Diamonds are big business across the globe and Australia in particular has a huge diamond industry operated by dependable traders who are part of the Diamond Dealers Club of Australia. Not everyone who deals in diamonds is a member of the Diamond Dealers Club. There is a strict screening of applicants to the club to make sure that they are dependable, ethical, and financially secure. This means that only the leading diamond dealers and merchants qualify for membership.
Diamonds, they say, are a girl’s best friend, hardly surprising when you consider the amount of work that goes into mining them, and how much these diamonds are worth on the open market. However, it has not always been a simple matter to find a diamond engagement ring in a style that you want but, it is possible to buy a loose certified diamond and then have it set in a custom designed engagement ring for that special person.
Diamond Imports are a renowned founding member of the Diamond Dealers Club of Australia and are well known for their expertise in the jewellery industry and for the quality of their diamonds. As one of Australia’s foremost dealers in diamonds the company is noted for the cut and quality of their diamonds – more importantly Diamond Imports make it their business to ensure that their clients have the knowledge to make an informed decision when choosing diamonds.
If you want value for money and a better quality diamond then you should buy a loose certified diamond and then have it made into a ring – this way you will enjoy the uniqueness of the engagement ring as well as the quality of the diamond.
It is a simple matter to have a beautiful diamond that you want made up in a ring design of your choice because Diamond Imports sells certified loose diamonds and also have their own team of master jewellers. The company only deals in quality diamonds which are independently guaranteed and certified by compliant, internationally recognized diamond grading laboratories. In the Australian diamond business the name Diamond Imports is associated with the best quality and finest cut diamonds.
Diamond Imports will provide knowledge and education about their quality stones for customers looking to buy diamonds. They deal in loose diamonds, certified diamonds, wholesale diamonds as well as custom made diamond engagement rings, wedding rings and other jewellery.
When you have your loose diamond made into the ring of your choice by a reputable dealer such as Diamond Imports you won’t have to just settle for a ready made ring or deal with a harried shop assistant who may not always be able to tell you very much about the diamond – when you buy your diamond from Diamond Imports you can rest assured that they will provide you with all the information you require concerning your diamond as well as a stunning hand made engagement ring.
Buying a diamond that is going to be made into an engagement ring is something that, hopefully, you only do once, so you want the best quality diamond you can afford. The cut of a diamond is extremely important and it is what gives a diamond its sparkle, fire and brilliance. The most popular cuts for engagement rings are round brilliant cut and princess cut diamonds. There are other fancy shape diamonds which are unique and very beautiful, these include the pear and oval cut, asscher and cushion cuts as well as radiant, trilliant, marquise and emerald cut diamonds.
The price of the loose diamond that you buy is determined by its clarity, cut, carat weight and color as well as the shape of the stone. When you buy loose diamonds that have been independently certified you can be assured of the quality and you don’t have to depend on the pre-set designs on offer in most jewellery stores. Even those jewellers that carry loose stones have only a very limited number to choose from, which means you are restricted to the carat weight, color and cut that they have on offer.
When you buy a diamond from a reputable diamond dealer like Diamond Imports you can be sure of the highest quality diamonds and a good selection of certified diamonds which you are able to compare and view before buying. This means that you always have a reliable investment and you buy diamonds with confidence.
Diamond Imports is Australia’s Leading Wholesaler of Excellent Cut Diamonds and Loose Certified Diamonds – http://www.diamondimports.com.au
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Australia’s Leading Wholesaler of Excellent Cut Diamonds and Certified Diamonds
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What Influences The Price of Diamonds?
Diamonds are cut in a range of shapes, sizes and qualities all of which influence the price. Diamonds that have an excellent or very good cut grade will reflect maximum fire, brilliance and sparkle and the price of these diamonds will be higher than diamonds with a good cut grade.
The Shape of Diamonds
Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds are the most popular diamonds for diamond engagement rings followed by Princess Cut Diamonds. Any diamond that is not Round in shape is known as a Fancy Shape Diamond. Asscher, Cushion, Emerald, Heart, Marquise, Oval, Pear, Princess, Radiant and Trilliant cut diamonds are all fancy shape diamonds.
Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds are the most expensive mainly because when cutting a Round Brilliant Cut diamond there is a greater loss in rough which has to be factored into the price. Another reason why Round Brilliant Cut diamonds are priced higher is because they take longer to polish and cut than other diamond shapes and the demand for Round Brilliant Cut diamonds is greater than all the other diamond shapes.
Clarity Influences Diamond Prices The Most
The clarity grade of a diamond influences the price obtained more than any of the other factors. Diamonds that have high clarity grades of VVS1 or VVS2 have extremely hard to find inclusions even with a jewellers 10x loupe. These diamonds are almost pure and rarer to find than diamonds with lower clarity grades such as SI1 or SI2 and therefore command a much higher price. The rarest of diamonds have an Internally Flawless Diamonds -IF or Loupe Clean clarity grade and these diamonds fetch premium prices.
Colour Influences Diamond Prices
Colour is another important factor that influences the price of a diamond. Diamonds are graded for their colour alphabetically starting at D colour going down to Z colour. Diamonds that are colourless or show the least amount of colour obtain the highest prices along with fancy coloured diamonds such as pink, red, green and blue diamonds. Diamonds that display the least amount of colour are known as exceptional white. Exceptional white diamonds includes D and E colour graded diamonds. Rare white is the next colour grade and this includes F and G colour diamonds. H colour diamonds are graded as white and I and J colour diamonds are known as slightly tinted white diamonds.
Cut Influences Sparkle, Shine & The Price of Diamonds
Did you know that if the diamond is poorly cut, the colour and clarity can not make up for it? The cut of a diamond is what makes a rough diamond sparkle and shine. If a diamond is poorly cut, the light that enters the diamond from above will leak out of the sides and bottom of the stone, and the diamond will not have the optimum amount of sparkle or fire-regardless of its colour or clarity.
Excellent and Ideal Cut Diamonds have been cut to precise standards to display the beauty of the diamond. Excellent and Ideal Cut Diamonds have perfection in proportion, symmetry and polish and they will always display the maximum brilliance, fire & scintillation.
Excellent and Ideal Cut Diamonds have properly proportioned facets, excellent symmetry & polish. Since 97.5% of a diamond’s brilliance is controlled by the quality of the cut Excellent and Ideal cut diamonds obtain higher prices. The Diamond Cut Grade is made up of three main controlling factors – Proportion, Symmetry and Polish. The light return of the diamond more commonly known as sparkle or brilliance is also an important factor but it is governed by the proportions and symmetry of the diamond cut.
Diamonds with a Very Good cut grade reflect most of the light that enters them, dispersing a good deal of brilliance. Very Good cut diamonds have proportions which often overlap and are comparable to Excellent cut diamonds but just differ slightly in one area or measurement. Very Good cut diamonds are also highly valued.
Diamonds are Sold By Carat Weight
Carat is a unit of measure not size. Two diamonds that have the same carat weight may appear to be different sizes depending on how the diamond is cut. Some diamonds will have extra weight on the bottom part of the diamond, the pavilion, or a thick girdle and therefore will appear smaller visually.
Diamonds are sold by their carat weight. The heavier a diamond weighs once it is cut the higher the price per carat. A diamond cutter always try to retain as much carat weight and as few inclusions when cutting a diamond in order to obtain the best possible price per carat. Sometimes the cut of a diamond might be sacrificed in order to produce a diamond with a higher carat weight. Hundreds of tons of rock and ore must be processed to uncover a single one-carat gem quality diamond.
4C’s – Cut, Colour, Clarity & Carat
After diamonds have been sorted into their different shapes they are then assessed with what is known as The 4C’s- The Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat weight. These individual factors are all combined resulting in the price of the diamond. The price of diamonds is also influenced by international market conditions such as exchange rates, supply and demand, fashion trends as well as inflation.
Diamonds, just like your marriage, are an investment, and have been an investment device for several thousand years. Diamonds are a symbol of love and commitment so buying the perfect diamond for an engagement ring or that special occasion is a crucially important decision.
To learn more about diamonds and for further information about diamonds please visit our website – Diamond Education
You may copy this article and place it on your own website, as long as you do not change it and include this resource box including these live links to Diamond Imports www.diamondimports.com.au
Copyright © 2008 Diamond Imports Pty Ltd http://www.diamondimports.com.au
Diamond Imports is one of Australia’s largest importers of loose diamonds specializing in Excellent Cut and Ideal Cut diamonds, Certified diamonds and fancy shape diamonds – www.diamondimports.com.au
Did you ever wonder about diamonds? Where diamonds come from? What makes a diamond so special? Or how diamonds are formed?
Diamonds are a mineral, a natural crystalline substance, the transparent form of pure carbon or nearly pure carbon. Diamonds have extraordinary qualities. Diamonds have a broad colour range, high refraction, high dispersion of fire, very low reactivity to chemicals, rarity, and of course, extreme hardness and durability. Diamonds are known as the “king of gems” they glitter, dazzle, and symbolize purity and strength.
A diamond is the oldest thing you will ever own, probably 3 billion years in age, fully two thirds the age of the Earth. A diamond is a strategic and high-tech supermaterial for our technological society. Diamond is the birth stone for the month of April.
A diamond is composed of the single element carbon, and it is the arrangement of the C atoms in the lattice that give a diamond its amazing properties. Both diamond and graphite are composed of just carbon. However a diamond is the hardest known material and graphite is one of the softest, this was caused by a rearrangement of the way the atoms are bonded together. Diamond carbon atoms are linked in a regular three-dimensional lattice with a repeating or crystalline pattern.
Diamond belongs to the cubic, or ‘isometric’ crystal system. The most commonly seen crystal structures or arrangements are:
• Octahedron (8 faces)
• Cube (6 faces)
• Dodecahedron (12 faces)
A diamond is the ultimate gemstone, having few weaknesses and many strengths. It is well known that diamonds are the hardest substance found in nature, but few people realize that diamonds are four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum – sapphires and rubies.
Natural diamonds are formed deep within the Earth’s mantle layer from the element carbon, about 180km below the surface, where high temperatures and pressures exist. Some diamonds form at depths of 300-400 kilometres, or even deeper, but these diamonds are particularly rare.
The earths mantel is made up of molten rock, metals and other materials. The temperature is very high at this depth – between 1100 degC and 1400 degC. The high pressures needed to form diamonds are produced by the weight of 180km of rocks pressing down. Besides carbon, there are very small amounts of other substances, such as nitrogen and sulfur that can become trapped in the crystal when it is formed in the mantel. These impurities can give color to the diamond. One of the most rare is pink diamonds.
Natural diamonds are classified by the type and level of impurities found within them.
• Type Ia diamond – Most natural diamonds are of this type, which contain up to 0.3% nitrogen.
• Type Ib diamond – Very rare (~0.1%) in nature, but almost all synthetic (industrial) diamonds are of this type. They contain nitrogen at concentrations of up to 500 ppm.
• Type IIa diamond – Very rare in nature, these diamonds contain so little nitrogen that it can’t be easily detected by the usual IR or UV absorption measurements.
• Type IIb diamond – Extremely rare in nature. These have such a low concentration of nitrogen (even lower than type IIa) that the crystal is a p-type semiconductor (due to uncompensated B acceptor impurities).
Due to its unique internal structure and powers of light reflection, when cut to proper proportions, diamonds gather light within itself and then sends it back in a shower of fire and brilliance. The life of a polished diamond is regarded as the amount of light that is reflected back to the viewer. The term life is also referred to as brilliance. If the diamond is cut with good proportions then the brilliance will be increased. Lustre refers to the surface gloss on a polished diamond. Fire the play of colours that can be seen from the crown of a polished diamond. As light enters the diamond it is refracted and broken up into the colours of the spectrum and reflected back. The resulting rainbow-like colour flashes are called fire.
The hardness of diamond is an important property. As an industrial tool it has many uses and modern industry is highly dependent upon it. As a gemstone, it is resistant to scratching and abrasion, which ensures that a finished gem will retain its brilliance and polish. Because of its hardness and the unique way in which it is manufactured, a diamond polishes very slowly. It forms an unusually flat, finely-polished adamantine surface, with very sharp, straight edges between facets. No other gemstone can quite match this standard of polish.
Diamond has the highest coefficient of thermal conductivity of any known substance because the closely-packed crystal structure conducts heat very quickly. The thermal conductivity of diamond is five times higher than that of copper. This explains why a diamond feels cold to the touch when first picked up but quickly becomes warm from the heat of your fingers.
Only about one-fifth of all mined diamonds could be considered of gem quality. From 40 to 250 tons of gravel and sand must be processed today to recover one rough diamond from the world’s thinning diamond deposits. Experts estimate that all known supplies of diamonds will be depleted within 30 to 40 years. 75 - 80% of all diamonds mined are used for industrial applications such as drilling, grinding, or sawing. The remainder are used for jewellery or investment. Less than 2% of the diamonds mined are of such high quality that they may be considered investment quality.
On average, 250 tons of ore must be mined and processed to produce a one carat diamond of gem quality. When the mining operation is completed, sorters look at rough diamonds, separating them into small piles by shape, size, and quality, a long and laborious process.
The earliest examples of diamonds in human hands were found 3,000 years ago, in India. There, diamonds were used primarily as talismans to ward off evil and protect the wearer in battle. Diamonds were also used by the early Chinese, Greeks, and Romans as an engraving tool. While there was some mystique surrounding diamonds because they were so rare and difficult to obtain-many early cultures believed they had magical properties
The word diamond comes from the Greek word “adamas” meaning unconquerable, in reference to the eternity of love. In 1477, Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, thus, starting the tradition of diamond engagement rings. The reason a woman wears an engagement ring on her third finger of her left hand dates back to the Egyptian belief that the vena amoris (vein of love) ran directly from the heart to the top of that finger.
Many of the rarest diamonds occur by rare accidents of nature in shades of pink, blue, green, amber, or even red. These diamonds are referred to as Fancy diamonds and are evaluated by a different set of color standards. Fancy diamonds are the most expensive due to their extreme rarity.
Towards the middle of the 20th century, De Beers began using its slogan “a diamond is forever” in its advertising. Their campaign was so successful that today, diamonds are strongly associated with engagement rings and eternal love.
It is the only gem mineral composed of a single element making it the purest of earth’s gemstones. Therefore it is fitting that the purest and most brilliant of all the world’s gemstones make the diamond engagement ring the perfect symbol of eternal love.
You may copy this article about diamonds and place it on your own website, as long as you do not change it and include this resource box and the live links
Australia’s Leading Wholesaler of Excellent Cut Diamonds and Certified Diamonds
Copyright © 2008 Diamond Imports Pty Ltd http://www.diamondimports.com.au
Diamond Imports is one of Australia’s largest importers of loose diamonds specialising in excellent and ideal cut diamonds, certified diamonds, wholesale diamonds and diamond engagement rings.
Learn about diamonds, diamond buying advice, diamond information, diamond education, diamond facts.
On the demand side, exporters and strategic planners approaching the market in Asia face a number of questions. Which countries are supplying rough, unsorted diamonds to Asia? What is the dollar value of these imports? How much do the imports of rough, unsorted diamonds vary from one country to another in Asia? Do exporters serving the market in Asia have similar market shares across the importing countries? On the supply side, Asia also sells to the international market of rough, unsorted diamonds. Which countries in Asia supply the most exports of rough, unsorted diamonds? Which countries are buying their exports? What is the value of these exports and which countries are the largest buyers? This report was created for strategic planners, international marketing executives and import/export managers who are concerned with the market for rough, unsorted diamonds in Asia. With the globalization of this market, managers can no longer be contented with a local view. Nor (more…)
On the demand side, exporters and strategic planners approaching the market in Asia face a number of questions. Which countries are supplying sorted, unworked diamonds excluding industrial diamonds to Asia? What is the dollar value of these imports? How much do the imports of sorted, unworked diamonds excluding industrial diamonds vary from one country to another in Asia? Do exporters serving the market in Asia have similar market shares across the importing countries? On the supply side, Asia also sells to the international market of sorted, unworked diamonds excluding industrial diamonds. Which countries in Asia supply the most exports of sorted, unworked diamonds excluding industrial diamonds? Which countries are buying their exports? What is the value of these exports and which countries are the largest buyers? This report was created for strategic planners, international marketing executives and import/export managers who are concerned with the market for sorted, (more…)