Diamonds, All Around Us!

Since their discovery in the 1870s, diamonds have become popularized through movies and music and have become a sign of wealth and status among celebrities and socialites.

Music

Perhaps one of the earliest (and most popular) songs ever written about diamonds is “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” performed by Marilyn Monroe in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953.

Her performance emphasized the material worth of diamonds and capitalized on taking advantage of a man’s wealth to collect these glittering stones that never lose their worth or shape (unlike people). 

Over the last century many other songs have been written about diamonds and performed by popular artists including The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, and most recently, Rihanna. Her song, “Diamonds,” was released in 2012 and quickly reached the top spot on the Billboard charts.

Movies

Diamonds have also made their way into Hollywood as several movies have been produced with diamonds as a central focus. For example, The Pink Panther (1964) featured a peculiar detective searching for a pink diamond. Top grossing film, Titanic, featured an incredibly large blue diamond which played an important part in the overall plot of the movie. BloodDiamond released in 2006 highlighted the political war in South Africa and the controversial role that the diamond industry played in it.    

How much is “too much”?

In the life of celebrities, musicians, and Hollywood socialites, “too big” or “too much” is never enough. The 18-carat rock Beyonce received from Jay-Z reportedly costs about $5 million dollars, Hillary Duff’s 14-carat ring cost $1 million dollars, Carrie Underwood’s 12-carat engagement ring was reportedly $800,000, and Kim Kardashian’s 20.5 carat design was estimated at $1 million as well. 

 

So the moral of the story is: Do your research, get informed, and purchase something that is reasonably priced but will make her feel like she’s as unique as the diamond she’s wearing. Good luck!

Image Sources

http://lifestyle.ezinemark.com/most-desirable-jewelry-collections-of-celebrities-773681d16e2e.html

http://www.bridalstylesboutique.com/2012/04/engagement-ring-eye-candy/

The Four C's

Now that you’ve decided she’s “the one,” how do you decide on an engagement ring that will be just as unique. The most important thing to consider is probably cost. What kind of an investment are we talking about?

Two-month’s salary?!

It is often recommended that a man spend the equivalent amount to two month’s of his salary on an engagement ring. Now let’s think about this, if the average American male makes $50,000, two month’s salary would be almost 20 percent of that! In reality, this recommendation comes as another marketing gimmick from the diamond companies. The amount you should spend is entirely up to you, your budget, and whatever preferences you and your bride-to-be may have. According to one Canadian paper, however, a $5,000 ring “is on the high end for the average person,” so you have to set your own standards and expectations by getting informed. There are also several retailers that offer factory direct pricing, allowing you to skip the middle man and build your own diamond at your own budget. 

The 4 C’s of Diamond Shopping

Carat Weight

This is a unit of weight for precious stones equal to 200 milligrams. The larger the carat size of a diamond, the more expensive it will be. 

Cut

Cutting a diamond is a time consuming process, but if done correctly, the diamond will reflect light that enters the top and refract it perfectly throughout so that it exits back through the top. This ideal cut diamond is known to be more brilliant than all other cuts for it’s superiority in reflecting and refracting light.

Color

When looking at the color of the diamond, the less visible color there is, and the more expensive the diamond will be. In other words, it is rare to find truly clear diamonds and thus the price will increase as the near colorless grade increases from Z to D. 

Clarity

A diamond grader who examines the diamond under some kind of magnification determines clarity. A flawless or internally flawless diamond is extremely rare. Most diamonds have something called “inclusions” which refer to dark pockets of carbon that may lower the ability of light to move throughout the diamond. Again, the clearer the diamond, the higher the price tags. 

Image Sources

http://www.glitteringstones.com/IGI-diamond-grading-report.htm

http://www.gleimjewelers.com/gleim_diamonds.html

http://www.bloomingbeautyring.com/diamond-cuts/

http://www.gemfacts.com/grading/carat.aspx

Who says a diamond is forever?

Weather it be for their splendor, or wonder, or even lack of attainability, it seems that diamonds have found their niche among women in American Society. But where did this popularity originate? How did women come to expect a diamond ring when getting engaged? And thus, placing the same expectation on men knowing they cannot get married unless they have a diamond ring to offer their desired bride-to-be. 

This idea of a “ring” actually dates back to the ancient Egyptians and Romans who were known to wear rings made out of other metals such as steel. The Greeks wore their rings on the left “ring” finger because they believed there was a vein there, the “venus amora,” that lead directly to the heart. Science has since proven this is untrue, but the Greeks were helpless romantics…so why do we wear our ring on the fourth finger? 

Regardless, these rings were plain. They did not include diamonds. In India, diamonds were believed to be good luck charms, but the sparkly rocks were exclusive to the nobility. Even up until the 19^th century, it was customary for American women to receive a thimble as a symbol of the engagement and then break off the bottom to wear this as a ring. The earliest known account of a diamond ring being gifted is the one the Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. But for many years after this, only the wealthy could afford to gift a diamond engagement ring.

After diamond mines were discovered in Africa in the 1870s diamonds became more accessible to the average consumer. Supply increased, demand increased, and diamonds became more affordable as they were exported in vast quantities to Europe and the U.S.

It wasn’t until 1938, however, that De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. joined forces with New York advertising agency, N.W. Ayer to establish the slogan, “A diamond is forever,” which solidified (no pun intended) the diamond engagement ring’s place in American society. Within 20 years of their campaign, 80 percent of American brides were wearing them.  They’re elaborate plan involved convincing fashion moguls that these were the latest trend, appealing to celebrities and glamorizing the whole idea among Hollywood’s biggest names.

As it turned out, De Beers’ simple plan to make a come back from a falling diamond market established the diamond engagement ring as the ultimate symbol of enduring love for brides across the country, and maybe even across the world because as we know, “A diamond is forever”…so how do you pick the right one?! 

Image Sources: 

http://andyventures.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/an-engagement-in-mitrovica/

http://www.bellableubridal.com/wedding-blog/2012/09/fact-or-fiction-friday-diamond-engagement-rings/

http://www.dogcanyon.org/2011/08/04/a-diamond-is-forever-one-woman-questions-the-most-successful-ad-slogan-of-all-time/

Now that's a rock!

What is a diamond?

           Diamonds are formed deep beneath the Earth’s surface, under immense pressure and are made up of carbon, an element that occurs naturally on our Earth in the form of graphite. Although graphite and diamonds are both made up of carbon, their molecular structure

is what gives each of these materials their defining characteristics. In graphite, the carbon rings form sheets that stack together, making graphite an incredibly soft (weak) material. Diamonds, on the other hand, are composed of carbon rings in a three dimensional structure, making diamonds the hardest material on earth. Remember, you can only cut diamond with diamond. Ironic, considering they are made out of the exact same element, don’t you think?

 

Where do they come from?

            As previously mentioned, diamonds form deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Usually between 100 km and 200 km below the surface in the Earth’s mantle at temperatures between 900 and 1300 degrees Celcius. These extreme conditions form the diamonds, which are then transported to the surface through volcanic magma channels known as the kimberlite pipe or diamond pipe. In order to prevent the diamonds from converting back into graphite on their way to the surface, “It is probable that kimberlite lavas carrying diamonds erupt at between 10 and 30 km/hour (Eggler, 1989). Within the last few kilometers, the eruption velocity probably increases to several hundred km/hr.” Because diamond formation is closely associated with areas of current or previous volcanic activity, there are only a few diamond-producing countries, most of them in South Africa. 

Why the controversy?         

    Unfortunately, because many of these areas in Africa are also considered to be war-torn countries, the term “blood diamond”  has come to represent the perilous mining conditions, illegal diamond trafficking, and millions of deaths and mutilations that occur in order to fund ongoing civil wars.

            In order to prevent these conflict diamonds from entering the regular diamond market, the United Nations developed the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme in 2003, helping to ensure that diamond sales would not be funding the ongoing wars and unnecessary deaths in Africa.

So why do we care so much? What’s the big deal if it’s really just a rock we’re talking about?! In my next blog I will go over the history of diamonds in our society and their significance in our culture. As well as the way they are marketed to us!