22 North Main Street Fort Scott, KS 66701
Diamond Education
Natural Diamonds
We are so excited that you want to learn more about diamonds! Whether you’re thinking about buying a diamond, or you’re just eager to learn more about these gorgeous, sparkly stones, you’ve come to the right place.
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Actually, that’s a really interesting question! More than 100 miles beneath the earth’s surface, tremendous pressure and extreme heat work together to cause carbon atoms to crystalize into the hardest material known to man, a diamond. Just to help you imagine how much pressure that is, think about having 40,000 Asian elephants standing on your little toe, Ouch! Diamonds reach our earth’s surface when they are propelled up through volcanic vents or pipes by a rare kind of magma called kimberlite.
You are shopping for your first diamond, and you are so excited! But, when you walk into the jewelry store, the sales clerk starts talking about something called the 4 C’s, and she might as well be speaking Greek! Don’t worry, we will fill you in so that you can feel like a pro when you buy your first diamond at Bartelsmeyer Jewelry! There are lots of factors that determine what the final price of a diamond will end up being. The four most important things you need to know are Carat, Clarity, Cut, and Color! Each of these 4 C’s speaks differently to every single person, but keep reading, and hopefully we can help you find out which of the C’s is most important to you!
Carat, that’s an easy one! Everybody knows what carat means right? Actually, when the average person hears 1 carat or 2 carat, they assume you are talking about the size of a diamond. In reality, carat is not the size of a diamond, but a measurement of the weight of a diamond! Let’s put it this way, if you had five different 1 carat diamonds all sitting in a row, each diamond will have different physical measurements but weigh the exact same amount! Go ahead, wow your friends and family with your new-found knowledge!
A lot of people confuse the cut of a diamond with its shape. Don’t worry, if you are one of those people, because you are in really good company! In a perfect world, every diamond would be cut to precise mathematical standards which would cause it to have the maximum amount of fire and sparkle shining back at you. Sadly for some diamonds, we don’t live in a perfect world. In reality, some diamonds are cut to ideal standards, while others will be cut very poorly. A few factors that affect the cut grade of a diamond are the shape and size of its facets and the overall depth of the stone. Put simply, if a diamond is cut too shallow or too deep, it will not be as shiny and brilliant. This is why many people consider the cut of a diamond to be one of the most important factors in the 4C’s.
When a diamond is given a clarity grade, a jeweler looks for any visible internal or external flaws in the stone. The clarity scale for diamonds ranges from (F) Flawless to (I) Imperfect. If you want to get technical, the scientific name for any flaws in a diamond is an inclusion. Inclusions can be spots, bubbles, lines, or clouds in the stone. Think about it like this. You have two pairs of glasses. One pair is dusty, scratched, and the coating’s bubbling off. The other pair is brand new with clear, freshly cleaned lenses. Which pair of glasses will be easier to see through? Just like those glasses, a diamond with a good clarity grade will let light pass through it much better than a diamond with lots of flaws and inclusions. The clarity of a diamond can be one of the biggest factors that determine the price of a stone.
Diamonds come in every color on the spectrum– pink, blue, purple, you name it. Some of the most valuable diamonds in the world are completely colorless. A truly colorless diamond is exceptionally rare and highly prized. The diamond color scale starts at (D) colorless ends with Z (yellow). The further down the alphabet you go, the more yellow the diamond will be. Want to check a diamond’s color yourself? An easy way to do this is to turn the diamond upside down on a white piece of paper and compare the color of the diamond to the color of the paper. Every person is unique, and some people actually prefer their diamond to have a little bit of color! It’s all a matter of personal preference, so make sure to compare all the diamond color grades to find out which one is your favorite!
Lab-Grown Diamonds
Next, let’s talk about lab-grown diamonds! These modern marvels of science probably have you thinking about all sorts of questions like, “Are they a real diamond?” or “How are lab-grown diamonds made?” Keep reading and we will answer these questions and more!
Yes! Lab-grown diamonds and mined diamonds are visually, chemically, and physically identical. They have the same hardness, sparkle, and brilliance!
Scientists use sophisticated equipment in their laboratories to replicate the same natural forces that create natural diamonds hundreds of miles under the earth. These forces include extreme heat up to 2,732° Fahrenheit and pressure 70,000 times that of the pressure at sea level. Carbon subjected to these forces is melted into a liquid and then slowly and carefully cooled into the strongest form of carbon, a diamond crystal. This rough diamond crystal has all the same natural properties as a diamond pulled up from the earth.
No! Lab-grown Diamonds are far from worthless. Depending on the carat size, a lab-grown diamond can take up to 120 days to create! The process and price to cut, polish, and grade a diamond is the same whether it is natural or lab-grown.
Yes, according to the Federal Trade Commission, they certainly are! In their ruling, the FTC stated that “Lab-grown Diamonds are to be labeled as real diamonds,” and that “a diamond is a diamond no matter whether it is grown in a lab or comes out of the ground.” So there you have it!
What is even better about Lab-Grown Diamonds? There price! You can get the exact same sparkle, durability, brilliance, and size of lab-grown diamond for significantly less cost than a mined diamond! To learn more about lab-grown Diamonds, drop by our store and speak to our team members John or Krysta!
Well, the answer to this question is completely up to you! We hope that we have given you all the information you need to help you make the perfect choice for your next purchase!