Diamond Care

Your diamond holds a lifetime of dreams. So of course you’ll want it to always radiate as brilliantly as the first day you slip it on. Fortunately, the task of caring for your diamond is quite simple.

Protecting Your DiamondEven though diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man, a diamond will scratch another diamond. So it is important that jewelry not be stored together since it can be scratched or tangled.

Also, diamond jewelry should never be worn while doing heavy work. Points are vulnerable to chipping and even everyday activity can loosen a setting. This is why it’s important to visit a professional jeweler every six months to have your diamond’s mountings and settings checked

4C of Diamonds

Cut: refer to the angle and proportion of a diamond
Color: Refer to the degree to which a diamond is colorless
Carat: Refer to the weight of diamond
Clarity: Refer to the presence of inclusions in a diamond

Pink Diamonds

Pink Diamonds

The pink diamond is the worlds most rare and valuable diamond. The Argyle mine is the world's foremost source of unrivalled intense pink diamonds, producing 95% of the world's supply. However, an extremely small proportion of Argyle Diamonds production is Pink color, in fact less than one tenth of 1% is classified Pink.

The legend of Argyle pink diamond has grown over the past ten years. At the 1989 Christie's auction in New York a 3.14 carat Argyle pink sold for $1,510,000. Privately, Argyle has sold pink diamonds for up to $1 million a carat.

For years the white diamond was considered the world's most beautiful diamond, until the discovery of the Argyle mine heralded the arrival of the Argyle pink diamond. Never bef

ore had pink diamonds displaying such intense shades of colour been seen. The pink diamonds of India, Brazil and Africa were characteristically light in colour and paled even further when placed beside the intensely pink Argyle diamonds. The natural colour diamonds have in fact been around as long as the classical whites but in much smaller quantities and never in great demand.

The Argyle pink diamond comes in shades ranging from delicate pastel rose to robust raspberry and full-blooded purple-reds. The prices per carat are determined by the intensity of colour. Argyle selects only its most vibrant pink diamonds for polishing at its head office in Perth. There, the stones are polished in a wide range of cuts, such as round brilliant, marquise, oval and pear, to enhance their natural beauty. Polished pink diamonds are available in the same size ranges as traditional commercial sizes.

Once a year, Argyle Diamonds issues a special release of outstanding pink diamonds that are sold by special bids in the international and invitation-only, Pink Diamond Tender.

History of Diamonds

From myths about valleys of diamonds protected by snakes, to the production of millions of carats in rough diamonds each year, the history of diamonds is one of mystical power, beauty and commercial expertise.

Early History

The first recorded history of the diamond dates back some 3,000 years to India, where it is likely that diamonds were first valued for their ability to refract light. In those days, the diamond was used in two ways-for decorative purposes, and as a talisman to ward off evil or provide protection in battle.

The Dark Ages

The diamond was also used for some time as medical aid. One anecdote, written during the Dark Ages by St Hildegard, relates how a diamond held in the hand while making a sign of the cross would heal wounds and cure illnesses. Diamonds were also ingested in the hope of curing sickness. During the early middle Ages, Pope Clement unsuccessfully used this treatment in a bid to aid his recovery.

The Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages more attention was paid to the worth of diamonds, rather than the mystical powers surrounding them. Due to the heightened public awareness of the value of diamonds, mine owners perpetuated myths that diamonds were poisonous. This was to prevent the mineworkers swallowing the diamonds in an attempt to smuggle them out of the mines.

The popularity of diamonds surged during the middle Ages, with the discovery of many large and famous stones in India, such as the Kohinoor and the Blue Hope. Today India maintains the foremost diamond polishing industry in the world.

As the Indian diamond supply dwindled, smaller finds occurred in Borneo and Brazil, but these were not sufficient to meet the ever-increasing demand for diamonds. The mid-nineteenth century discovery of diamonds near the Orange River in South Africa sparked the world's biggest diamond rush, and helped to satiate the world's increasing appetite for diamonds.

Recent Times

During the mid-nineteenth century, diamonds were also being discovered in eastern Australia. However, it was not until late 1970's, after seven years of earnest searching, that Australia's alleged potential as a diamond producer was validated.

On October 2nd 1979, geologists found the Argyle pipe near Lake Argyle: the richest diamond deposit in the world. Since then, Argyle has become the world's largest volume producer of diamonds, and alone is responsible for producing over a third of the world's diamonds every year.

Diamonds

In mineralogy, diamond (from the ancient Greek, adámas) is the allotrope of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in an isometric-hex octahedral crystal lattice. After graphite, diamond is the second most stable form of carbon. Its hardness and high dispersion of light make it useful for industrial applications and jewelry. It is the hardest known mineral.

It is possible to treat regular diamonds under a combination of high pressure and high temperature to produce diamonds that are harder than the diamonds used in hardness gauges.

Diamonds are specifically renowned as a material with superlative physical qualities; they make excellent abrasives because few substances can scratch them. As a result they hold a polish extremely well and retain their luster.

Approximately 130 million carats (26,000 kg (57,000 lb)) are mined annually, with a total value of nearly USD $9 billion, and about 100,000 kg (220,000 lb) are synthesized annually.