A natural diamond is a hard and rare mineral that is millions of years old. The high temperature and pressure make the diamond especially beautiful, transparent, and shiny. Pieces suitable for cutting are rare, despite the mineral itself being common in nature.
Only 20% of the natural diamonds produced are suitable for jewelry. And of these, only 40% are of one-carat weight or more. And, only half of those are high-end luxury diamonds.
Remember, these are formed inside the earth for over a billion years. Most of the diamonds known today appeared near the surface thousands of years ago.
Four characteristics describe the beauty and quality of a natural diamond: colour, clarity, cut, and carat size. Expert diamond laboratories regulate these diamond standards with certificates. The best diamond wholesalers sell stones certified by the GIA or other organisations.
The best-known are the:
Here at Luxury Diamonds, we have a vast selection of all types. We have both natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds.
If you are looking for a GIA natural diamond, you came to the right place. We’ll help you find the perfect stone, whether a classic clear diamond or a coloured one.
Diamonds are famous for their hardness. Only a diamond can scratch another diamond. Yet, the stone can also break or burn. This is why, for many centuries, people had trouble cutting the stone.
Indian jewelers, who mined stones in the mines of Golconda, discovered the technology of cutting diamonds only in the 15th century. They crushed the small diamonds into powder and then inflicted it on a rotating grinding disk. Creating diamond facets on those crystals allowed the light to refract.
Over five centuries, the diamond became the most expensive and desirable stone for jewelry. Since the nineteenth century, it held the spot as the most popular stone for engagement and wedding bands.
A natural diamond’s price can change as it goes through different sales stages. Before a diamond goes to a jeweler, it changes hands several times. The first transaction occurs between brokers at the exchange. Next, the stones find their way to the dealers and jewelers.
Most people value diamonds for being colourless, and most of these stones are on the market. Yet, diamonds come in all the colours of the rainbow.
Natural coloured diamonds are formed thanks to:
For example, natural pink diamonds form due to the presence of manganese. Natural blue diamonds get their colour from aluminum. The chocolate, brown, or cognac shade appears in diamonds because of the presence of iron.
Among coloured natural rough diamonds, yellow is the most common colour. You can also find diamonds in other natural colours, including:
The rarest type of diamond is an untreated black diamond. It’s a unique and beautiful gem. Natural black diamonds get their colour from the presence of graphite and iron.
The cost of black diamonds is lower, but the jewelry that uses them is exclusive. Black diamonds entered the jewelry fashion only a few decades ago. It was all thanks to Italian Fawaz Gruosi, the founder of de Grisogono.
Other than the rarity of natural coloured diamonds, very few are usable for gem cutting.
The colouring process in the earth also affects quality. Different flaws such as cracks, coatings, and haze occur in coloured diamonds. These features make many of them unsuitable for jewelry cutting.
In the end, only a tiny portion of gems find their way to the jewelry market and become part of fine natural diamonds for sale.
The GIA International System describes the highest colour with the Latin letter D. The following colours, Grade E, F, G, H, I, J, K, etc., appear in descending order. The last colour grading is Grade Z.
The system is simple. Diamonds with colour grades D-E-F are in the highest group. These are what we consider “colourless” diamonds. Despite the high pressure and temperature, they remained clear and pure during their creation.
The three grades differ only by a slight hue. Only an expert can see the differences by turning a diamond upside down. Diamonds from this group are scarce and investment diamonds. These diamonds are supplied only for custom-made jewelry.
Diamonds of the Grade G-H group are “almost colourless.” They have a slight yellowish hue. You’ll see it when you compare them with Grade D and H colour diamonds.
For this reason, G and H-colour diamonds are the most sought-after for jewelry. They look no less spectacular than D-colour diamonds and cost several times less.Â
Fancy-shaped diamonds will have a more noticeable hue compared to round diamonds. The larger the diamond, the more evident its shade is to the viewer. To evaluate a diamond accurately, be sure to check its colour on the GIA International Diamond Scale.
Here at Luxury Diamond, we filter our collection of natural diamonds not only by carat weight and cut. We also filter our natural diamond collection by colour, including natural red diamonds. We make it easier for you to choose the stone that suits your preference.
If you are interested in the prices of natural black, red, blue, and other untreated diamonds, contact us. Let us know what you’re looking for to get the best offer in the diamond industry.
Have you been looking for the perfect engagement rings or wedding bands? Are you torn between buying rings with natural or synthetic diamonds? Do you feel confused between getting man-made or natural diamond rings?
Well, they share the same hardness on the Mohs hardness scale. Both types have the same physical and chemical compositions.
Like natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds form due to high temperature and pressure. However, diamond labs use chemical vapour disposition (CVD) to create diamonds. Â
Now, let’s understand how lab-grown and natural diamonds differ from each other.
Their difference lies in where they come from and how quickly they formed. Natural diamonds take millions of years to form and come from the earth. Meanwhile, man-made diamonds form in laboratories and take only a few months to create.
Natural diamonds are more valuable in terms of price. Many people also perceive them as having a higher value than lab-grown diamonds. It’s why diamond rings that have natural diamonds are more expensive.
Earth-mined diamonds are also rarer than lab-grown diamonds. It’s one more reason for their high market value. You can get lab-grown diamonds easily today, but finding natural diamonds takes effort.
If you want to impress a special someone, purchasing a ring with a natural diamond is the best way to do it. It will be expensive, but it’ll be worth it.
Plus, lab-grown diamonds lose most of their resale value and price once they leave the jewellery shop. A natural diamond still holds value, even after it becomes yours. If you ever enter a divorce, you can sell your natural diamond ring for an excellent price.