :)