Where Diamonds are Mined
Argye mine located in the Kimberley region
in the far north east of Western Australia.
Owned by Rio Tinto, this mine is the worlds
largest single producer of volume of
diamonds. However, due to low proportion
of gem quality diamonds it is not the value
leader. It does produce 90-95% of the
worlds supply of pink diamonds.
Diavik is also owned by Rio Tinto, located in
Canada it is a very large mine. It is located
north of Yellowknife and south of the Artic
Circle...
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What Are Dirty Diamonds?
A dirty diamond is one of two things: a rough
diamond, or a diamond that hasnt been
cleaned in a while. Rough diamonds are
uncut and unpolished hence, they are dirty.
But that type of dirty diamond will soon be
cut and polished and sitting in a beautiful
jewel box in a display case. Then someone
will purchase it, and before long, it will
become a dirty diamond once again.
Diamonds become dirty. When you wash
your hands with a diamond ring on, soap
scum clings to it....
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Victoria Transvaal Diamond
The Victoria-Transvaal is a 67.89-carat, brownish-yellow pear shaped stone. It was cut from a 240-carat crystal that was found in the Transvaal, South Africa. The first cutting produced a 75-carat 116-facet stone that measured 1 x 1/8 inches; a recutting retained the same length and width, but reduced the depth to better proportions, making it more brilliant. The diamond has been featured in several Hollywood films, including a Tarzan episode from 1952 titled...
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Synthetic Diamonds
The first synthetic diamonds were produced
by General Electric in 1954. A synthetic
diamond is basically a rock that has the
durability, refractive index and hardness of
a natural diamond but it is made by man.
A synthetic diamond should not be
confused with stimulant diamonds, such as
glass, cubic zirconia, or moissanite.
Although the technology for synthetic
diamonds came into play in 1954, no
synthetic diamonds were ever seen on the
market until the 1990s. This was due...
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Sri Lanka
One of the world’s most beautiful and exotic islands, Sri Lanka, (formerly Ceylon) lies just below the southern tip of India. This pear-shaped bit of tropical paradise, about the size of Sicily, is a tourist’s delight offering British teahouses, rubber plantations, and gem mines.
Marco Polo wrote of his visit in 1292: “I want you to understand that the island of Ceylon is, for its size, the finest island in the world, and from its streams comes rubies, sapphires,...
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Spanish Inquisition Necklace
One doesn’t normally associate beautiful jewelry with the time of the Spanish Inquisition. But in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection of gems, there is an exquisite necklace of diamonds and emeralds.
It is a spectacular double row of diamonds and emeralds ending in a chandelier of emeralds. There is unfortunately very little information about the provenance of this necklace. The large diamonds and Columbian emeralds were most likely cut in India in...
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