An introduction to Diamonds

Sree Iyer

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, was a song sung by Carol Channing, playing the role of Lorelei Lee in the much acclaimed Broadway play Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Subsequently, Marilyn Monroe sang this song in the movie version of this play.

The tag line “Diamonds are Forever” was coined by a copywriter for DeBeers to help them promote diamonds as a symbol of love and commitment, especially in the United States. Thanks to the aggressive marketing (and some say worldwide control of diamonds) by DeBeers, this phrase took hold and today Diamond jewelry is considered the most precious and valuable. To some extent, their success was aided by the US Govt., which wanted to wean its people away from Gold. Be as it may be, Diamond based jewelry is here to stay and in this blog I hope to de-mystify some of the secrets about Diamonds. Fasten your seat belts and get set for a ride!

Known in ancient Hindu puranas as vaira or vajra, diamonds were known to the earliest Indic civilizations and find mention in the Vedas and Upanishads. Visit any palace in India (or Europe for that matter) and you will find paintings of royalty adorned with precious stones with a diamond being typically at the crest.

You may have read this before but it is worth repeating here – Diamonds are all about 4 Cs – Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat. To simplify our discussion, we shall limit the Color to White (or Colorless) diamonds. Cut signifies the artistry displayed by the jeweler in bringing the fine balance between the reflection of light and dispersion of colors. The following table describes Clarity as defined by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA):

Thus the clarity of majority of diamonds that form part of a necklace or a ring etc. would vary between VVS1 and I1. When you are looking at a jewelry, ask for the clarity of the diamonds used; use a lupe to verify the flaws (or you can request the jeweler to point them out to you).

Carat refers to the weight of the diamond itself. 1 carat equals 200mg – a 10 carat diamond would therefore weigh 2 grams.

The final decision of which diamond is good for you is a subjective one but at least this blog should take out some of the mysteries associated with diamonds. Please feel free to ask questions / leave comments.