APRIL BIRTHSTONE - DIAMOND

Diamonds are a wonder of nature. Their sparkling fire has held us spell-bound for centuries, inspiring rich passionate myths of romance, intrigue, power, greed, and magic. Ancient Hindus, finding diamonds washed out of the ground after thunderstorms, believed they were created by bolts of lightning. In our place and time, diamonds are a symbol of enduring love and often grace engagement rings.

There is no other gemstone quite like a diamond. It is found in the most remote places on earth, and the fact that it forms at all is something of a miracle. It takes about one ton of rock to recover less than half a carat of rough, making diamonds one of the rarest and most desired gemstones in the world. A diamond is a testament of endurance and strength – and not surprisingly, the ultimate symbol of love. Every diamond is unique, yet all diamonds share certain features that allow us to compare and evaluation them – the 4C’s – Cut Clarity, The 4C’s provide a way to objectively compare and evaluate diamonds, but numbers alone can’t describe a diamond’s mysterious and captivating beauty – for that, you’ll have to see one for yourself!

There are many kinds of diamonds: transparent, translucent or opaque; ranging from to sooty black, with many colours in between. Mostly transparent diamonds, colourless or tinted, are used as jewelry. Others are used widely in industry. The colour of a diamond depends on the kind of impurities embedded inside it. Yellow diamonds, for example, betray minute quantities of nitrogen, while boron imparts a bluish hue.

Despite its hardness, diamonds can be cut. This is accomplished by cutting the gem along planes parallel to the faces of the crystal where the tight bonds between carbon atoms are a little weaker. Found in their natural form, diamonds can appear quite unimpressive. It is only when they are cut and polished by skilled craftsmen, such that the light entering it is reflected and refracted as best possible, only then is their hidden beauty revealed.