In the current scenario, sustainability and jewellery are two mutually exclusive terms. This is because mining of metals from the earth’s crust makes the jewellery industry one of the dirtiest of the lot when it comes to environmental degradation.
When the jewellery is of diamond, then it is a double whammy. First, the metal needs to be mined (like gold, silver, etc.) and then the diamond too, needs to be dug out, HURTING AND EXPLOITING THE MOTHER EARTH, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE.
It is commonly reported that to extract 1 carat of diamond an enormous 1750 tons of earth need to be dug out. That’s a LOT!!!
In most of the cases, the mines are located inside the forests, the residential areas or in their vicinity, the agricultural lands and even under the lakes and other water bodies. One can imagine the impact digging so massively will have on the places.
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CUT
Compared with the other Cs, technically, CUT is the most important feature to look out for in any diamond. It is CUT that determines how the diamond piece will reflect and refract light that will overall enhance the entire look and feel of the diamond.
A finely cut diamond adds the pivotal characteristics of brilliance, fire and scintillation to the diamond;
Brilliance – It is dependent on how good is the reflection of white light
Fire – It is dependent on the quality of dispersion of white light in rainbow colour
Scintillation – It is related to the sparkle of the diamond and appears from the contrast resulting from dark and light areas.
COLOUR
In general, the majority of the diamonds found naturally exhibit some type of colour. The presence of colour is due to the impurities or the inclusions present within the stone. The higher the inclusion, the stronger the colour.
Colourless diamond is an absolute rarity, as it is very difficult to have a diamond that does not have any inclusions in it. Some of the naturally occurring colours in diamonds includes grey, white, pink, yellow, brown and green.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grades colour in the following in a long grading list spanning from D to Z, where D signifies the best diamond which is absolutely colourless, while Z having the highest inclusions giving it a yellow or brown colour. Coloured diamonds are valued differently and it is the rarity of colours that determines their price.
CLARITY
As the name suggests, CLARITY is all about how clear the diamond is. The impurities found within the diamond are called “inclusions,” whereas those found on the surface of the diamond are called blemishes. Inclusions can be of varying types including clouds, feathers, minerals, cavities, etc., whereas blemishes are generally in the form of scratches, breaks, polish lines, etc.
Without doubt, diamonds that are more free from inclusions and blemishes are graded higher in terms of value. However, finding a diamond that is free from inclusions is very rare, this is because the natural process takes place for years and inside the earth’s mantle, which makes it very difficult to find a diamond that has escaped any kind of impurities in it.
The presence of inclusions fails to provide the required sparkle and flawless look to it, however, the effect of inclusions is visible when the size of the diamond is large. In smaller diamonds, inclusions do not play a much bigger role.
CARAT
Among all the Cs, carat is something that even a layman knows as it is related to the weight of the diamond. The higher the carat, the more the value. According to standards, 1 carat is equal to 200 mg (milligrams) or 0.2 grams.
No prize for guessing, the bigger the carat size, the bigger is the smile on the face of the woman.
However, going for a higher carat size directly impacts the pocket and there are two ways in which you can satisfy your love for bigger diamonds, without impacting your pocket much.
The first way is to go for diamond jewellery that is made of multiple pieces of diamonds. The multiple pieces, when placed strategically, give the appearance of a larger stone. At DOVE DIAMOND, we have a wide range of diamond jewellery made of multiple stones. In such a design, a 0.3 carat diamond jewellery, appears to be equivalent to a 0.5 carat diamond jewellery.
CONSCIENCE
This C is the most important characteristic, especially in the times we are living in. The exploitation of the planet earth and the wanton destruction of animal habitat and green cover has made it extremely important for all of us to behave responsibly, no matter what.
CONSCIENCE necessitates that we only choose and buy those diamonds that are not causing harm to our already devastating planet. CONSCIENCE motivates us to make ethical choices when it comes to choosing luxury. Thankfully, the rise of conscientious buyers in the 21st century have added on to this trend and we at DOVE DIAMOND, make sure that we provide an ETHICAL ALTERNATIVE to the BLOOD DIAMOND, so that people can satisfy their love for diamonds without compromising on the values they stand for.
