Newsletter Where the world comes to find out about...

March 2014 Volume 4 Number 2

Where the world comes to find out about diamonds

Newsletter

Diamond Testers—How They Work! Crater of Diamonds, - Where you can maybe find that big

rock you have always been dreaming about! The story of Opals—Everything you need to know

about Opals and more And all our regular features!

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Price of Diamonds

Newsletter of the Price of Diamonds website

Price of Diamonds Newsletter March2014 Edition

Editor in Chief Michael Moore

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The PRICE OF DIAMONDS NEWSLETTER Is the Newsletter of the Price of Diamonds website and is available by subscription only. This Newsletter is provided subject to the condition that it shall not be circulated in any form without the pub-lisher’s cover and acknowledgement of the material contained herein and is not to be sold, hired or other-wise disposed of for any fee or consideration other than by prior arrangement. It may be distributed online and passed along only in its current form and with the above

proviso. Comments and articles published in the Price of Diamonds Newsletter are not necessarily the opin-ions of the Publishers or Editors and are offered solely for information purposes only. This publication is designed to provide accurate and informative information only in regard to the subject matter covered. This publication does not purport to offer any professional advice of any legal, financial or psychological service and is sold with the understand-ing that the publisher, editor and contributors are not engaged in rendering any legal, financial, psychological or any other professional service and is offered for in-formation purposes only. If any legal, financial, psy-chological or any other professional advice or assis-tance is required, the services of a competent profes-sional person should be sought. The reader is solely responsible for his/her own actions. Copyright © 2014 By Technical Author Services Pty

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Price of Diamonds

~ Diamond News From Around the World ~ Afri-Can Marine Minerals Corporation (TSXV:AFA) has completed a preliminary study of the feasibility of resuming mining during 2014 on Mining Lease 111 situated off the coast of Namibia. Zacks.com reported that the PureFunds ISE Diamond/Gemstone ETF (ARCA:GEMS) and the PureFunds ISE Mining Service ETF (ARCA:MSXX) will trade for the last time on January 23, 2014. Both came onto the market in November 2012. Petra Diamonds Ltd. (LSE:PDL) announced yesterday the discovery of a 29.6-carat blue diamond at its South Africa-based Cullinan mine. Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX:SWY) outlined drilling plans for 2014, aimed to ex-pand the Renard Diamond Project resources in Quebec and to assess the potential of the Re-nard 2 kimberlite. The drill program is set to consist of directional drilling, well defined and depth of Renard 2 kimberlite. CBC News reported that according to De Beers spokesman Tom Ormsby, the company is going forward with environmental studies regarding the expansion of its Victor diamond mine, located in Attawapiskat, Canada. Rav Dhillon, founder of jeweler Dhillon Pres-tige, spoke with Diamond Investing News about how his company sources diamonds, why it's so important to educate investors and today's most popular diamond colors. Lucara Diamond Corp. (TSX:LUC) an-nounced that it has filed on SEDAR an updat-ed NI 43-101 technical report for its Botswana-based Karowe mine.

Stellar Diamonds plc (LSE:STEL) released an updated corporate presentation that highlights the progress that has been made at the "defined development programmes for its two core projects." Those are the Tongo project and the kimberlite pipe at Baoulé, both of which have near-term production potential. North Arrow Minerals Inc. (TSXV:NAR) en-tered into a letter of engagement with Dundee Securities Ltd., on behalf of a syndicate in-cluding Mackie Research Capital Corporation, where they have agreed to purchase 7,700,000 common shares of the Company at a price of $0.65 per share, for total gross proceeds of $5,005,000. Mining Weekly reported that underground development at DiamondCorp plc's (LSE:DCP) South Africa-based Lace diamond mine project is ramping up "close to schedule and on budget." The full underground comple-ment is expected to be complete by the end of March. Rapaport reported that ALROSA's (MCX:ALNU) diamond production for the fourth quarter of 2013 came in at 9.9 million carats. For all of 2013, the company put out 36.9 million carats, a 7-percent increase from the previous year. Alpha Exploration Inc. (TSXV:AEX) is com-mencing a drill program on its Middle Lake Uranium Project which is situated adjacent to the decommissioned Cluff Lake Mine proper-ty of the Athabasca Basin. Initial CPS results from on-site Gamma-ray scintillometer read-ings from the 20 hole (2,000 metre) drill pro-gram could be released as the holes are com-pleted. The drill program is designed to test


Price of Diamonds

gravity, radon and geochemical anomalies. The company has a market capitalization of $1.3 million. Richmont Mines Inc. (TSX:RIC, NYSE:RIC) is expecting to release its fourth quarter and year end 2013 results in February. Richmont has numerous producing, development and ex-ploration properties in Quebec and Ontario. The company posted a net loss of $1.1 million or $0.03 per share in the third quarter of 2013 and stated that it would work to improve oper-ating costs at the Island Gold Mine during the 4th quarter. The company currently has a mar-ket Capitalization of about $50 million. In November, 2013, Zazu Metals (TSXV:ZAZ) announced the initiation of a NI 43-101 Pre-liminary Economic Assessment on its zinc-lead-silver Lik Deposit in Alaska. This is expected to be completed in Q1 2014. As of Dec 31, 2013 Zazu had a market cap of $26.92 million. Kivalliq Energy Corporation (TSXV:KIV) is waiting for additional results from a number of metallurgical tests from its Lac 50 uranium project in Nunavut Canada. In addition, the company will be compiling data from its recent Baker Basin property acquisition, also in Nu-navut. The company has a market capitaliza-tion of about $40 million. Mines Management (TSX:MGT) announced that the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have completed internal working drafts of the Biological Opinions. The next step in the process is for the Solicitor’s Office and the US Forest Service (USFS) to review the draft Biological Opinion. Once this is complet-

ed, the USFWS will issue a final Biological Opinion. This opinion is expected soon and is part of the process of acquiring a full Environ-mental Impact Statement for the company’s wholly-owned Montanore silver-copper depos-it in northwestern Montana. This deposit is an advanced stage exploration project containing a NI 43-101 measured resource of 4.03 million tons of material grading 1.85 ounces per ton (opt) silver and 0.74% copper, an indicated re-source of 77.5 million tons grading 2.05 opt silver and 0.75% copper, and an inferred re-source of 35.1 million tons grading 1.85 opt silver and 0.71% copper. The company has a market capitalization of about $17 million. In late November, Aldrin Resource Corp (TSXV:ALN) initiated a ground gravity geo-physical survey on the Triple M Property in northern Saskatchewan. Aldrin’s Triple M Ura-nium Property is located adjacent to and south-west of Fission-Alpha's Patterson Lake discov-ery property. The gravity survey is designed to highlight extensively altered basement rocks that may be associated with strong uranium mineralization. Distinctive “gravity low” anomalies can help prioritize drill targets with co-incident conductive anomalies. Initial re-sults from the survey could be released soon. The company has a market capitalization of $3.6 million. Richmont Mines Inc. (TSX:RIC,NYSE:RIC), has achieved commercial production at its W Zone Gold Project on the company’s Beaufor Mine property 25 km northeast of Val-d'Or, Quebec. The W Zone is expected to produce an estimated 3,000 ounces of commercial gold production for the company during the fourth

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Price of Diamonds

~ Diamond Quotes ~

Nicole Richie “True friends are like diamonds – bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in

style.” ? Nicole Richie

“Having been engaged rather a lot of times, Zsa Zsa Gabor was asked whether a

lady should give back the ring. Her answer? "Of course dahlink, but first, you take out all the diamonds.”

? Zsa Zsa Gabor

quarter of 2013, and a projected 12,000 ounc-es of commercial gold production in 2014. Richmont expects that the additional 5,000 tonnes of production per month from this as-set will translate into efficiency improve-ments and lower unit cost levels at its Camflo Mill during the fourth quarter. The mill is currently operating at full capacity with mate-rial from our Beaufor, W Zone and Monique operations. The company has a market capi-talization of $43 million. Homestake Resource Corp (TSXV:HSR) is expecting its drill results from its Homestake Ridge project in Northeastern BC. Joint ven-ture partner, Agnico Eagle Mines, has agreed to spend $3.5 million on exploration in 2013 and commenced drilling in July. Homestake has a market capitalization of $1.52 million. The market is anticipating Klondex Mines Ltd. (TSX:KDX) to table its preliminary eco-nomic assessment on its Fire Creek under-ground gold project in Nevada during the fourth quarter this year. Measured and Indi-cated resources total 295,900 ounces of gold

averaging 44.7 g/t (1.304 opt) gold and In-ferred resources of 421,400 ounces of gold at 19.2 g/t (0.560 opt) gold at Fire Creek, apply-ing a 7 g/t gold cut off. Klondex has a market capitalization of about $123.6 million. Coronet Metals Inc. (TSXV:CRF) is advanc-ing its White Caps gold project in Nevada and expects to table a NI 43-101 technical report on the property soon. The company plans to refurbish and upgrade the existing White Caps Mill facilities to process 250 tons per day of existing precious metals tailings and mine rock dumps, and to toll process third party ore. Coronet currently owns the Yanamina gold project in Peru, the White Caps gold project and the Liberty Precious Metals Testing and Processing Facility, in Nevada. Coronet Metals has a market capital-ization of about $5.7 million.

~oo00oo~


Price of Diamonds

Diamond Testers How They Work

S ometimes one needs to get a diamond tested to ensure it is, in fact a real diamond. Artificial and

synthetic diamonds are so close to the original nowa-days that in order to be able to spot the difference one needs to get a diamond tester to check the diamond to see if it is genuine. Some years ago, before synthetic diamonds were produced a diamond tester called a thermal detector was used. This tester has a metal tip which is heated to a high degree and then the tip is ap-plied to the diamond being checked. A transfer of heat occurs and if the read back from the diamond to the tester matches then you could say you have a real dia-mond on your hands. However this is not such a good test these days as a synthetic diamond will show the same readout as a genuine diamond so more sophisti-cated tests are used these days to overcome this prob-lem. Diamond simulants, or synthetics usually come as synthetic cubic zirconia, synthetic strontium titan-ate, YAG (yttrium aluminium garnet) and GGG (gadolinium gallium garnet). Currently there are four types of diamond tester used

these days. Ceres Diamond Tester, the Rayner Diamond Tester, the Diamond Pen, used by the GIA and t FluorescenceDiamond Testing. Ceres Diamond Testing The Ceres Diamond tester works on the principle that diamonds conduct heat at a high thermal conductivity.No diamond simulants will conduct heat so well and are typically very poor conductors of heat. So by ap-plying this principle one can easily sort out the genu-ine diamond from the simulant. In use it needs to be apply correctly as, of course, met-als such as silver, gold and platinum will conduct heatand so if you touch the ring a diamond is set in you will get a high reading. Also moissanite's thermal con-ductivity is similar to diamond so one should conduct a moissanite test also to a diamond one has tested to be sure it is not a moissanite. The Ceres will, however spot cubic zirconium as the thermal conductivity is very different to a genuine diamond. It is a very delicate instrument and should be used with care to ensure you do not damage the tip and alsoget an accurate reading. Rayner Diamond Tester The Rayner Diamond Tester is a more expensive in-strument and designed for the professional diamond dealer or jeweller. The Rayner works similar to the Ceres but is more exact. One needs to be in the profession in order to obtain a Rayner Diamond tester. Diamond Pen The Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) use a diamond tester they have developed themselves. This does not work on the thermal principle but on the property of non absorption of a special liquid when applied to a diamond. A special pen is used rather likea fountain pen and a drop of a greasy type liquid is placed by the pen on the diamond surface. On a dia-mond it will leave a visible mark but on any other kindof stone the liquid beads up and does not leave any marks. Fluorescence Diamond Testing


Price of Diamonds

A Fluorescence diamond tester will test the fluorescence of a diamond. Under long-wave ultra-violet light, diamonds will show a very varied degree of fluorescence since all dia-monds have a fluorescence level measured from one to five and each falls somewhere on that scale but as each stone is different doing a comparison it is easy to see. Synthetic dia-monds all have the same florescence so can be clearly seen to be synthetic. Under X-rays, al-most all diamonds show a blue fluorescence and a brief exposure on film will show dia-monds to be far more transparent to X-rays than any other stone. This test, however, alt-hough considered a decisive test, should be done in conjunction with either the thermal or Pen method also. Immersion Contrast Method One can also use the Immersion Contrast Method. When light is placed over simulant stones such as Strontium titanate, YAG, GGG and CZ, for example and immersed in di-iodomethane (methylene iodide; a high density liquid with a refractive index of 1.742) or Refrac-tometer contact fluid (RI 1.81), the different stones show differing patterns. All except strontium titanate will show a dark ring diminishing in width as their re-fractive index approaches near to that of the liquid. This is a definite visual indication of differentiation between diamond and its simulant. So the above shows how the principle diamond testers work. It is important to ensure that one's diamonds are the real McCoy and this can easily be done by any of the Diamond Testers above .

~oo00oo~

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Price of Diamonds

Crater of Diamonds

T he Crater of Diamonds is a state park in Ar-kansas where, for the price of admission, one

can enter and spend the day Fossicking for dia-monds.

The Crater of diamonds is the only publicly avail-able diamond bearing deposit available to the pub-lic and some very notable diamonds have been discovered there by people just there for the day to have a bit of fun.

The State Park is located near Murfreesboro which is just south of Hot Springs in Pike County, Ar-kansas. The park is open throughout the year.

The Crater of Diamonds volcanic pipe is part of a 95 million-year-old eroded volcano. The prior ac-tivity from this long dead volcano brought the dia-monds to the surface. The diamonds had crystal-lized in the cratonic root of the continent long be-fore, and were sampled by the magma as it rose to the surface.

The Park website is available at:

http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/

Some of the most notable diamonds found at the Crater of Diamonds Park include:

1917 Lee J. Wagner of the Arkansas Diamond Company - 17.86 carats (3.572 g), exceptional ca-nary yellow (the uncut gem is on display in the National Museum of Natural History) 1924 The Uncle Sam - at 40.23 carats (8.046 g), the largest diamond ever discovered in North America 1962 The Star of Murfreesboro 34.25 carats (6.850 g) 1978 Betty Lamle - 8.61 carat “Lamle Dia-mond” (third largest found since 1972) 1981 Carroll Blankenship - 8.82 carat “Star of Shreveport” (second largest found since 1972) 1990 Shirley Strawn - 3.09 carat “Strawn-Wagner Diamond” - cut to 1.09 carats in 1997, and graded a “perfect” 0/0/0 by the American Gem Society in 1998, making it the first diamond ever to receive such an AGS grading. Currently on exhibit at the park. 1991 Joe Fedzora - 6.23 carat “Bleeding Heart Di-amond” - brownish yellow 1997 Richard Cooper - 6.72 carat “Cooper Dia-mond” - unusual deep purplish-brown. 2006 Marvin Culver - 4.21 carats “Okie Dokie Diamond” - deep canary yellow and flawless. Seen on Today Show, MSNBC, Inside Edition and Travel Channel and published in Lost Treasure magazine (twice), Western and Eastern Treasures magazine, Mineralogical Record and Rocks & Minerals. Arguably the most publicized diamond from the Crater. 2006 Bob Wehle - 5.47 carat “Sunshine Diamond” - deep canary yellow and flawless. 2006 Donald and Brenda Roden - 6.35 carat “Roden Diamond” — honey-brown. 2007 Eric Blake - 3.93 carats (786 mg), tea-colored 2007 Chad Johnson - 4.38 carats (876 mg) tea-colored diamond

The Crater of Diamonds is indeed a great place to visit and, who knows, you might find the diamond of a lifetime there!

~oo00oo~

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Price of Diamonds

The Opal Story

O pal was first discovered at Lightning Ridge in the 1880s, and the first recorded

mine shaft was sunk in 1901, probably by boundary rider Jack Murray. For years, mines were dug by hand using picks and shovels. It was incredibly hard work, in an isolated place distinguished by extreme heat, lack of water, and scant facilities. The miners dug square-sided shafts, which they climbed with their backs and legs braced against the walls. Initially, tunnels were no higher than required for a miner to crawl through, and dirt was hauled to the surface in buckets made of hide, tied to ropes. A windlass could make the job a bit easier. No major advances in technology occurred until the 1960s, when local miner Eric Catter-all, crippled by childhood polio, invented an automatic hoist to carry his dirt to the surface. In that decade, artesian water became available to wash the opal dirt, making separation of opal from the dirt more efficient. Other signifi-cant developments have included the invention

of the blower and agitator (see below) and in-troduction of the Calweld drill for sinking shafts and prospecting drills for locating po-tentially opal-bearing ground. The town of Lightning Ridge sprang up around the opal fields in the first decade of the twentieth century, but it took a while for black opal to achieve the worldwide acclaim it en-joys today - because nobody understood the dark, brilliant form of opal mined at Lightning Ridge. Determined efforts won a lucrative market for black opal, which in 2008 was de-clared the State Gemstone Emblem of New South Wales. Opal mining is a life of stamina and hard phys-ical work, skill and luck, hope and disappoint-ment…and - every now and again - the reward of discovering one of the earth’s most rare and enchanting treasures as light touches it for the first time in eternity. The technology and technological history of opal mining is fascinating. Every Australian opal field has produced innovations in mining machinery and methods, adapted to its particu-lar geological, technological and social setting. It isn’t easy to find opal. A miner may work for weeks, months or years without finding enough gem opal even to cover expenses. So deciding where to mine is one of the most im-portant decisions an opal miner can make. Some miners use a prospecting drill to sink a series of exploratory holes into the ground. Each hole is about 230mm diameter. Samples are brought to the surface and examined to see whether the sediments appear likely to contain opal and if so, at what depth. There are also surface indications of opal - opal tends to form near fault lines and trees often grow on fault lines because the faults hold water. Wild Orange trees, in particular, are often said to be indicators of opal. Aerial


Price of Diamonds

photographs can be useful for identifying lines of trees along fault lines, or lineaments. Once miners are underground, they learn to ‘read’ the geological indicators in the mine face to identify the ground that is most likely to contain opal. At Lightning Ridge each opal mining claim measures a maximum of 50 metres by 50 me-tres. Each person may hold a maximum of two mineral claims at any one time. As at January 2008, there were more than 4,500 mineral claims in the Lightning Ridge Mineral Claims District. Before registering a claim or commencing mining, the miner must complete a Mine Safe-ty Course conducted by NSW Department of Primary Industries. Mine Management and Environment courses are also required in some circumstances. Though Australia isn’t the only place in the world where you can find opal, it might as well be. Nearly 97% of the world’s opal hails from Australia. Australian opal gemstones come in a variety of tones and colors, with white and green being the most common. Aus-tralian opal gemstones can form on just about any sort of rock. The key is the low tempera-ture needed to form them. Here is more infor-mation about the history and makeup of the stone as well as information on how to buy Australian opal gemstones. The Color and Complexity of the Opal 90% of all opal is light, white, or crystal opal. All terms for the same pale whitish green gem that is the birthstone for the month of October. What you probably didn’t know is that opal comes in such varied colors as magenta, blue, black, and even orange. In fact, 8% of mined opal is the rare black variety of opal. Opal has a high content of water which lends to its often translucent appearance. Though the

typical water content of this sort of gemstone stands at less than 10%, however some stones have been discovered to have as much as 20% water content. Opal is actually one of the most colorful stones, with a capacity to produce every color in the known spectrum. This is both through actual shade and through color fractions that are visible when certain lighting hits the stones. Faux Opal As with most gemstones faux opal has started to appear on the market. In fact different types of fake opal have been around for a while. You can even find synthetic versions of the stone in antique jewelry. This type was created by fake glass. The newer types are created through slightly more complicated chemical set ups. Creating an opal in a laboratory does not create a true version of the stone and they should not be marketed as such, though this is often the case. How to Buy Australian Opal Gemstones These stones are very popular as birthstone jewelry. It is important to verify that you are purchasing true, naturally occurring opal and not a look alike. Finer retailers offer provide a wide range of high quality, authentic pieces in a variety of jewelry types. The gemstones by themselves, uncut and unplaced are often pur-chased from dealers and conventions all over the world. Even when dealing with a gemstone dealer it is important to get some sort of proof of authenticity prior to purchase. Since the stones are primarily found in Aus-tralia there is a pretty good chance that you are getting an Australia gemstone. Only 3% origi-nate from other countries. However there are mines that produced these stones in place like Nevada, Idaho, Wales, and believe it or not – Mars! So other than verifying the authenticity of the gem you also want to verify its country


Price of Diamonds

of origin if you are only in the market for the Australian breed. Any reputable dealer will be able to provide you with all of this information at your request, no problem. Opal Cutting and Polishing What is opal cutting? It probably does not occur to many people but opals sometimes require cutting just as diamonds do, to en-hance their shape and look and even im-prove the reflective qualities of the opal. As with diamonds, the cutter has to take into consideration a number of factors. Of course he wants to retain the maximum size of the stone by cutting away those areas that may have cracks or are rough. Usually a cutter will get a heap of opals, called a 'parcel' and out of these he will select those that will be enhanced the most by cutting. An opal cutter will spend some time consid-ering the cut as cutting too much off or in-correctly with drastically reduce the value of the opal. A diamond saw is used initially used for the cut and liberal amounts of water is used during the cut to reduce the risk of cracks and burn marks or pits, due to possi-ble extreme temperatures, during the cutting process. After the saw cut the cutter will adhere the opal to a stick called a 'dop stick' and then A series of diamond grinding wheels of in-creasing fines is used to polish the opal, re-move saw marks and other imperfections. The last action of the cutter is the polishing to ensure the best surface is enhanced. Serium oxide is used to polish the opal and this is done with a felt wheel with water to produce the beautiful finish so well know with opals. Cutting and polishing opals is an art almost

and requires great expertise and patience. Some opals, weight for weight, can be worth more than diamonds so the cutter has a re-sponsible job. Synthetic Opals As well as occurring naturally, opals of all varieties have been synthesized experimen-tally and commercially. The discovery of the ordered sphere structure of precious opal led to its synthesis by Pierre Gilson in 1974 (Klein and Hurlbut, 1985, p.528). The re-sulting material is distinguishable from nat-ural opal by its regularity; under magnifica-tion, the patches of colour are seen to be ar-ranged in a "lizard skin" or "chicken wire" pattern. Synthetics are further distinguished from naturals by the former's lack of fluo-rescence under UV light. Synthetics are also generally lower in density and are often highly porous; some may even stick to the tongue.

Two notable producers of synthetic opal are the companies Kyocera and Inamori of Ja-pan. Most so-called synthetics, however, are more correctly termed imitations, as they contain substances not found in natural opal (e.g., plastic stabilizers). The imitation opals seen in vintage jewellery are often "Slocum Stone" consisting of laminated glass with bits of foil interspersed.

Extracts from: Opal Mining. The Australian Opal Center.

~oo00oo~


Price of Diamonds

Diamond Glossary

H ere are some common words used in the Diamond Industry and in this newsletter.

4Cs Diamonds are graded and priced according to what is universally referred to as the "4C's". They are Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight. Below an explanation of each of the 4Cs: Appraisal A valuation of property by the estimate of an authorized person. With diamonds the apprais-al is a written estimate of the approximate re-tail replacement value of diamond jewelry, which may be used for insurance coverage or other purposes. It is not the same as a grading report, which evaluates a diamond's character-istics (such as cut, clarity, carat, symmetry, etc.) only. Blemish A scratch or abrasion on the surface of a dia-mond. Provided they do not interfere with the symmetry of the stone and do not interfere with light in the stone they are not considered important. Brilliance brilliance is the white light that is reflected through the top of a diamond. This can be in-crease by the diamond being cut to the correct proportions to take advantage of the reflection of light from the facets to the brilliance. Brilliant Cut A Brilliant Cut, sometimes called the Ameri-can Brilliant, is a 58-facet round diamond,

This shape and faceting arrangement is de-signed for maximum brilliance, sparkle and beauty and is perhaps the most popular shape. Carat Perhaps everyone know the term carat. The basic unit of weight for a diamond. A carat is equal to 200 milligrams, or one-fifth of a gram. It is said that the word is derived from the word carob. In early India the carob bean was used for measuring the weight of gems as eve-ry carob seed weighs exactly the same. Clarity Clarity is the term given to indicate the purity of a diamond. Most diamonds have minute im-perfections and the clarity is the way of grad-ing the purity depending on the number of im-perfections the diamond has or does not have. Cloud A cluster of very small inclusions inside a dia-mond that give a cloud effect. Tiny clouds will not interfere with the flow of light, but large or numerous clouds can affect brilliance. Color Diamonds are traditionally thought of as white or clear. But diamonds in fact do have color and this can be graded. Crown The crown is the top section of a diamond, above its widest point, or girdle, that compris-es the table, and the star-, bezel- and upper-girdle facets. Culet A facet on the very bottom of a diamond. It is best to have a small or medium culet. A large culet will make it look like there is a hole in the bottom of the stone due to leakage of light. Absence of a culet makes the point of the dia-mond more easily damaged or chipped.


Price of Diamonds

Cut This describes the shape of the diamond. There are basically eight cuts of diamond.

Round Brilliant Emerald Cut Princess Cut Heart Cut Oval Cut Marquise Cut Pear Cut Round Brilliant

Some of the most popular diamond cuts in-clude Heart, Emerald, Marquise (Oval with pointed ends), Oval, Pear, and Princess with the Round Brilliant (R/B) probably being the most popular. Depth % (percentage) The height of a diamond (measured from the culet to the table) divided by the width of the diamond. The depth % is critical to creating brilliance and fire in a diamond. A depth % that is too low or too high will cause light to leak out of the stone, causing the diamond to lose sparkle. Depth The height of a diamond (measured from the culet at the very bottom to the large table facet on the top). Diamond The simplest of all the gemstones consisting of pure crystallized carbon. A diamond crystalliz-es under enormous pressure deep beneath the earth's surface Diamonds can be from 1 to 3 billion years old--more than two-thirds the age of the Earth itself. Diamond is also the hardest substance known to man. In fact, it can only be cut and polished by another diamond. Despite its hardness, however, it is not indestructible. If a diamond is struck at the right angle, it can chip or break.

Eye-clean A diamond that has no inclusions visible to the naked eye -- flawless to the naked eye. This is normally true of all diamonds with a grade of about SI-1 or higher on the clarity scale. Facet The polished flat surfaces on a diamond. For example, a round brilliant diamond has 58 fac-ets including the culet. Fair Cut Diamonds cut to less than perfect proportions. They have been cut to maximize the weight of the stone instead of enhancing the brilliance and sacrifice fire and brilliance. The less ex-pensive stones may have good and very good cuts but will not have the same brilliance and fire that people would expect from a diamond. Fire Fire is the colored light that is reflected from inside the diamond. Colored light reflected from within a diamond. As in a prism light en-tering a diamond is divided up into the spec-trum. The better quality diamond with better proportions the better the 'fire' of the diamond. This is called "refraction" or "dispersion" in the diamond trade. Fluorescence A glow, usually of a bluish color, which ema-nates from certain diamonds when exposed to ultraviolet light. Two thirds of all diamonds fluoresce to some degree but how they do so depends very much on the type of ultra violet light they are under. Girdle this is the narrow band around the outer cir-cumference of a diamond. This is where a jew-elry setting holds the diamond in a ring. Good Cut Diamonds cut with acceptable, but not perfect,


Price of Diamonds

proportions. They generally have very good brilliance and fire and make excellent jewelry. Ice A colloquial word for diamonds, much favored by Hollywood in movies about gangsters. Ideal Cut Ideal Cut diamonds are usually more expen-sive than all other cut grades. This is due to three major factors: 1) extra time and skill are required to cut to such precision; 2) they are in great demand, and perhaps most importantly, 3) more of the original rough diamond must be sacrificed to achieve ideal proportions. Ideal Cut diamonds are also round diamonds that are perfectly proportioned (having depth percent-ages and table percentages that some people feel produce a "perfect" balance of fire and brilliance). They almost always have the high-est grades on polish and symmetry as well, in-dicating the great care taken in the overall fashioning of the stone. These diamonds have had the finest craftsmanship to maximize the beauty of the diamond. Inclusion An impurity within a diamond, such as a spot or irregularity in the crystal structure of the stone. These can include a cloud, a fracture, another diamond inside the bigger one, liquid, etc. Inclusions can either be visible with the naked eye (usually SI-3 clarity and below) or visible only under magnification. Fewer inclu-sions means a finer clarity grade, increased rarity, and increased value. Kimberlite Kimberlite is a mica peridotite and a source of rich deposits of diamonds. The deposits occur-ring at Kimberley, South Africa were the first recognized and the source of the name. The Kimberly diamonds were originally found in decomposed kimberlite which was colored yel-low by limonite, and so was called "yellow ground." Deeper workings encountered less

altered rock, undecomposed kimberlite, which miners call "blue ground. Loupe A loupe is a small magnifying glass used to view gemstones. Usually 10x, or ten-power, magnification. The FTC requires all diamond grading be done under 10-power magnifica-tion; any flaws not detected under this magni-fication are considered to be non-existent by some dealers. Make Make describes the quality of the finish and proportions of a diamond. A good make will have proportions that maximize brilliance and fire. A poor make will decrease sparkle and fire due to the loss of light as it travels through the stone. The cutter is responsible for the make of a diamond as he is the one that cuts it to achieve the maximum brilliance and fire. Mohs Scale The Mohs scale is a table of relative hardness that ranks a mineral's strength and durability on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being talc and 10 being diamond. Developed over 100 years ago by Frederic Mohs. Moissanite Moissanite is silicon carbide and is manufac-tured in a laboratory. It is virtually indistin-guishable from diamonds and it takes a real expert with special equipment to be able to tell the difference. Pavilion This is the bottom half of a diamond, from the lower girdle to the culet tip at the bottom. The pavilion should be neither too deep or too shal-low otherwise light will leak out and the dia-mond will lose fire and brilliance. Peridotite Any of a group of igneous rocks having a granite like texture.


Price of Diamonds

Point A measure of diamond weight. One point equals 1/100th of a carat. A diamond that weighs 0.50 carat is said to weigh 50 points. Polish A grade given to the external finish of a stone. The polish grades are from poor to excellent. Good polish is crucial for maximum brilliance of a diamond, but it takes a trained eye to dis-tinguish between polish grades. Poor Cut Poorly cut diamonds with proportions and fin-ish that make them look relatively lifeless to the eye. Such stones are ok for industry but not for jewelry. Sparkle The 'sparkle' of a diamond is the combination of fire and brilliance. The light that reflects out of a diamond as it moves. Sometimes called "scintillation" by older dealers. Stones A word for diamonds and other precious gems. Symmetry A diamond should by symmetrical. Symmetry is the grade used to describe the uniformity of the cut of the diamond. This can range from excellent down to poor. The un-symmetrical a diamond is the poorer will be the quality of light through the stone. Table The top or large flat face of the diamond is

called the table. It should be in proportion to the rest of the diamond to gain the best fire and brilliance. Tourngat Diamonds cut to fit very strict requirements for depth percentage and table percentage. These outstanding proportions maximize fire and brilliance in the diamond. Also a region of northern Quebec. Weight the weight of a diamond is measured in car-ats.A carat is .2 grams. A gram of diamond would be a massive 5 carats. Very large in dia-mond terms although the actual diamond is physically small. Wholesale Wholesale prices are listed PER CARAT to show this price difference. For instance, a 1/2-carat round brilliant diamond of G/VS2 quality may sell for $3,600 per carat ($1,800 for the stone), whereas a 1-carat stone of the same quality would likely cost $6,300 per carat ($6,300 for the stone) because it is twice the size and more rare. Zirconia Also known as Cubic Zirconia, this is a sub-stance often used as a substitute to genuine dia-monds. It is a carborundum substance and easi-ly told from diamonds due to being heavier than diamonds.

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