Diamond wedding rings reached its pinnacle of fame thanks to the marketing miracle of De Beers in 1947—a diamond is forever. The reverence spread like wildfire that the precious stone inspired songs, movies, and most definitely, the jewelry collection of every capable man and woman. To this very day, we celebrate loyalty and love with diamonds’ supremacy in the matrimony of union. Undeniably, there is more to look at than the stone’s extraordinary brilliance.
What does it mean to be rare?
By definition, rarity or being rare refers to an uncommon find with unusual quality, merit, and appeal. These are also known to be quite few in numbers as they are seldom occurring or found. To put it simply, if these stones are few in numbers and with quality like no other, then it IS rare. Which throws the question to our precious stone, are diamonds really rare then?
Quantity vis-à-vis Quality
The number of diamonds under the earth’s surface is probably out of the question. Surely, with all the discoveries and mining throughout the centuries, these million-aged gemstones are abundant, difficult to excavate though, keep that in mind. By abundant it suggests that they are findable! Through mining which are calculated and studied as to where they could possibly be located like the kimberlite pipes—yes! Kimberlite pipes are relatively rare which follows that the diamonds and mantle xenoliths which can be found in these pipes are, too! It only adds up that to this very moment, a diamond could be forming underneath the earth’s mantle.
Recent years developed this reverence to an environmental alternative through lab grown diamonds. These alternatives are leaning towards the unheeded humanitarian and environmental indemnities of the diamond mining industry. With the growing number of supporters, demands for these man-made diamonds increase and lead us to the closing argument: diamonds are abundant. Natural and lab grown diamonds are diamonds!
Quality-wise, diamonds are made up of one element: carbon! This quality is unique only to diamonds—unusual, isn’t it? Diamonds are crystalline carbon which formed from magnanimous pressure and intense heat hundreds of kilometres deep down the earth. These surface strangers are the hardest known substance as only diamond can scratch another diamond! The most popular pure diamonds are graded D and absolutely colorless!
Quality and quantity combined: diamonds are rare!
So which quality and quantity make diamonds rare? Back to basics we are, the 4Cs: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight! Indeed, the colored diamonds settle this argument to the other end of the spectrum. Just as we are on the look for the colorless and blemish-free diamonds, colored diamonds are even rarer and more challenging to find: one in ten thousand diamonds has a fancy colour. How rare is that? Colored diamonds increase in value with the saturation strength and purity of colour they hold. The most prized diamonds are pink, blue, and green that even a slight difference in colour may austerely influence its value. The rarity of color corresponds to the amounting value. The color grading system by GIA shows appreciation in depth of color to which the range is as follows: (1) fancy light, (2) fancy, (3) fancy intense, and (4) fancy vivid. As long as they show colour in the top view or face-up position it qualifies as fancy colour. Let’s name a few rare coloured diamonds!
First is the Oppenheimer Blue Diamond which was hailed as the most expensive ($57.5 million) jewel to be sold at auction in 2016. It weighs 14.62 carats and its clarity is graded one step below internally flawless—a fancy vivid, yes. Unbelievable as it may sound but only 1% of blue diamonds is graded fancy vivid.
Image Source: DW.COM
Next is the sparkling-oval cut Pink Star, considered as the largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond that fetched $71.2 million at auction in Hong Kong. It is the most expensive gemstone sold, breaking the world record. The 59.60-carat is by far the largest pink diamond graded by the Gemological Institute of America. Flaunting this gem will be one tough task because of its weight.
Image Source: Geologyn.com
Lastly, the triangular-brilliant cut (a.ka. trilliant) the Moussaieff Red Diamond weighing 5.11 carats with an estimate today of $20 million is hailed as the largest red diamond graded by Gemological Institute of America. Originally called the Red Shield, this deep-red diamond has been regularly exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum.
Image Source: Internetstones.com
Human relations spark connections. Our love for the symbolic diamond wedding rings and diamond engagement rings prove to be the rarity that this gemstone brings all throughout history. Are you on the look for your next guilt-free jewelry investment? Create a worthwhile experience and visit Meycauayan Jewelries today!
