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Here Comes The Bride

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Radiant Diamond

Like the Princess Cut, the Radiant cut diamond is also a square cut. Unlike the princess cut, however, the radiant cut diamond is round faced and has rounded corners, making the radiant cut diamond reflect and refract light in many more directions than the princess.

The radiant cut diamond was perfected in 1977 by Henry Grossbard, who sought to combine the reflectiveness of the round brilliant with the step cut of the emerald. The radiant cut diamond, therefore, has the advantages of maintaining more of the diamond rough without having to lop off the whole bottom, plus the brilliance and fire of a round cut. Radiant cut diamondscan also be either rectangular or square, depending entirely on the personal preferences of the purchaser. Neither shape adversely affects the radiant cut diamond’s grading, which is one of the advantages of the cut and exactly what Grossbard had in mind when he designed it.

The fire of a properly cut radiant cut diamond is intense to the point that it catches the peripheral vision of anyone who comes close to its wearer. However, despite the advantages of the radiant cut diamond, there is, like the princess cut, a danger in purchasing one. The radiant cut diamond is so complicated and multifaceted that nearly all major gemological institutes refuse to give it a grading. This leaves the actual grading up to the people who sell the diamond, making it difficult for any third party to independently grade the cut of a radiant cut diamond.

The most important characteristic of a properly cut radiant cut diamond, however, is visible to the naked eye. The more theradiant cut diamond sparkles and the more fire the diamond has, the more successful the cutter was in achieving the objective of conspicuousness. Of course, one cannot simply randomly hack away at a diamond and hope it becomes sparkly. Symmetry and balance are also crucial, though this can be objectively measured, if only excruciatingly.

The round brilliant cut has certain proportions that are quickly recognizable and graded according to whatever proportions are considered ideal. The radiant cut diamond, however, has to be thoroughly examined for symmetry in every crevice to make sure that its cut is ideal. This would take way too long for your average gemological institute staff, where time is money and such excruciating activity cannot reasonably be done without massive government bailouts.

Princess Cut Diamond

Princess cut diamonds are a relatively new shape in the world of diamond cutting, having been created only the 1960’s. Theprincess cut diamond is very similar to the classic round brilliant shape we all think about when we think of a diamond, except the princess cut diamond does not have a pavillion – that part of a round brilliant that is lopped off into a cone shape below the head. Instead, the princess cut diamond is completely square, retaining 80% of the original diamond rough instead of the round brilliant’s 50%. The similarity in shape and the advantage of maintaining more of the original stone make the princess diamond cut the second most popular of all cuts.

Despite its maintaining 80% of its original carat weight as  a rough diamond, the princess cut diamond is still slightly less expensive than the round brilliant, mostly because it is less popular and the round brilliant shape has penetrated cultural consciousness as the “proper” cut for a diamond.

However, if you’re looking for a princess cut diamond, there is one crucial thing you have to watch out for. Whereas the round brilliant cut diamond has universally recognized standards on grading, the princess cut diamond does not, meaning don’t be fooled if someone claims that a certain princess cut diamond is ideal instead of excellent or good. This is actually a contentious subject in the diamond cutting world, as the AGSL and the EGL-USA do give gradings for princess cut diamonds, but the GIA has been stubborn in maintaining that there is not enough consensus in the industry to establish cut gradings. Of course, any argument over legitimacy is an argument over numbers and power. Whoever wins the most people for his side will determine if princess cut diamonds will have a recognized grading. For now, I would suggest simply seeing which diamond sparkles more, since that is essentially what a cut is designed to do. If one sparkles more than another of the same carat weight, clarity, and color, then it would make sense to say that the cut on that princess cut diamond is better. Don’cha think?

The term “princess cut diamond” was actually made popular by the Israeli diamond industry giants Ygal Perlman, Betzalel Ambar, and Israel Itzkowitz back in the late 70’s.

Emerald Cut Diamond

Emerald cut diamonds are a classic example of a step cut. The emerald cut was originally conceived for emeralds rather than diamonds because the emerald stone is comparatively brittle and the step cut is the safest way to shape the stone without fracturing it. Later, it was transposed to emerald cut diamonds in an attempt to accentuate the clarity of a diamond rather than increase it’s refraction, fire, and brilliance. The emerald cut diamond is essentially a statement of the clarity of the stone by the wearer, since emerald cut diamonds allow the observer to see right through the stone. Though the fire of the round brilliant diamond can be attractive, they can also hide imperfections that the emerald cut diamond cannot.

In the glitzy world we live in, emerald cut diamonds are less in vogue than the round brilliant or the radiant cut diamond, and the plus side is that due to this, emerald cut diamonds are generally less expensive than other cuts, all other things being equal. This has nothing at all to do with the quality of the stone, but to demand for sparkliness, if there is such a word.

As for the shape of emerald cut diamonds themselves, they take the form of a rectangle with lopped off corners in order to decrease the amount of stress points in the diamond and to make it more structurally stable. The step cut gives a look of stairs running from the center of the emerald cut diamond until the edge, each step being transparent right to the other side of the stone. This means that if there are any imperfections, they are immediately visible. This is why emerald cut diamondsare gutsy, and must only be executed on the most perfect stones.

Emerald cut diamonds are far more common among antique jewelry dealers and show off a rather Victorianesque ambiance. Their golden age was the Art Deco period, from around 1925 until 1940. Similar cuts to the emerald cut diamondare the asscher cut, which is a square emerald cut, and the trilliant cut, which is a triangular shaped emerald cut diamond.

So if you feel like standing out and not just sporting another of the same popular cut, you may want to think seriously about owning an emerald cut diamond. Economical and unique, they’re not your everyday diamond.

Cushion Cut Diamond

Cushion cut diamonds are quite rare when it comes to cuts. They are most similar to the radiant cut, but the cushion cut diamond has more rounded corners, similar to a pillow. No wonder cushion cut diamonds were originally called pillow cuts. Cushion cut diamonds are slightly less brilliant and fiery than round brilliant cut diamonds, but they are more light dispersive, meaning they serve as a mini prism that splits light into its 7 constitutive colors. So if you like rainbows, thecushion cut diamond is for you.

Cushion cut diamonds were the most popular cut for most of the 19th century, from 1830 until the turn of the 20th century.  Now they are less in demand due to the brilliance of the now ubiquitous round brilliant. They can come in any shape between rectangular and perfectly square, depending entirely on personal taste. The cushion cut diamond is another example of a cut that does not have rigid standards as to its grade, though retailers set their own rubric and pricing based on their own preferences. The good part about this is that the consumer can pick whatever cushion cut diamond he likes best, regardless of price.

Similar to round brilliants, cushion cut diamonds also end in a sharp point at the pavilion, but their girdle is not as abrupt and sharp as the round brilliant. It’s more gradual in its decent to the apex on the bottom.

Many cushion cut diamonds have a what is called a culet, which acts as a window through the diamond and reflects whatever color is behind it. This is not so of a round brilliant, whose pavilion is much sharper and abrupt than that of acushion cut diamond. There are many ways to cut the face of the diamond, though what makes it a cushion cut diamondare its rounded corners and resemblance to a pillow.

For fancy colored diamonds specifically, this cut is the most popular since it most evenly distributes the diamond’s color. In fact, the world’s most famous diamond, the deep blue Hope Diamond, was originally described as having a cut of  “cushion antique brilliant with a faceted girdle and extra facets on the pavilion.” The Hope Diamond is, of course, centuries old, back when cushion cut diamonds were much more popular than they are now. If people were more conscious of the Hope Diamond’s cut, perhaps cushion cut diamonds would rocket back into style.

Synthetic Diamonds

Since 1953, it has been possible to take graphite, smush it really hard at really high temperatures, and come out with some sort of synthetic diamond. There are generally two ways to do this. One is High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) synthesis of synthetic diamond, and the other is Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). The former results generally in biggersynthetic diamonds, but the latter is a much simpler and cheaper design. If we are to analogize, I’d say that the formersynthetic diamond production method is an application of brute force. Enclose the carbon in on all sides, squeeze it mercilessly and heat it up way beyond civil temperatures, and force it to bind to itself. The second method is more of a finesse. You get the carbon excited a bit and introduce some carbon-based gas, usually methane, into a chamber, energize it with some sort of concentrated energy source like an electron beam, and you activate all of the bonds at the same time, while they are all willing to bond to the next atom they see. The goal is carbon, though this is what makes the CVD method less reliable for bigger synthetic diamonds. Any impurity will be immediately bonded to the carbon.

As one may guess, the advent of synthetic diamond had DeBeers freaking out about market prices. But as we all know of mother nature, she never disappoints. Much like bread, when made without artificially freeze-dried yeast and allowed to ferment and rise on its own over a period of weeks tastes much better, so too with natural diamonds over synthetic diamonds. A stone lying in the earth’s mantle for billions of years allowed to naturally grow will generally have a lot less impurities than one produced over a matter of hours or days.

As  a matter of fact, they even have a word for sythetic diamond that is of such low quality as can be seen by the naked eye. They call it bort. Synthetic diamond bort is used mostly as an abrasive tool in cutting machines. So is most of synthetic diamond. Just because it don’t look as pretty don’t mean it’s not the hardest substance on the planet anymore. It still is, making the industrial applications of synthetic diamond very diverse and necessary. I bet when a construction company CEO is going home after a long day of scratching out the foundations for a new city with synthetic diamond, he feels he has accomplished much more than the Jeweler who sold a six figure stone to a rich guy getting married.

Fancy Diamonds

Diamonds have long been thought to be the most popular way for women to adorn themselves. While there are diamonds for everyone and every budget- from cheap synthetic diamonds to exorbitant fancy diamonds. Whether your budget is very limited or you are Hollywood’s highest paying actress, there is something for you. Indeed, many of the rich and famous like to purchase costly fancy diamonds to show off their wealth and to beautify themselves with some truly extraordinary pieces.

Fancy diamonds include diamonds of all colors and shapes. One of the latest, most up-to-date trends is the Champagne diamond, also known as chocolate diamond. These come in an assortment of beautiful shades of brown, and sometimes a delicate mix of brown and another color. Thus, you can find a fancy brown and pink diamond engagement ring that is sure to catch any eye that is laid on it.

Fancy diamonds have such a mesmerizing appeal, so if you are looking for, say, fancy dark yellowish brown diamond, do not be surprised if your budget turns out to be insufficient. Since natural fancy diamonds are so rare, their prices are often beyond one’s reach. In fact, some of the world’s most expensive diamonds include different types of fancy diamonds. For instance, the Leviev Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond, 77.12 carats at USD 10m; the Graff Fancy Vivid Pink Pear Shaped Diamond at USD 10m; and the Darya-ye Noor Diamond of the Iranian Crown Jewels, which  is believed  to be the largest fancy pink diamond at about 186 carats.  Of course, if you don’t have ten or sixteen million dollars to spend on a diamond, you can opt for the Pumpkin Diamond, a type known as a Fancy Vivid Orange, for a mere USD 3m.

Fancy colored diamonds are becoming increasingly popular, mostly because of recent trends set by the rich and famous. If you wish to purchase a fancy diamond, you can choose between natural and enhanced diamonds. Since natural fancy diamonds can be quite pricey, many people prefer to get fancy diamonds that have been created artificially. Although the word “artificial” is a dirty word when it comes to jewelry, it is not always the case with fancy diamonds. Many beautiful pieces are created artificially and make it possible for the less wealthy to attain.

Wholesale Diamonds

When I was a kid my parents used to shop at Costco’s all the time. Costco’s was this huge warehouse of everything you could think of packaged in Paul Bunyan’s overweight second cousin sized containers. You’d stock up your shopping cart as if you were doing a last minute hording for the approaching Armageddon, and the trick was, if you bought food, to finish it all before everything went bad. It never worked unless you were mormon and had 7 wives and 48 kids to feed. Otherwise you ended up with a lot of compost. Costco’s was buying wholesale.

But what about wholesale diamonds? Is there a giant Costco’s for wholesale diamonds? They don’t exactly go bad as fast as food does, though they do spontaneously turn into graphite at a rate so slow that the universe will recontract by the time you notice it, so why would someone have to sell wholesale diamonds in the first place? The term “wholesale” in wholesale diamonds simply means who’s selling to whom.

Back in the day when there was no internet, not everybody could sit down in front a screen and talk to, well, anybody. So not everyone knew the people who controlled the wholesale diamond mines from some mine in Zimbabwe.  So what happened in wholesale diamond land was thusly thus. Bob Wholesale Diamond Guy had a huge load of diamonds from Mt. Vulcanosuvius in Zimbabwe.  These were way too many to use in jewelry for himself, even if Bob had theoretically been married and divorced 27 times and needed lots of diamond engagement rings, and he doesn’t know everybody and doesn’t want to invest in store infrastructure. So he’d make a call to Mr. Retailer and say something like, “Hey, you have a store, right? I have all these diamonds. Can you buy them off me wholesale?” Mr. Retailer would say sure, sell them at twice the price he got it from Bob Wholesale Diamond Guy, and buy body-heat activated deodorant off the profit margins.

Today, because of the internet, Bob Wholesale Diamond Guy can just announce that he has a whole bunch of wholesale diamonds from Mt. Vulcanosuvius in Zimbabwe and he’s selling them at such and such, whether bulk or singularly. This eliminates Mr. Retailer.

So theoretically, yes, there are wholesale diamonds. But the only way to figure out if you’re really getting wholesale diamondprices is if you compare what you see on the net to what you see at your local jewelers who doesn’t own Mt. Vulcanosuvius and only buys wholesale diamonds off of Bob Wholesale Diamond Guy. If they prices are the same, you win. If they’re not, you’re being played.

Cheap Diamonds

If you’re like me or my wife, you get a kick out of doing exactly the opposite of everyone else and then doing your best to make it look really cool. Psychologically, it can be described as a severe overreaction to being excessively dorky as a kid and wanting to reject trends entirely, due to prolonged social isolation in high school. It’s also called “peacocking” amongst the pickup artists. The objective is to wear something ludicrous and be completely secure in it and that way use the strength of your personality to attract others. Today, let’s talk about peacocking with excessively cheap diamonds, otherwise known asindustrial grade abrasive cheap diamond bort.

Bort is essentially the cheap diamond garbage of the diamond industry. Since not every stone can be perfectly formed, some diamond crystal material is so malformed and twisted and cracked that it is unusable for jewelry, and therefore, these cheap diamonds are used only for industrial purposes. Luckily, the fact that they’re ugly does not effect their chemical properties, and they remain as hard as any other diamond. Cheap diamond bort is used mostly in diamond-tipped drill bits which are used, in turn, to dig for treasures in the earth’s crust, one of which could be diamonds, but is usually oil or coal.

It is not difficult to find cheap diamonds in the form of bort on the net. As a matter a fact, here’s a link to some really cheap diamonds at $8 a carat, but you have to buy a minimum 1,000 carats. If you can convince people in this postmodern culture of ours that wearing cheap diamonds is awesome because it brings us closer to nature or true beauty or something like that, then you could make a pretty hefty profit off of an $8,000 bort investment.

To start that trend, you’ll have to start wearing these cheap diamonds on your necklaces, your rings, everywhere. And then walk around acting really cool and carry one of those pimp walking sticks and glue some cheap diamonds on the end of it. Then walk into a post-modern jeweler in one of those towns seeking its identity like San Francisco or something and tell the owner that cheap diamonds are so in and you’ll sell them for $50 a carat.

Soon everyone will be wearing cheap diamond bort on their engagement rings and you’ll put the drill bit companies totally out of business.