Diamond Ring Blog

In January of 1905, the superintendent of the Premier Mine in south Africa came across what he thought was a large piece of glass glinting in the sunlight.  The “glass” was tested and proved to be the largest gem-quality diamond ever found.  It weighed 3,106 carats, or about one and one-third pounds! Named for Sir Thomas Cullinan, the man who opened the mine, this amazing gem was presented as a sixty-sixth birthday gift to King Edward VII, of England, in 1907.  King Edward shipped the gem out to Amsterdam to be cut.  The cutter yielded nine major gems, which all remain in the British Crown Jewels (or are owned personally by the royal family), as well as ninety-six smaller  -but still sizeable!-gems, and nine diamonds of a half-carat or less.

When we’re talking diamonds, the term “girdle” takes on a whole new meaning.  The girdle of a cut diamond is the outer edge, or perimeter, of the stone.  If you look at a diamond sideways, particularly under magnification, you will see that the girdle is not just an edge, but actually a polished (or unpolished) area of the stone.  The ideal girdle is “medium” to “slightly thick” in size.  The thickness of the girdle is important.  It affects both the value and the durability of a given stone.  an extremely thin girdle poses the real risk of chipping with normal wear. An extremely thick girdle will make a like-weight diamond appear smaller than a well-cut stone. Girdles may be thicker in non-round shaped diamonds to protect the stone at its points.

Enhancement is often used as another word for treatment.  However, it has a broader meaning as well.  Enhancement also refers to the faceting and polishing of a gem.

Treatment is the standard term used in gemolgical literature for any process done to improve the appearance of a gemstone, except cutting and cleaning.

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