Clear Answers for Common Questions

A Chocolate Diamond™ is a type of brown, fancy-colored diamond that is sold by LeVian Jewelers. The term is also used more generally to refer to any brown diamonds. These stones are very common and were largely thought to be worthless until the late 1980s, when LeVian began ...

Cultured or synthetic diamonds are gems that are grown in a laboratory over the course of several days, rather than formed under the Earth in a process which takes millions of years. Although some consumers dismiss these stones as fake, they are in fact chemically identical to conventional diamonds. Because ...

A conflict free diamond is a diamond that has certification assuring the buyer that it is has not come from areas where criminals control the diamond trade. Diamonds from areas like Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Congo are often called conflict diamonds or blood diamonds. This is because the diamonds ...

Yellow diamonds are diamonds which have taken on a yellow tone, either through natural interruptions in their formation process or chemical treatment. Diamonds that are naturally this color are extremely rare, and the color is usually caused by nitrogen impurities that appear while the diamond is being formed. More commonly ...

Fancy diamonds are diamonds which are richly colored, rather than clear or white. True fancy diamonds are rare, and most of the colored diamonds on the market are artificially colored through a variety of laboratory techniques. The value of this type of diamond can range considerably, depending on the hue ...

Artificial diamonds, while chemically identical to mined diamonds, are created by engineers in a laboratory. The introduction of large, feasible diamonds grown artificially has set off a heated controversy about the advantages, disadvantages, and strategies associated with these new gems. As more people invest in growing diamonds, others are concerned ...

Diamonds. Well, obviously, they're a girl's best friend, but what is it about these little bits of carbon that fire the imagination and cause men to open their wallets? Their beauty and rarity combine to make diamonds a sought-after gem for a woman's jewelry box. Loose ...

Growing consumer pressure on the diamond industry has led to a self regulating movement among major diamond companies to more carefully monitor the sources of their product. The result has been clear labeling of some diamonds, indicating that they are cruelty-free, meaning that they were not involved in the ...

A blood diamond, also referred to as a conflict or war diamond, is a diamond sold to finance terrorism or other violent acts including civil war. Trading in these diamonds has been recognized as a global problem, with terrorist organizations in a wide range of nations benefiting from the trade ...

The Princess Cut Diamond is a relatively new way to cut a diamond. It was first developed in 1964 as a way to provide a square diamond cut with facets equal to the round diamond cut known as a brilliant cut. Essentially it is a square version of a round ...

The Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carat fancy dark grayish-blue diamond currently in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. In its current state, the Hope Diamond has been cut into a round brilliant shape with additional facets along the pavilion, or base of the stone ...

It's not often that a piece of jewelry is named for an accident, but such is the case with tennis bracelets. This jewelry got its unusual name from an incident involving professional tennis player Chris Evert during a match in 1987. Evert had been wearing an expensive bracelet featuring ...

Eternity rings are metal bands that traditionally include diamonds or other stones around the circumference of the entire ring. Typically, each stone has the same shape and setting, giving the ring a uniform appearance meant to suggest everlasting love. They are almost always women's rings, designed to be given ...

The Tiffany Diamond is simply one of the most unique and spectacular diamonds in the world. Not only is it incredibly large, but it is also a rare vivid yellow color. The yellow tone is caused by an unusual absorption of nitrogen during the genesis of the stone. The Tiffany ...

Though many consumers may not realize it, there is a difference between the shape and cut of a diamond. Since the cut of a diamond is one of the “four C’s” that shoppers are taught to look for, it is important to understand that shape and cut are two ...

Laser marking is used as a way of permanently marking a physical item for tracking, either for security of quality control reasons. Rather than using a vibrating or rotating tool to engrave a mark on the item, a high-powered laser is used. While most forms of engraving result in ...

The diamond anvil cell is a machine used by physicists to put samples under extremely high pressures (up to ~360 gigapascals) for the purpose of researching their properties, including phase transitions, atomic bonding, viscosity and diffraction levels, and crystallographic structure. Diamond anvil cells can simulate pressures of millions of atmospheres ...

You’ve reached that magic time in your relationship where you realize your love will last a lifetime. While the time is “magic,” buying an engagement ring requires thought. Should you surprise your intended fiancée or should she help you shop? How much can you really afford, will you know ...

Engagement rings come in many different sizes and shapes, stones and settings, making the possibilities nearly endless. Someone who is ready to pop the question, but who doesn't know a thing about rings, will want to consider several factors. The parts of the ring should be considered, as should ...

The short answer to this question, unfortunately, is that you cannot be sure that you are not buying a blood diamond, but you can take steps to greatly reduce the probability. If you strongly feel that you need a diamond rather than another type of precious stone, use a retailer ...

If you are browsing gems or jewelry for sale and want to quickly determine whether a clear stone is a diamond, there are a few easy tests you can apply without any special equipment. The popular test of scratching the stone across glass or metal isn't very reliable, and ...

A diamond measures a 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, making it the hardest natural substance known to occur on Earth. This raises the question of how the stones are cut if they are so hard. There are a number of techniques used in diamond cutting, including basic cleaving ...

Most diamond experts acknowledge that there are four main factors to consider when buying a diamond ring. The 4 C's comprise cut, color, clarity and carat. Each of these will be different in every diamond ring, and you may have to sacrifice one in order to achieve the other ...

Shapes of diamonds vary in popularity, and different cuts tend to get trendy or less popular as fashion changes. There are numerous shapes into which diamonds can be cut, which can help fit the demand of any type of setting. Currently round brilliant, princess, and radiant cuts are the most ...

Yes, peanut butter can be made into diamonds, but people shouldn't buy out the nut butter shelf at their local market just yet. In order to make one into the other, conditions of intense pressure and very high temperatures are needed, and most people don't have access to ...

The four C's of diamonds are cut, color, clarity, and carat. They are all important considerations in grading a diamond for sale, and they will influence the eventual price of a diamond, along with any jewelry that it is used in. Consumers should familiarize themselves with the four C ...

Diamonds are the hardest naturally forming material on Earth, renowned for their beauty, strength, and durability. They have been known and hoarded by humans for thousands of years, and their name comes from the Greek word for invincible. These stones come from deep within the Earth’s crust, formed there ...

Diamond dust is essentially the leftover material from cutting diamonds. It is extremely hard and has a wide variety of uses. Items made with this dust are considered to be of high quality and are used in a variety of things in various industries from construction to the beauty industry ...

Diamond paste is a type of polishing compound made from finely ground or powdered diamond particles, and some kind of liquid, usually water based. Diamond powder itself is simply paste without the water or other liquid binding agent. It may come in a syringe for more exact application, or even ...

A diamond blade is a high-quality blade that take advantage of the hardness of diamonds by using tiny pieces of diamonds to enhance the blade's cutting abilities. The blade has a steel core that is surrounded by a powder metal coating that contains diamond segments. This type of ...

The least compressible material known, with a bulk modulus of 491 gigapascals (GPa) is aggregated diamond nanorods. They are what you get when you compress buckytubes, an allotrope of carbon, at 20 GPa, under a temperature of 2,500 Kelvin, using a 5,000 metric ton anvil press designed specifically ...