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In the Market for a Diamond? All You Need to Know

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In the Market for a Diamond? All You Need to Know

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Here's an article that shows the various cuts that you can get when purchasing a diamond, as well as the information about carats and other diamond attributes that effect the cost and value of a diamond.

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How to Buy a Diamond - Diamond 4C's: Cut, Clarity, Carat and Color

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The How to Buy Diamonds guide at Ross-Simons helps you fashion the perfect diamond ring. Learn about the 4 Cs: diamond cut, clarity, color, and carat.

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How Popular Culture Perpetuated the Diamond as a Status Symbol

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How Popular Culture Perpetuated the Diamond as a Status Symbol

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This article shows examples from movies, television, and music that shaped how we now think about diamonds in America and throughout the civilized world.

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Have you ever wondered how the diamond engagement ring became such a prominent, romantic part of relationship culture? Or how diamonds became a girl's best friend? Diamonds are the most beautiful, natural objects on Earth, and they're desirable for countless reasons, but their journey from royal keepsake to marriage staple didn't happen overnight.

The first time a diamond ring was used to cement a relationship and culminate an engagement was in Europe over 500 years ago. It wasn't until Mary Frances Gerety coined " A Diamond Is Forever" for De Beers in 1948 that the diamond engagement ring began to enter the mainstream. Eventually those four words became a cornerstone of modern advertising, even earning the title of "top slogan of the 20th century." But can one catchy advertising slogan alone convince every person in America (let alone the world) that their relationship wasn't ready for the next level unless a beautiful diamond ring was part of the process?

Maybe it can. After all, who am I to say for sure? But I believe there's more to the story than some clever copy, and that men and women around the world aren't so easily convinced.
There is no denying that diamonds are romantic, beautiful, spiritual, and a perfect symbol of the eternal bond between two people in love. But there is also no denying that the proliferation of diamonds in pop culture has played a significant role in making them such a staple of relationship culture.
Despite what Advertising Age says about the 70-year-long campaign, to credit the ad agency N.W. Ayer for making diamond engagement rings "a thing" in our culture would be a disservice to some of the most influential people and artists of our generation. The same goes for the diamond necklace, earring, bracelet, and every other form the precious gem can take.

When every single relationship status in America changes after the same iconic act, it's not a solo act, but an epic collaboration.

The past 70 years of music, movies, television and pop culture have been instrumental in the rising popularity of diamonds and the romanticism of the ring. This romance playing out on our screens and over the radio, like all great romances, is a two-sided affair.

Not only has pop culture romanticized the diamond ring for women as an object they desire and hope to receive one day as part of their fairy tale and happily ever after, but the prominence of diamonds in thrilling, action-packed stories about heists and spies has added a layer of masculinity that subtly emphasized their significance and value to future grooms across America.

So where do we start? How about one of the most successful, influential, and celebrated movies of all time? In 1939, almost a decade before that ad campaign came to life, Gone With The Wind made its big screen debut. Adapted from the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize winning novel written by Margaret Mitchell three years prior, it tells the story of Scarlett O' Hara and Rhett Butler during the Civil War in the south. It won best 8 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Screenplay. Adjusted for inflation, it's the highest grossing film of all time, so yea, it's safe to say almost everyone has seen it (including the folks at N.W. Ayer).

As the film comes to a close, Rhett proposes to Scarlett, she says yes (albeit with a bit of convincing), and then this happens:

The next major "influencers" in pop culture are one of the most iconic, idolized women of the past century and one of old Hollywood's most prolific directors. Between 1930 and 1960, Howard Hawks directed Scarface, Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, The Big Sleep, Monkey Business, and Rio Bravo, among other hits. Some of the stars he worked with include Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, and Marilyn Monroe. It's his work with Monroe, specifically in the 1953 movie Gentleman Prefer Blondes, that will forever connect him to diamonds.

The movie is famous for Monroe's performance of Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend, considered an all-time significant song in cinema by the American Film Institute (it's been covered over twenty times since). Take a look at the lyrics and you'll see how Monroe and Hawks helped influence the lust for diamonds among a generation of women.

Here's one verse:

Men grow cold as girls grow old
And we all lose our charms in the end
But square-cut or pear-shape
These rocks don't lose their shape
Diamonds are a girl's best friend

If you've ever wondered where that saying comes from, now you know.

In 1955, Alfred Hitchcock directed To Catch A Thief, starring Cary Grant as a jewel thief with an eye for diamonds and Grace Kelly as his wealthy love interest who happens to own the largest collection of diamonds in the French Riviera. It was a critical success, as most Hitchcock movies tend to be, and went on to win an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. In 1961, Audrey Hepburn took on the career-defining role of Holly Golightly, the character created by Truman Capote in his beloved Romcom novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Ironically, Capote's first choice for the lead role was Marilyn Monroe. Look at any promotional photo or poster from the movie and you'll see the same thing - a gigantic diamond and pearl necklace around Hepburn's neck.

The influence of the book, film, and Hepburn's portrayal of its lead character stands the test of time (while some characters from the screen adaptation definitely don't - we're looking at you, Mickey Rooney).

Broadway calls the story the birth of a cultural icon and Harper's Bazaar wrote a story in 2011 called " How Holly Golightly Changed The World. " Whether you believe them or not is up to you, but Audrey Hepburn and Truman Capote played their part in glamorizing the already glamorous diamond and 5th Avenue retailer.

Two years later, we saw one of the first examples of diamonds "targeted" towards men with the release of The Pink Panther, starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau. In the films, the Pink Panther is a valuable, rare pink diamond (also known as a fancy diamond) based on the real-life, legendary Daria-i-Noor discovered in the mines of India.

The light-hearted, mysterious tone of the original film and popularity of the Inspector Clouseau character led to a long-running franchise centered around the namesake diamond that included 11 movies, a successful animated cartoon, and a permanent place in pop culture history. In 1993, life imitated art, and a group of diamond bandits known as the Pink Panthers made headlines for a series of 120 high-stakes, high-risk jewelry thefts.

While we're on the topic of wildly successful film franchises targeted at men with iconic lead characters who pursue high-stakes criminals, I'd like to introduce you to a man who needs no introduction.

Sean Connery was the original James Bond (and the best). He put the franchise on the map after starring in the first five Bond films between 1962-1967 and became a household name. In 1971, after loaning the role to George Lazenby for one Bond movie, he returned to the role of Agent 007 in Diamonds Are Forever.

In the film, Bond goes undercover as a diamond smuggler to infiltrate a diamond smuggling ring led by the classic supervillain and founder of SPECTRE, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (the inspiration for Dr. Evil), who intends on using stolen diamonds to build a weaponized laser beam. Bond stopped him because that's what James Bond does, and Sean Connery earned a record-setting $1.25 million for the part. What guy growing up didn't dream of being James Bond at one point or another?

While there are plenty more examples of diamonds in pop culture over the 70s and 80s, lets hop in Marty McFly's DeLorean and time travel to the most influential decade for diamonds, engagement rings, and romance on the screen - the 1990s

In 1990, Julia Roberts starred opposite Richard Gere in Pretty Woman. Who could forget the scene where her character, newly exposed to a glamorous lifestyle, sees (and wears) a $250,00 ruby and diamond necklace for the first time. It wouldn't be the only time Julia Roberts starred in a successful romantic comedy in the 90's.

In 1997, there was My Best Friend's Wedding, where she tries to break up the sudden marriage of her best friend from college days before he marries Cameron Diaz. She didn't just want the man, but the gigantic diamond ring on Diaz's finger too. In 1998, Roberts starred opposite Ed Harris in Stepmom,where Harris proposes with a memorable diamond ring on a string, and a year later, Roberts would marry Hugh Grant in Notting Hill and Richard Gere in Runaway Bride. But Julia Roberts' decade-long run of movies with engagement rings and marriage as their focus isn't the only reason the 90's were so influential for the diamond.

In 1991, Steve Martin starred in Father of The Bride. Here are the first lines his character, George Banks, says in the movie:

I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do.

The plot revolves around Mr. and Mrs. Banks meeting their daughter's future husband for the first time, and the hesitance of George to trust the man who wants to marry his daughter. One of the first red flags that puts him on edge?
George Banks: Oh, so - oh, my. And that's your engagement ring, huh?
Annie Banks: Yes, yes! We got it at a flea market outside of Rome.
Then, in 1997, James Cameron wrote and directed a little movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett called Titanic. While the name and setting of its story suggest it's about a doomed cruise ship, the driving force around the epic tale is a group of treasure hunters searching for the Heart of the Ocean, a rare, fictional diamond necklace more valuable and beautiful than the prestigious Hope Diamond. The central story of the movie is a present day Rose retelling what happened on the ship to the group searching for the lost diamond in the shipwreck, which she secretly still has in her possession.

You may also remember it as the only thing Rose is wearing when Jack draws her like "one of his French girls."

Titanic was the most successful movie of all time. It was the first motion picture to earn over a billion dollars at the box office and won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Song. The cultural influence and impact of Titanic are undeniable. It's among the most significant cinematic achievements in history, and at the heart of it's story is a diamond.

In the years between then and now, there's been no shortage of diamonds and engagement rings as central plot points in some of the most beloved stories and films. From Daisy Buchanon's diamond ring in The Great Gatsbyto Satine's diamond necklace in Moulin Rouge, to the Legally Blonde, Sex and the City, and Twilight series all culminating with our female heroines receiving impressive diamond rings from their significant others. Even Jennifer Aniston, America's sweetheart, gets a diamond ring and happy ending thanks to Ben Affleck in He's Just Not That Into You.

It's impossible to mention Jennifer Aniston without thinking of Friends, a sitcom that defines an entire generation and remains one of the most popular and successful shows of all time. In the two-part season six finale called "The One with the Proposal," Monica and Chandler get engaged, capping off years of build up and anticipation for viewers everywhere. It's among the show's best episodes and most unforgettable, romantic moments in television history.

A diamond is forever, but so are these characters. Movies, music, television and pop culture continue to evolve over the decades, along with the people bringing this entertainment to life, and as time goes by, something else thing remains true.

They're all romancing the stone.

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Have you ever wondered how the diamond engagement ring became such a prominent, romantic part of relationship culture? Or how diamonds became a girl's best friend? Diamonds are the most beautiful, natural objects on Earth, and they're desirable for countless reasons, but their journey from royal keepsake to marriage staple didn't happen overnight.

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Here is an article that showcases the many different uses for diamonds, excluding jewelry. Some may really surprise you

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We are all familiar with the beauty of a diamond set in an engagement ring, earrings, a pendant, and other fine jewelry. However, due to their superior strength and unique properties, diamonds can be used for a number of different things outside of jewelry. Read on for just a few of the many different industries that are using diamonds in both new and exciting and tried and true ways.

Industrial Uses for Diamonds

The most common uses for diamonds outside of fine jewelry are for industrial applications. Because diamonds are so strong (scoring a 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale), they are extremely effective at polishing, cutting, and drilling. Many industries - including automotive, mining, and military - use diamond saws and drills. Small diamond particles are added to drill bits and saw edges to make them more powerful for cutting tough materials.

Diamond particles are also important to the "circle of diamond life". Naturally, industrial-grade diamonds are the best and strongest material to use for cutting and polishing their jewelry-grade counterparts.

Diamond Beauty Products

Something that keeps cropping up in celebrity news recently is the phenomenon of diamond beauty products. In 2011, Mila Kunis made headlines when she prepped for an awards show with a $7,000 ruby and diamond facial. Jennifer Lopez made headlines last month for using a diamond dust exfoliator to prevent cellulite. Diamond beauty products are not just limited to the celebrity set. Many beauty companies have started to offer products that include diamond dust, though they will be pricey.

As far as beauty benefits go, diamonds are advertised as both an exfoliator and a "blurring" ingredient to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. I understand the use of diamonds as an exfoliator, because they are a strong abrasive and would be gentle enough for facial use in powder form.

On the other hand, using diamonds to blur wrinkles would be both costly and possibly ineffective. You would need a high concentration of diamond dust in order to diffuse enough light to blur wrinkles. You would also have to reapply the product multiple times throughout the day, because diamonds are not an active ingredient. The price tag for all of those expensive diamond-based beauty products would definitely add up over time!

Diamonds and Health

Diamonds also have potential health benefits. I'm not talking about the ancient superstition about diamonds warding off the evil eye, but legitimate medical research surrounding the use of nanodiamonds. Nanodiamonds are extremely tiny diamond particles, a thousand times smaller than a single human hair.

A recent study performed by Cardiff University showed that nanodiamonds are a great indicator of the effectiveness of cancer drugs. The researchers chose nanodiamonds because they reflect light and they are compatible with human cells. Using the diamonds' reflective properties, the researchers were able to monitor the cellular processes that occurred once patients were given cancer medication.

Because diamonds have such a unique relationship with light, medical researchers have also looked into using them to help the visually impaired. Researchers have been testing diamonds as a potential material for bionic eyes and eye implants for the blind.

Audio Equipment With Diamonds

Some audiophiles swear by industrial-grade diamonds for improving sound quality. Diamond speaker domes produce high-quality sound because diamonds are hard enough that they can vibrate at high speeds without warping and damaging the audio quality. Additionally, diamond record needles are standard for high quality record players and DJ equipment.

Sapphires are also used for record needles, and at a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale they are expected to provide 75-100 hours of excellent quality sound. At a 10, diamond record needles are expected to provide up to ten times that. One point on the Mohs Hardness Scale can make quite a difference!

Personally, I still prefer jewelry-grade loose diamonds for their attractive sparkle and artful diamond cuts. Still, it is amazing to learn about the creative and innovative ways that diamonds are being used to improve the world around us. From cosmetics to construction and from hospitals to home stereos, industrial-grade diamonds are proving their worth.
Did you know that diamonds had so many uses outside of jewelry? Have you ever used a beauty product with diamonds? Feel free to share comments and any additional questions in the comments below!

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Josh Marion is the Director of Business Development at Ritani. A diamond industry expert who has worked for jewelry retailers since 1999, Josh is passionate about innovation and exceeding customer expectations. In his spare time, he loves biking, traveling and relaxing with his family.

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Uses for Diamonds Other Than Jewelry | Ritani

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We are all familiar with the beauty of a diamond set in an engagement ring, earrings, a pendant, and other fine jewelry. However, due to their superior strength and unique properties, diamonds can be used for a number of different things outside of jewelry.

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This article delves into why diamonds are so expensive, despite not being the most precious or rarest jems. It gets into the several factors that effect the cost of diamonds.

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It's no secret that diamonds are expensive. And at roughly $7,000 for a one-carat stone, according to the RapNet Diamond Index, it's clear why even the word "diamond" has come to connote wealth and exclusivity.

But despite comprising roughly 90% of the precious gemstone market, diamonds are actually far more abundant than emeralds, rubies and sapphires, which will run you about $100 - $1,000 per carat. So if they're not the rarest gems around, why are diamonds so expensive?

An extremely successful marketing campaign and the De Beers company's decades-long, cartel-like control over supply provide the bulk of the answer. We'll explain the underlying economics of the diamond market in greater detail below, in addition to analyzing historical price trends, exploring the most expensive types of diamonds and offering money-saving tips for diamond buyers.

Inside The Diamond Market

Diamonds were once rather rare, which perhaps has had a lasting impact on the perception of the general public. But, ironically enough, it wasn't until a vast supply of diamonds were found in South Africa in the mid-1800s that the aura of diamonds truly began to take shape. After a period of market consolidation, De Beers Consolidated Mines had taken hold of about 90% of the available diamond supply by the early 1900s.

This alone enabled the company to inflate prices at its pleasure. But, in 1938, De Beers also created a classic advertising campaign to fuel public demand for diamonds and foster their role as a societal staple, even a sound investment. The now-well-known tagline was, " A Diamond Is Forever," and the stated goal was to use, "constant publicity to show that only the diamond is everywhere accepted and recognized as the symbol of betrothal," according to the marketing company behind the campaign."

It certainly has worked, as diamonds haven't always been the engagement bribe of choice. From dowries paid to grooms to the lead, silver and gold mentioned as tokens of love offered by a suitor in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice," many other items have been used in place of diamonds as symbols of wedding engagements over the years. So the whole concept of diamond engagement rings - from the amount we're "supposed" to spend on them to their exorbitant price tag - is based on monopoly and clever marketing. That's right up there with Valentine's Day and the creation of the Teddy Bear.

Mining For Diamonds: Rarity isn't what makes diamonds expensive. Nearly 6 billion carats of diamonds (about 1,000 metric tons) have been mined throughout history, according to the Gemological Institute of America, compared to 165,00 metric tons of gold. We now also have the capacity to actually make diamonds in a lab.

Accessibility isn't the issue either. There are roughly 20 major diamond mines in operation today, and they collectively produce 120+ million carats of diamond per year, according to Bain & Company. The "richest" diamond mine in the world does have to clear away about 8 million tons of rock a year to unearth a little more than 11 million carats of rough diamonds, which it then sells for around $134 a carat at significant profit margins! In order for this business model to work, however, it must operate at scale.

That gets us to the crux of the diamond cost conundrum. The fact a small number of corporations have long controlled the majority of the diamond supply obviously has served to prop up prices over time. Such consolidation has been made easier by the fact that diamond reserves are geographically grouped in select areas of the world. In fact, just five companies currently control 72% of the world's supply, and the last major mine discovery was in 1997, according to Bain.

In other words, a relatively constrained supply, limited competition and cultural significance equals high diamond prices.

Manufacturing Diamonds: Diamonds are nothing but pure carbon, which means it is possible to manufacture them. For example, with enough heat and
pressure, you could theoretically turn a lump of charcoal into a diamond. We're talking serious commercial-level processes here, though, so don't get your hopes up for a little money-making science project!

The notion of producing diamonds in a laboratory has been documented as far back as 1879, but it wasn't until 1953 that the first reproducible
process was created. Early synthetic diamonds were only suitable for industrial uses, but technologies have since been built on and refined, to the extent that it now costs just over $50 to produce a gram (5 carats) of jewelry-quality diamond, according to James E. Butler, a materials scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. Unfortunately, that hasn't exactly translated into drastically lower prices, as man-made diamonds are typically just 20% to 30% cheaper than those mined from the earth.

Diamond Prices Over Time

As one of the hardest substances known to man, it's true that "a diamond is forever" in terms of its durability. But that's not necessarily true in terms of value, as they've actually experienced quite a bit of price volatility over the years. This factor alone would seem to indicate that diamonds are a poor investment, even though there has been fairly steady price appreciation over the last 30 years.

Diamond prices peaked at $21,268 per carat in March 1980, according to the Rapaport Diamond Index, having catapulted 249% in just two years as the country endured a period of runaway inflation that led to a stock market crash and economic recession. As you can see from the chart below, prices bottomed at $4,844 in January 1986 and have since rebounded 133%, as of November 2016.
Note: The RapNet Diamond Index is based on the average asking price for Top 25 Quality Round Diamonds on the Rapaport Diamond Trading Network. The Rapaport Diamond Index is the industry's primary pricing reference, reflecting prices before imperfections and negotiations are taken into account.
By definition, a diamond thus cannot be an investment, at least according to Benjamin Graham - author of The Intelligent Investor, father of value investing and, perhaps most notably, Warren Buffet's greatest investing influence. An investment must promise "safety of principal and a satisfactory return," Graham wrote," and "operations not meeting these requirements are speculative." Principal safety is not attainable in the face of such volatility, and the expectation for return clearly isn't satisfactory when you consider that the S&P 500 has appreciated 2,217% since 1978 - compared to 86% for diamonds.

With that being said, some people do believe that diamonds are one of the best emergency currencies. Diamonds are the most valuable item in the world in terms of size, they're extremely durable and they're far more portable than gold - for instance.

The Most Expensive Diamonds

There have been a few notoriously expensive diamonds throughout the years, from the Hope Diamond to the diamond necklace the woman in the film "Titanic" threw into the ocean. Below, we'll break down the most expensive diamonds across a few major categories.

Most Valuable Diamond Ever: The Sancy (55.23 carats) and Koh-i-Nur (106 carats) diamonds both are considered to be priceless. The former is currently housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris and the latter among the United Kingdom's crown jewels.

Most Expensive Diamond Ever Sold: The most expensive diamond ever purchased at auction was the 59.6-carat "Pink Star" diamond, which sold for $83.2 million in 2013. The buyer defaulted on the purchase in 2014, however, so Sotheby's was forced to pay $60 million for the stone under the terms of its original agreement with the seller.

Most Expensive Diamond Ring: "The Graff Pink" diamond, mounted on a ring, sold at auction for $46 million in 2010, becoming the most expensive piece of jewelry ever sold.

Most Expensive Diamond Cut: Heart-shaped diamonds tend to be the most expensive, according to sales data, followed by Pear and Marquise cuts. Emerald cuts are the least expensive, preceded by Oval, Asscher and Princess.

Most Expensive Diamond Color: Red diamonds are by far the rarest and most expensive color diamond. White diamonds are the most common, with those having a color grade of D (colorless diamonds) being most expensive and those with a grade of Z (very light diamonds) being the least expensive.

How To Save On A Diamond

In light of the expensive diamonds that we're culturally required to purchase and our existing over-reliance on debt, it's important that we take
the necessary steps to minimize the amount we pay when our time comes to take the icy plunge. One way to do so, if you plan on proposing, is to rethink the amount you will spend on an engagement ring, so as to ensure that your finances can handle it.

But a few other money-saving measures exist as well, and we'll highlight the best of the bunch below.

Consider A Different Kind Of Stone: Emeralds and sapphires are actually rarer than diamonds, but they are much less expensive. The average
emerald costs $30 to $525 per carat, while the average one-carat sapphire and ruby will run you about $75 and $2,000, respectively, based on market data.

Shop Around For A While: Though actual diamond supply is effectively controlled by a handful of companies, the retail market is far more segmented. You can take advantage of the resulting competition by taking your time to evaluate prices both over time and across different retailers. Being patient and waiting for sale prices will also be quite beneficial to your wallet.

Get A Lab Rock: Synthetic diamonds tend to retail for 20% - 30% less than mined diamonds, but can be as much as to 150% cheaper. They are fundamentally the exact same thing as mined diamonds, and they look and feel identical as well.

Build Around Something Small: Since the average engagement ring costs around $4,000 and a one-carat diamond goes for roughly $11,000, it goes to figure that the average engagement ring has about a 0.36 carat diamond on it. Opting for something more modest will help you save money now and build the financial foundation to add nicer and nicer stones around this centerpiece over time.

Check Out An Estate Sale: You can often get great deals on amazing jewelry at estate sales - especially those in nice neighborhoods. Just make sure to watch out for fakes! Purchasing pending an appraisal is thus a good idea, if possible.

Ask The Experts: Dissecting Diamond Dealing

We turned to a panel of leading diamond and history experts for a clearer picture of how the global diamond trade works and the impact it has on local populations. You can check out their bios and responses to the following questions below.

Why have diamond prices dropped so significantly in the last 50 years?

What is your forecast for the diamond market? Do you expect diamond prices to continue to drop?

Do you think any precious stone will overtake diamonds in the next 10-25 years?

Image: Art_girl / Shutterstock

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I wonder why man-made diamonds are only 20-30% less. I would think that someone could really undercut the market and make a killing.

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Why Are Diamonds So Expensive? Digging Up Answers

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It's no secret that diamonds are expensive. And at roughly $7,000 for a one-carat stone, according to the RapNet Diamond Index, it's clear why even the word "diamond" has come to connote wealth and exclusivity.

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Here is an article and video that sums up how a diamond is formed naturally and also how it can be manufactured today.

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Diamonds are made by a few steps in Nature including high temperatures and pressure.

Credit: Diamonds image via Shutterstock

Diamonds are made out of carbon - highly organized carbon, that is. Geologists are still guessing how diamonds formed in the Earth from 1 billion to 3 billion years ago, according to a recent study in the journal Nature, but they think the recipe follows something like this:

1. Bury carbon dioxide 100 miles into Earth.

2. Heat to about 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Squeeze under pressure of 725,000 pounds per square inch.

4. Quickly rush towards Earth's surface to cool.

If the process sounds a little difficult, thank a synthetic diamond manufacturer: There are now two ways to make diamonds in the laboratory.

The first synthetic method is called high pressure, high temperature (HPHT for short). It's the closest thing to the diamond-producing bowels of the Earth, subjecting graphite (yes, the stuff in a No. 2 pencil, which is made from pure carbon) to intense pressure and heat. Tiny anvils in an HPHT machine squeeze down on the graphite as intense electricity zaps it, producing a gem-quality diamond in just a few days. These diamonds, however, aren't as pure as natural diamonds because a metallic solution is mixed in with the graphite.

The other diamond-producing method - called chemical vapor deposition - turns its back on intense pressure but cranks out diamonds more flawless than nature can produce. Manufacturers place a piece of diamond into a depressurizing chamber, then zap natural gas with a microwave beam. As the gas is heated to almost 2,000 degrees, carbon atoms "rain" down onto the diamond in the chamber and stick to it, growing a perfect sheet of diamond overnight.

While De Beers isn't happy with its new competitors, computer manufacturers have something to be excited about: At temperatures that would melt silicon wafers, sheets of synthetic diamond stay rock-hard.

Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

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Diamonds are made out of carbon - highly organized carbon, that is. Geologists are still guessing how diamonds formed in the Earth from 1 billion to 3 billion years ago, according to a recent study in the journal Nature, but they think the recipe follows something like this: 1.

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This article takes a look at the past of one of the world's most notorious diamonds; the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. It separates the truth from the myths.

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The diamond came from India's alluvial mines thousands of years ago, sifted from the sand. According to Hindu belief, it was revered by gods like Krishna-even though it seemed to carry a curse, if the luck of its owners was anything to go by. The gem, which would come to be known as the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, wove its way through Indian court intrigues before eventually ending up in the British Crown Jewels by the mid-1800s. That was when a British amateur geologist interviewed gemologists and historians on the diamond's origins and wrote the history of the Koh-i-Noor that served as the basis for most future stories of the diamond. But according to historians Anita Anand and William Dalrymple, that geologist got it all wrong.

"We found what every historian longs for," Dalrymple says. "A story which is incredibly important to people, an object known around the world, but which is all built on a structure of myth."

In their new book Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond, Anand and Dalrymple work their way through more than four centuries of Indian history to learn the truth about the diamond, "panning the old research" like the Indians who sieved river sand for diamonds, Anand says. And the true history has its share of drama. For Dalrymple, "It's a perfectly scripted Game of Thrones-style epic. All the romance, all the blood, all the gore, all the bling."

But beneath the drama of the diamond is a more serious question that still has no clear answer: How should modern nations deal with a colonial legacy of looting? With numerous countries (including India, Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan) having claimed ownership of the Koh-i-Noor, it's a topic under vigorous debate.

To understand where the diamond came from-and whether it could ever go back-requires diving into the murky past, when India was ruled by outsiders: the Mughals.

On the Gemstone Throne

For centuries, India was the world's only source of diamonds-all the way until 1725, with the discovery of diamond mines in Brazil. Most of the gemstones were alluvial, meaning they could be sifted out of river sands, and rulers of the subcontinent embraced their role as the first diamond connoisseurs.

"In many ancient Indian courts, jewelry rather than clothing was the principle form of adornment and a visible sign of court hierarchy, with strict rules being laid down to establish which rank of courtier could wear which gem in which setting," Dalrymple and Anand write in their book. The world's oldest texts on gemology also come from India, and they include sophisticated classification systems for different kinds of stones.

Turco-Mongol leader Zahir-ud-din Babur came from Central Asia through the Kyber Pass (located between modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan) to invade India in 1526, establishing the Islamic Mughal dynasty and a new era of infatuation with gemstones. The Mughals would rule northern India for 330 years, expanding their territory across nearly all of present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and eastern Afghanistan, all the while reveling in the mountains of gemstones they inherited and pillaged.

Although it's impossible to know exactly where the Koh-i-Noor came from and when it first came into the Mughals' possession, there is a definite point at which it appears in the written record. In 1628, Mughal ruler Shah Jahan commissioned a magnificent, gemstone-encrusted throne. The bejeweled structure was inspired by the fabled throne of Solomon, the Hebrew king who figures into the histories of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Shah Jahan's throne took seven years to make, costing four times as much as the Taj Mahal, which was also under construction. As court chronicler Ahmad Shah Lahore writes in his account of the throne:

"The outside of the canopy was to be of enamel work studded with gems, the inside was to be thickly set with rubies, garnets, and other jewels, and it was to be supported by emerald columns. On top of each pillar there were to be two peacocks thick set with gems, and between each of the two peacocks a tree set with rubies and diamonds, emeralds and pearls."

Among the many precious stones that adorned the throne were two particularly enormous gems that would, in time, become the most valued of all: the Timur Ruby-more highly valued by the Mughals because they preferred colored stones-and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The diamond was lodged at the very top of the throne, in the head of a glistening gemstone peacock.

For a century after the creation of the Peacock Throne, the Mughal Empire retained its supremacy in India and beyond. It was the wealthiest state in Asia; Delhi, the capital city, was home to 2 million people, more than London and Paris combined. But that prosperity attracted the attention of other rulers in Central Asia, including Persian ruler Nader Shah.

When Nader invaded Delhi in 1739, the ensuing carnage cost tens of thousands of lives and the depletion of the treasury. Nader left the city accompanied by so much gold and so many gems that the looted treasure required 700 elephants, 4,000 camels and 12,000 horses to pull it (and you thought all that fanfare in Aladdin was Disney-ized embellishment). Nader took the Peacock Throne as part of his treasure, but removed the Timur Ruby and the Koh-i-Noor diamond to wear on an armband.

The Koh-i-Noor would remain away from India-in a country that would become Afghanistan-for 70 years. It passed between the hands of various rulers in one blood-soaked episode after another, including a king who blinded his own son and a deposed ruler whose shaved head was coronated with molten gold. With all the fighting between Central Asian factions, a power vacuum grew in India-and the British soon came to take advantage of it.

The Boy King and the British Crown

At the turn of the 19th century, the British East India Company expanded its territorial control from coastal cities to the interior of the India subcontinent. As Dalrymple and Anand write of the British campaigns, "[they] would ultimately annex more territory than all of Napoleon's conquests in Europe." In addition to claiming more natural resources and trading posts, the British also had their eye on a piece of priceless treasure: the Koh-i-Noor.

After decades of fighting, the diamond returned to India and came into the hands of Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh in 1813, whose particular affection for the gem ultimately sealed its aura of prestige and power. "It was not just that Ranjit Singh liked diamonds and respected the stone's vast monetary value; the gem seems to have held a far greater symbolism for him," write Anand and Dalrymple. "He had won back from the Afghan Durrani dynasty almost all the Indian lands they had seized since the time of Ahmad Shah [who plundered Delhi in 1761]."

For Anand, Singh's elevation of the diamond was a major turning point in its history. "The transition is startling when the diamond becomes a symbol of potency rather than beauty," Anand says. "It becomes this gemstone like the ring in Lord of the Rings, one ring to rule them all."

For the British, that symbol of prestige and power was irresistible. If they could own the jewel of India as well as the country itself, it would symbolize their power and colonial superiority. It was a diamond worth fighting and killing for, now more than ever. When the British learned of Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, and his plan to give the diamond and other jewels to a sect of Hindu priests, the British press exploded in outrage. "The richest, the most costly gem in the known world, has been committed to the trust of a profane, idolatrous and mercenary priesthood," wrote one anonymous editorial. Its author urged the British East India Company to do whatever they could to keep track of the Koh-i-Noor, so that it might ultimately be theirs.

But the colonists were first forced to wait out a chaotic period of changing rulers. After Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the Punjabi throne passed between four different rulers over four years. At the end of the violent period, the only people left in line for the throne were a young boy, Duleep Singh, and his mother, Rani Jindan. And in 1849, after imprisoning Jindan, the British forced Duleep to sign a legal document amending the Treaty of Lahore, that required Duleep to give away the Koh-i-Noor and all claim to sovereignty. The boy was only 10 years old.

From there, the diamond became a special possession of Queen Victoria. It was displayed at the 1851 Great Exposition in London, only for the British public to be dismayed at how simple it was. "Many people find a difficulty in bringing themselves to believe, from its external appearance, that it is anything but a piece of common glass," wrote The Times in June 1851.

Given its disappointing reception, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, had the stone recut and polished-a process that reduced its size by half but made the light refract more brilliantly from its surface.

While Victoria wore the diamond as a brooch, it eventually became part of the Crown Jewels, first in the crown of Queen Alexandra (the wife of Edward VII, Victoria's oldest son) and then in the crown of Queen Mary (the wife of George V, grandson of Victoria). The diamond came to its current place of honor in 1937, at the front of the crown worn by the Queen Mother, wife of George VI and mother of Elizabeth II. The crown made its last public appearance in 2002, resting atop of the coffin of the Queen Mother for her funeral.

What Makes a Diamond "Loot"?

Still shrouded in myth and mystery (including a rumor that the diamond is cursed) one thing is clear when it comes to the Koh-i-Noor: it sparks plenty of controversy.

"If you ask anybody what should happen to Jewish art stolen by the Nazis, everyone would say of course they've got to be given back to their owners," Dalrymple says. "And yet we've come to not say the same thing about Indian loot taken hundreds of years earlier, also at the point of a gun. What is the moral distinction between stuff taken by force in colonial times?"

For Anand, the issue is even more personal. Born and raised in the UK, her family is Indian and her relatives regularly visited. When they would tour the Tower of London and see the Koh-i-Noor in the Crown Jewels, Anand remembers them "spending copious amounts of time swearing themselves blue at the glass case with the diamond."

According to Richard Kurin, Smithsonian's first Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large as well as the author of Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem, part of the reason these gemstones came to be perceived as "cursed" is because of how they were gained.

"When the powerful take things from the less powerful, the powerless don't have much to do except curse the powerful," Kurin says. Like the Koh-i-Noor, the Hope diamond came from India and was displayed at the London Exposition in 1851. It is now displayed at the National Museum of Natural History, having been donated by Harry Winston, who legally purchased it.

And while Kurin says uncovering the line of ownership of a gemstone like the Koh-i-Noor is best practice when it comes to history, it doesn't necessarily lead to a legal obligation (though other scholars and lawyers disagree). He and Dalrymple both point out that the rulers who once owned these gemstones headed nations that no longer exist.

That's one of the biggest differences between objects taken during colonial conquest and art and treasure looted by Nazis-the difficulty in ascertaining who has the first and most legitimate claim to anything.

"Post-colonial collections is a big topic everywhere," says Jane Milosch, the director of Smithsonian's Provenance Research Initiative. "There can be a reassessment for certain objects of, 'we may have legal ownership, but does it make sense to keep this material?'" She cites a 2014 case in which the British Museum returned two bronze statues from Benin to Nigeria (they were taken during an attack in 1897 after British officers were killed during a trade mission).

But returning pillaged art and treasure from World War II, as complicated as that can be, is still far less complex than unraveling colonial history. "You're dealing with countries that existed when the object was acquired, but they may not exist now-and countries who we had trade agreements with that may have different export laws now," Milosch says. "Provenance is very complex and people aren't used to processing a chain of ownership. By the time you hit the second or third owner over time, the information can get more difficult to research. This is why I say it's important that these things not be yanked out of museums, because at least people have access and can study them until we know for sure if they were looted."

The Koh-i-Noor isn't the only contested treasure currently residing in the UK. Perhaps equally controversial are the Elgin Marbles, statues carved 2,500 years ago and taken from the Parthenon in Athens by British Lord Elgin in the early 1800s. So far, the UK has retained ownership of the statues and the diamond, regardless of calls for their return.

Anand thinks one solution that doesn't require removing the Koh-i-Noor from the UK is to make the history of the diamond clearer. "What I would dearly love is for there to be a really clear sign by the exhibit. People are taught this was a gift from India to Britain. I would like the correct history to be put by the diamond."

Dalrymple agrees that disseminating the true history is half the battle. "Whenever we lecture, we find people who are horrified by the history. But they're not resistant-they just weren't aware of it."

The diamond isn't likely to leave the Crown Jewels anytime soon. Anand and Dalrymple only hope that their work will do some good by clarifying the true path the infamous gemstone followed-and helping leaders come to their own conclusions about what to do with it next.

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The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond-and Why the British Won't Give It Back

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The diamond came from India's alluvial mines thousands of years ago, sifted from the sand. According to Hindu belief, it was revered by gods like Krishna-even though it seemed to carry a curse, if the luck of its owners was anything to go by.

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Here is an article outlining how diamonds were first introduced as a precious commodity and how diamonds are formed from within the earth and then produced into the jewels we humans treasure.

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Diamonds have a long history as beautiful objects of desire. In the first century AD, the Roman naturalist Pliny stated: "Diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in this world."

A diamond has to go through a lot before it reaches the jeweler's display case. It forms deep in the earth under extreme heat and pressure. It's ejected violently upward until it arrives at or near the earth's surface. It's forced from its hiding place by nature or by man. Then it's cleaved and cut and polished until its natural beauty shines through.

The world's love of diamonds had its start in India, where diamonds were gathered from the country's rivers and streams. Some historians estimate that India was trading in diamonds as early as the fourth century BC. The country's resources yielded limited quantities for an equally limited market: India's very wealthy classes. Gradually, though, this changed. Indian diamonds found their way, along with other exotic merchandise, to Western Europe in the caravans that traveled to Venice's medieval markets. By the 1400s, diamonds were becoming fashionable accessories for Europe's elite.

In the early 1700s, as India's diamond supplies began to decline, Brazil emerged as an important source. Diamonds were discovered in the pans of gold miners as they sifted through the gravels of local rivers. Once it reached its full potential, Brazil dominated the diamond market for more than 150 years.

While sources changed, the diamond market experienced its own evolution. The old ruling classes-diamonds' biggest consumers-were in decline by the late 1700s. Political upheavals like the French Revolution led to changes in the distribution of wealth.

The 1800s brought increasing affluence to western Europe and the United States. Explorers unearthed the first great South African diamond deposits in the late 1800s just as diamond demand broadened.

The story of the modern diamond market really begins on the African continent, with the 1866 discovery of diamonds in Kimberley, South Africa. Entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes established De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited 22 years later, in 1888. By 1900, De Beers, through its mines in South Africa, controlled an estimated 90 percent of the world's production of rough diamonds.

The South African sources affected many segments of the diamond industry. This was especially true as diamond mining moved from the surface to farther underground. Because of the huge costs and comparatively low yields involved, the new sources forced the development of more efficient mining techniques. They created the need for better marketing. They also led to advances in cutting and polishing-advances that increased efficiency, reduced costs, and enhanced the appearance of finished stones.

In the 1870s, annual production of rough diamond was well under a million carats. By the 1920s, the figure was around three million carats. Fifty years later, annual production approached 50 million carats, and in the 1990s it surpassed 100 million carats per year.

At the end of the 1970s, the world's most important rough diamond producers were South Africa, Zaire (now renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo), and the former Soviet Union. In the 1980s, output of higher-quality diamonds from Russia and South Africa remained relatively constant, but Zaire's production of lower-quality diamonds more than doubled.

In 1982, a highly productive new mine in Botswana added to world production. A prolific source of high-quality diamonds, the Jwaneng mine boosted Botswana's production so much that the country rose to third in the world in total diamond recovery, and second in diamond value. De Beers contracted with Botswana's government to buy the mine's production and Botswana set out to build its own diamond-cutting industry.

World diamond mining expanded dramatically with the discovery of sources in Australia in 1985 and important new deposits in northern Canada in 2000.

The market probably changed as much after 1990 as it did in the years after the 1866 discovery of diamonds in South Africa and the establishment of De Beers. The 1990s brought exciting new sources and encouraged the dramatic growth of some cutting centers. All this was happening as the world economy fluctuated wildly.

As one of the trade's major participants, De Beers had to change, too. The De Beers of today bears little resemblance to the De Beers of 1989. The company greatly reduced its role as the custodian of diamond supply. Instead of flowing into the market in a single-channel path from De Beers, diamonds now flow into the market through multiple channels.

Not everything changed, though. Regardless of the path they take, diamonds still flow from mines through cutting centers, and ultimately to retail customers.

Diamond's splendor has been appreciated for centuries, but there was not much scientific knowledge about it before the twentieth century. Since then, diamond knowledge has grown steadily, with research by chemists, physicists, geologists, mineralogists, and oceanographers. In the past 50 years alone, scientists have learned a lot about how diamonds form and how they're transported to the earth's surface. That knowledge has made it easier to predict locations for new diamond discoveries.

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Diamonds have a long history as beautiful objects of desire. In the first century AD, the Roman naturalist Pliny stated: "Diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in this world." A diamond has to go through a lot before it reaches the jeweler's display case.

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Here we have a map of the places that produce the most diamonds.

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Diamond Production Map - Gem-Quality Diamond Mining Countries

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Map and charts showing the geography and history of diamond mining and production across the world.

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Here is the Wikapedia page about diamonds. Here you can find all the raw, uncut info you want about diamonds! ("raw" "uncut" ... see what I did there? LOL)

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The slightly misshapen octahedral shape of this rough diamond crystal in matrix is typical of the mineral. Its lustrous faces also indicate that this crystal is from a primary deposit.

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Here is a fun article about diamonds! Take a look! You may discover some neat facts you never knew about diamonds!

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Diamonds are the birthstone for the month of April, meaning that April-born ladies have an extra reason to ask for gifts of sparkling diamond jewelry (or buy diamonds for themselves).

To celebrate these dazzling gemstones, we've rounded up fifteen interesting facts and bits of lore about diamonds' origins and history:

1

The ancient Romans and Greeks believed that diamonds were tears cried by the gods or splinters from falling stars, and Romans believed that Cupid's arrows were tipped with diamonds (perhaps the earliest association between diamonds and romantic love).

2

Diamonds are billions of years old-in some cases more than three billion years old.

3

Diamonds form about 100 miles below ground and have been carried to the earth's surface by deep volcanic eruptions.

4

Diamonds are made of a single element-they're nearly 100% carbon. Under the immense heat and pressure far below the earth's surface, the carbon atoms bond in a unique way that results in diamonds' beautiful and rare crystalline structure.

5

The word diamond derives from the Greek word "adamas," which means invincible or indestructible.

6

Diamonds are the very hardest natural substance. The only thing that can scratch a diamond is another diamond.

7

Diamonds have been valued and coveted for thousands of years. There is evidence that diamonds were being collected and traded in India as early as the fourth century BC. In the first century AD, the Roman naturalist Pliny is quoted as having said, "Diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in this world."

8

Ancient Hindus used diamonds in the eyes of devotional statues, and believed that a diamond could protect its wearer from danger.

9

Many ancient cultures believed that diamonds gave the wearer strength and courage during battle, and some kings wore diamonds on their armor as they rode into battle.

10

During the Middle Ages diamonds were thought to have healing properties able to cure ailments ranging from fatigue to mental illness.

11

The countries that are the main sources of diamonds have changed over time. India was the world's original source of diamonds, beginning in the 1400s when Indian diamonds began to be sold in Venice and other European trade centers. Then in the 1700s India's diamond supplies declined and Brazil became the world's major source of diamonds, until the late 1800s when a huge diamond reserve was discovered in South Africa. Today, diamonds are mined in many parts of the world. All of Brilliant Earth's diamonds originate from mines in Canada, Botswana, Namibia, and Russia.

12

The largest diamond ever discovered was called the Cullinan diamond, and weighed in at an amazing 3106 carats, or 1.33 pounds. Discovered in 1905 in South Africa, the mine's owner and the South African leaders gave the diamond to King Edward. The Cullinan was eventually cut into nine large diamonds and 100 smaller ones, and the three largest of these are on display in the Tower of London as part of the crown jewels.

13

The first known use of a diamond engagement ring took place in 1477, when Archduke Maxmillian of Austria gave Mary of Burgundy a gold ring featuring an M spelled out in diamonds.

14

Lab created diamonds display the same chemical structure and physical properties as diamonds mined from the earth. Even professional gemologists can't tell the difference between lab created and mined diamonds without extensive testing using specialized equipment. Brilliant Earth carries a wide selection of lab created diamonds.

15

The most mind-blowing diamond facts of all: Scientists have discovered a planet that they believe is composed mostly of carbon, and is one-third pure diamond! Discovered in 2004, the planet orbits a nearby star in the Milky Way, and is named " 55 Cancri e " (which, in our opinion, is not a sufficiently glamorous name for such an extraordinary planet). Perhaps even more amazing, scientists have discovered a star that is essentially a diamond of ten billion trillion trillion carats. They named the star Lucy after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." (We approve.)

While diamonds have clearly created a lot of joy for people throughout history, they have too often resulted in suffering in the communities where they're mined. At Brilliant Earth we believe diamonds shine brighter when they're sourced in an ethical, environmentally friendly way. Learn more about the issues surrounding diamond mining, and what we're doing to bring about change.

Final Thoughts

Did you already know these facts about diamonds or were they news to you? Let us know your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter, or in the comments section!

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15 Amazing Facts about Diamonds | Brilliant Earth

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Diamonds are the birthstone for the month of April, meaning that April-born ladies have an extra reason to ask for gifts of sparkling diamond jewelry (or buy diamonds for themselves).