April

April - Diamonds:

Left to right, top to bottom: Fancy Shaped Mined Diamonds, 92ct. Heart Shape Diamond, Large Lab-Grown Oval Diamond                                              Pink Diamond Color Varieties, White Diamond Color Scale, Brown Diamond Color Varieties                                                                                       The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond, Graff Pear Shape Pink Diamond, Graff The Golden Empress Diamond

Derived from the Latin diamas meaning the unconquerable, diamond has maintained its position throughout history as a perfect icon for love and marriage. Although colorless is the most common, diamond actually comes in a variety of colorful hues including yellow, pink, blue, green, brown and black.

April’s birthstone, diamond symbolizes lasting love and friendship. Diamond was believed to inspire loyalty, rouse romance and encourage a joyful life. The gem of character and spirit, diamond radiates the dazzling personality of those who wear it.

Fancy yellow and pink diamonds have become popular choices for bridal rings, commanding high prices for vivid hues in fine quality. Naturally occurring fancy colored diamonds are typically more rare than colorless varieties, with red being the most uncommon, and therefore most expensive followed by blue and then green. Value is not only based on availability, but also intensity of color, clarity (the lack of inclusions) and size.

When WWII jeopardized the world’s supply channels of natural diamonds, which were essential for industrial cutting tools, the race was on to grow diamonds in a laboratory. February 15, 1955…GE announced success, although the diamonds were far from gem quality and about the size of a grain of sand. Fast forward to today…high quality gem diamonds are offering more ways to own the diamond of your dreams. Colorless and very pure, these diamonds are undetectable from mined diamonds, except with very sophisticated gemological equipment. Diamonds grown in a laboratory setting are chemically, physically and optically identical to diamonds which come out of the earth, both are pure carbon. Whether grown or mined, diamonds continue to hold the position of April’s birthstone.