19 Things You Need to Know About Diamonds
When it comes to diamonds, a wealth of information is available at your fingertips. And it’s a good thing, considering they are simultaneously the most popular gemstone and the most difficult to shop for. We aren’t shy about sharing how to get a great deal on a diamond, nor so we have any issues telling our shoppers exactly how to get the engagement ring they want. But by far and away, our favorite thing to talk about is a diamond’s 4 C’s.
Cut – Always buy the very best cut grade you can afford. It’s what gives a diamond its sparkle, fire, brilliance, and life. Without a good cut grade, all the other criteria are useless.
Carats – Shop for a diamond just a leeeetle bit lighter than your ideal carat weight. So a 1.89 carat diamond instead of an even 2 carats. It can save you thousands, and you’ll never be able to spot the difference.
Color – Depending on your diamond’s shape, the color grade that will look best can vary. For round brilliants, Shop for stones in the G/H color range to get an amazing quality without the premium price. For step cuts like emerald, you need to step (pun intended) it up a notch. Don’t go any higher than an F color grade for maximum impact.
Clarity – Again, your diamond’s shape should determine just how high your clarity grade needs to be. Brilliant shapes let you go all the way up to VS2 (and even an eye-clean SI1) and still have a beautiful stone. Cleaner cuts like emerald and asscher kindly request that you look more in the VVS – VS range to maximize your budget and the diamond’s beauty.
But enough about the 4 C’s – you can read all about them here. There are many more important diamond facts to know – 19 to get started.
- The largest diamond ever discovered on (in) U.S. soil is the Uncle Sam, from Arkansas, weighing in at 40.23 carats.
- It takes about 250 tons of mined earth to get one 1 carat diamond.
- A diamond’s melting point is 6420 degrees Farenheit.
- Most of today’s diamonds are about 3 billion years old.
- There are white dwarf stars with a diamond core.
- The largest known “space diamond” is a casual 10 billion trillion trillion carats.
- Scientists have discovered a diamond planet, 55 Cranri E.
- 80% of mined diamonds aren’t jewelry-quality and are used for industrial purposes.
- Diamonds are the hardest natural substance on earth.
- Ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splintered stars, fallen to earth.
- Diamonds are pure crystalized carbon.
- The average price of an engagement ring in the US is $5,000.
- The highest price ever paid for a diamond was $48.4 million for the Blue Moon Diamond. The 12.03 carat Internally Flawless fancy vivid blue sold at Sotheby’s Geneva to notorious Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau, for his seven-year-old daughter, Josephine. This record was set after the $83.2 million sale of the Pink Star fell through.
- The largest diamond ever found came from South Africa’s Cullinan mine and weighed 3106 carats.
- Most jewelry-quality diamond mines are now in Russia.
- 75% of all brides in the US will wear a diamond ring.
- The first engagement ring was given in 1477 when the Archduke of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy.
- The first diamonds were discovered in India 4,000 years ago.
- Not all diamonds are white – most have some form of color. Typically they are yellow – brown, with the rarer colors of pink, blue, red, and green commanding a premium.